Date: 201908
Local time of day: 0001-0600
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Flight conditions: VMC
Aircraft: B737 Next Generation Undifferentiated
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Other Preflight planning
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Not Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Workload; Time Pressure
Second reporter function: First Officer; Pilot Flying
Anomaly: Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Hazardous Material Violation; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: In-flight
Result: Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Contributing factors: Human Factors
Primary problem: Human Factors

Narrative: Prior to departure; we received an ACARS document which stated No Dangerous Goods Planned. About 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure; we then received a Service Summary ACARs message which stated Dangerous Goods - Yes. However; we failed to receive an actual dangerous goods manifest either handwritten or via ACARs and we departed. I informed Dispatch enroute and they up-linked the Dangerous Goods manifest. When we received the Service Summary ACARS message; I mentioned to the First Officer that we had animals and dangerous goods and he acknowledged it; however; I later learned he thought I was joking that the animals would leave behind dangerous goods in the cargo pit. We were trying to get going for a STAR departure and completing briefings and checklists and coordinating with the flight attendants and customer service agent to get the aircraft out on time. In the course of this; we didn't receive any handwritten or electronic dangerous goods manifest forms. After departure; I realized we may not have received those forms and contacted Dispatch. He contacted ZZZ Station Ops who informed him they had sent the dangerous goods manifest via ACARS but we never received it. We looked and are absolutely certain we didn't receive it. In addition; there was no mention of it with the final weight manifest. While enroute; the Dispatcher attempted several times to up-link the Dangerous Goods manifest to our printer without success. Finally we received it and found out it was dry ice.


Second narrative: During climb out Captain asked For the Dangerous Goods form. I did not realize we had Dangerous Goods. The preflight message said not Dangerous Goods planned so I was not expecting any forms. He told me the aircraft servicing message said yes to Dangerous Goods. He told me we had Dangerous Goods and animals just before us [departure]. The Dangerous Goods part went right over my head. I wasn't expecting to hear Dangerous Goods and only processed the 'animals' part of his comment to me. We determined through Dispatch that there was indeed dry ice on board. After several attempts to re-send the Dangerous Goods summary; we finally forgot it as we diverted to ZZZ1 for weather reasons at ZZZ1. The flight otherwise was uneventful. We debriefed issue and ensured proper notification was received for the flight to ZZZ2 from ZZZ1.


Synopsis: B737 flight crew reported a communication breakdown between Captain and First Officer that contributed to departure without required Dangerous Goods documents.