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BusinessPhD12 m+150 XP
Operations: running a business without being the business
SOPs, delegation frameworks & building a machine that works without you
Most SOPs fail because they're too long, too vague, or created by people who don't do the work. An effective SOP has four components: the outcome (what does done look like?), the steps (numbered, specific, actionable), the decision tree (what happens when X goes wrong?), and the checklist (the minimum viable version someone can follow under pressure). Document processes while doing them, not after. The best person to write an SOP is the person currently executing the process.
Key Points
- ▸Outcome first: define done before defining steps
- ▸Video > text for complex visual processes
- ▸Decision trees handle the 20% edge cases that cause 80% of errors
- ▸Review SOPs quarterly — they decay as the business evolves