When you start a business, you do a lot of different jobs yourself. You learn how to do every part of the business. As you do these tasks more often, they become easier, and you don’t have to think as much about how to do them. But do you want to know the secret of how to grow your business? Develop procedures for everything! In business, these documents are often called Standard Operating Procedures.
As your business grows, you’ll need to give some tasks to other people. However, the person you hire might not understand your business as well as you do. They will need guidance and training on how to do certain tasks. With a written procedure, your team members will learn faster, and they will be able to start saving you time and money quickly.
Why Document Your Processes?
A few years ago, I was talking with my husband about how my assistant was struggling with a task. I felt bad because I had created a procedure for the task but had forgotten to give it to her.
So, she had to figure it out on her own, just like I did the first time. My mistake in not giving her the procedure cost me time and money. I learned my lesson!
Don’t have an assistant yet? I’ve written articles about hiring a virtual assistant and strategies for getting started with outsourcing. You might not be ready to hire help for your business yet, and that’s okay.
Just keep reading because there are things you can do now to prepare for when you’re ready to outsource. Start documenting procedures for everything you do now. It’s a crucial step in growing your business!
Benefits of Having Documented Procedures
Having written procedures for tasks sets you and your team up for success. Your assistants won’t waste time wondering what to do next or struggling through a process. Everything is laid out step by step in the documented procedure.
Additionally, for tasks you don’t do often and may have forgotten how to do, a documented procedure lets you quickly access that information without wasting time figuring it out again.
I’ve been documenting processes in my business for 16 years now, and I’ve seen some great benefits:
- I don’t waste time figuring out how to do something if I forget.
- Team members learn processes faster.
- It reduces the number of mistakes.
- Tasks can be transferred to an assistant quickly if needed.
- Important information isn’t just “in someone’s head.”
- Team members take ownership in improving and updating the process.
Overall, it saves you time, money, and headaches!
How To Get Started
As you go through your daily routine, ask yourself, “Have I done this before? Is it taking longer because I don’t have a written process in place?”
If you find yourself wasting time trying to figure out something you’ve done before, I’ve been there! So just write it down now, and next time, it won’t take you as long.
Or, ask yourself, “Do I need to be doing this?” If the answer is no, start documenting the task so that you can outsource it and pass it off to someone else.
Keep in mind that it’s important for you to know how to do the task FIRST. Write down exactly how you want the task performed. And, importantly, write down WHY you do that task. That way, when you outsource it, you can be certain it’s completed in a way that matches your business goals.
The Free Tool We Use for Our Procedures:
You can purchase fancy and expensive software to develop and track procedures.
I prefer to keep it simple and use Google Docs for most of my procedures. This allows my team members to make edits and updates to the procedures if needed. Google Docs also allows us to easily collaborate, ask questions, and comment on each other’s work.
What if you haven’t had a chance to document procedures but need to hire help now? Here’s an idea: Have the new team member document the steps as you teach him/her. This is a great way to give the team members more ownership of the process!
Mind mapping is another way to document a process or procedure.
What To Include In Your Procedure
We suggest making a template with a header and footer branded to your business that you will use as the starting point for all your procedures. Once you’ve copied your template and you’re ready to start documenting your procedure, be sure to include these important parts:
Title and Description: Start with a clear title and a short description of what the procedure is for.
Last Updated By: This line states who the last person to update the document was and when it was last updated.
Table of Contents: If your document is long, add a table of contents to help people find what they need quickly.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Write the procedure in simple steps, using clear language.
Visuals: Include pictures or diagrams to make the instructions easier to understand.
Checklist: At the end, consider adding a checklist summarizing the steps for easy reference.
Important Links and Videos: If there are helpful links or videos, include them in your document.
Remember to review and update your document regularly to keep it accurate.
One Way to Grow Your Business? Develop Procedures for Everything!
I learned a valuable lesson that day with my new assistant. Since then, procedures (and making sure my team members have access to them!) have been a critical aspect of my business.
If you’re hoping to grow your online business, plan now for that growth! Open a word document or Google Doc and start writing down how to handle parts of your business. Especially those that you think you’ll want to outsource soon.
Don’t worry if your business is not ready to take on help! Start documenting your process now so that when you are ready to pass something off, it’s a smoother transition. Taking the time to do that today will save you time later down the road. Proper planning now means fewer growing pains later.
[Originally published in June 2013. Updated May 2024]
Great article Christina. It’s so true, systems, while not considered very “sexy” do liberate you! Another tip that I give my coaching & consulting clients is that if they don’t have a process/system documented and they are ready to delegate it to a virtual assistant or other member of their team, simply have them document it as you are teaching them the task. Then have them test it, update it and provide you a copy that you can valide and add to your training or operations manual. It takes the work off your to do list, frees yoru time and encourages your team member to take ownership!
Sherley Grace,
That is a great tip, and one that I do. As I teach my process I have my team document what they are doing as well as work from my docs. Part of why I like Google Docs so much 🙂
So on target Christina..as someone who has spent years strategizing the backend of businesses, large and small, the The fastest way to streamline is to write it down…whether it is on a piece of paper, in a document file or (my favorite) ScreenSteps for making sure there are both pictures and words, it’s an essential step in growing a business.
Although I used to do huge products, sometimes numbering the thousands of pages, it is ever so much easy to write something down as you do it…one procedure at a time. Then we small business owners don’t spend years documenting stuff, only to find we now longer do “that” and our business has dried home!
And that’s how I came to have “The Sexy Backend for Your Business™”!
Or even for tricky jobs you don’t do regularly. That saves time, too. You don’t have to get back into the original thought pattern. You just get on with it.
As one who writes procedure manuals, let me add an Amen! They are the breadcrumbs that never dry up and blow away!
I have to say I relate to this article on every level. We recently had a new hire in which I had to teach him how to do all the tasks that I used to do. I wish I could go back and create a basic template of all the tasks involved for my job so that he could follow step by step instructions. I actually found myself doing this several days after the hire in order to help him out. I am not good at teaching, so this tool is so beneficial and I will definitely implement it from now on.