I know what you’re thinking: “In the time it will take for me to document every step of this business process, I could just do it myself.”

You could. And things might work well that way for a long time. But something could happen that’s beyond your control that will keep you from performing tasks as you usually do (like COVID, or an injury, or a family member who needs your support). There may come a time when you will be forced to step away from your business. Your business could grow to the point where you don’t have the time to personally train every new hire.

If you track your processes now and create standard operating procedures, it’s like creating a blueprint for your business. No matter what happens, someone can complete those tasks. You could even go on vacation knowing that everything will keep chugging along as if you were still there. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Here’s what you have to do to get there

Start with the most urgent tasks first. The ones that would cause a calamity if they weren’t completed. Make a list and then pick one.

Document the purpose of the procedure. Explain in a few sentences why this task is important. Lay it out so someone who is new to your business can understand.

Document the schedule for the task. Is this task completed daily? A certain time of the day? Is the task dependent on receiving other information first? Remember, you’re writing this procedure for someone who is unfamiliar with it so be clear.

List the responsible parties. You, obviously, but anyone else? If you have dependencies, or are a dependency for someone else, identify them, including contact information.

Document the procedure step by step. It helps to document while performing the task. Are there ongoing sub-tasks that fulfill the main task? Will approval be needed for different steps? Who will approve those steps if you’re not there? Think through everything as if you’re doing it for the first time. Drawing the workflow (on paper, or an online tool like Miro) will help you clarify the order of operations and communicate it to others.

Test your SOP. Follow your steps and see if you can complete the task in the steps you’ve laid out. Better yet, have someone else follow the steps. Adjust your SOP to meet the needs of the person who will follow it. For example, acronyms might make sens to you but might confuse someone else. Write every word out so that someone else can understand.

Review and edit periodically. Check up on your SOP every six to twelve months to see if any of the steps need updating. Technology and processes change, so scheduling a time to make revisions is key.

Keep documenting!

Once you’ve completed one SOP, move on to the next most urgent process, and then the next. Put your SOP files into a folder and make sure all the members of your team have access to the folder. Once you have a SOP folder, let me know if you feel a bit more relaxed knowing that you have a process in place for those times when you need to step away. Time to plan a vacation!