Writing Down How You Do Things (Before You Forget)
There is a particular kind of operational knowledge that exists only in your head. Not big strategic plans, but small daily operations.
Which supplier you use for odd jobs. The specific login workaround when your software acts up. Why you always check one specific ledger figure twice. The exact sequence you follow during end-of-month processing.
None of it feels worth writing down because you have done it a hundred times. You assume you will never forget. And that is completely true right up until the week you are sick, stuck on a flight, trying to take a holiday, or attempting to hand the task over to a new team member.
Why Process Documentation Never Gets Done
Documenting processes feels like admin about admin. It does not generate immediate revenue, nothing breaks if you skip it today, and it always looks like a task that belongs on next month's to-do list.
The difficulty is that the cost of not writing things down never lands on the day you skip it. The cost arrives months later, usually at the busiest possible moment when a task goes wrong and you are the only person who knows how to fix it.
The Secret: Do Not Write Anything at First
Standard business advice tells you to sit down and write a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) manual. That advice is precisely why almost no small business actually has one.
Try this alternative approach instead.
The next time you perform a routine task, record your computer screen using a free tool like Loom or Zoom, and talk through what you are doing out loud as you do it. It does not need to be a polished presentation. Just narrate your actions naturally:
"Right, so I open this screen first, and I always cross-check this number here because it miscalculates about once a quarter."
Ten minutes of screen recording captures far more practical detail than an hour of typing, and you were going to complete the task anyway. The extra time investment is close to zero.
The written procedure can easily come later. In fact, it is much better written by someone else watching your recording, because they will notice and write down the subtle steps you perform automatically without thinking.
What Is Actually Worth Documenting?
You do not need to document every single task in your business. To decide what matters, ask yourself one simple question: If you were completely unreachable for two weeks, what operations would fall over?
That filter usually results in a short, manageable list:
Anything with a strict statutory or supplier deadline.
Anything involving money coming in or going out.
Complex procedures where a mistake is expensive or time-consuming to fix.
Tasks like payroll processing, recurring invoicing, and BAS reconciliation need clear documentation. Tasks that can safely wait two weeks do not need documenting yet.
Keep It Useful, Not Exhaustive
Process documentation usually fails in two ways:
Too thin: A bullet-point list of steps that assumes all the background context you carry in your head.
Too thick: A heavy binder or massive document that nobody reads.
The ideal format is roughly one page per task containing:
What triggers the task.
What information or files you need before you start.
The step-by-step actions.
The specific quirks that catch people out (e.g. "This figure will look wrong on the first screen. That is normal, keep going").
Store Notes Where the Work Happens
A perfect procedures folder that sits unopened in Google Drive is useless.
If a task lives inside your accounting software, place the procedure notes directly where you will see them when completing the work. If it is a monthly task, attach the document or video link to your calendar reminder. Documentation is only effective if it appears at the exact moment you need to perform the task.
Start with Just One Task
Do not treat this as a massive overhaul project. Pick one task the next time you perform it.
Select the specific job where you would most hate to be the only person who knows how it works. Record yourself completing it. That single ten-minute action is your entire first step.
If you complete that process once a month, you will have twelve fully documented procedures by the end of the year, which is far more than most small businesses ever achieve.
Need Help Systemising Your Back Office?
If you know your processes need documenting but you keep putting it off, that is a clear sign to delegate it. Having a specialist observe your workflow, document your steps, and streamline your software setup is often the fastest way to get your evenings back.
Book a free 30-minute intro call with Simply Secretarial today to discuss your workflows and back-office setup.
Disclaimer: This article provides general administrative and business workflow guidance current at the time of writing. Process requirements vary based on your specific software, business structure, and industry.
