Operating Cadence
Part of Startup documentation
Choosing which processes need a written guide
Prioritise startup process guides by consequence, repetition and reliance on one person, then choose a checklist or procedure that can be maintained.
Write a guide when a repeated task is important enough that a new or absent colleague should be able to do it without relying on one person's memory. Prioritise the consequence of a wrong step and the difficulty of recovery, then choose the lightest useful form: a checklist, a short procedure or a guide with examples and escalation rules.
Make a candidate list from real work
Ask each person to name tasks they perform repeatedly, explain more than once or cover when someone is away. Add tasks implicated in recent corrections, delays or unclear handoffs. Check customer feedback and incident records where relevant.
Describe each candidate as a task someone can recognise, such as “approve a customer refund request”, rather than a broad department label such as “customer service”.
For each task, ask:
| Question | What the answer tells you |
|---|---|
| What happens if a step is missed? | Whether a guide could prevent a material error or delay. |
| How often does the task recur? | Whether the effort of maintaining instructions is likely to be useful. |
| Can someone else perform it today? | Whether knowledge sits with one person. |
| Is the decision rule stable? | Whether steps can be written now, or whether judgement and escalation matter more. |
| Where will the guide be used? | Whether it should sit beside a queue, form or system rather than in a distant folder. |
These questions support a local priority decision; they do not produce a universal score. A rare task with serious consequences may outrank a frequent but easily corrected one.
Choose the right amount of instruction
Use a checklist when the reader already knows the work but may forget a step. Use a short procedure when order, inputs or approval matters. Add examples when the task requires distinguishing cases. If circumstances vary too much for fixed steps, write the purpose, limits of authority, warning signs and the person to consult.
Consider a hypothetical team that occasionally changes a customer's delivery date. The guide might specify who can approve the change, where to check capacity, what must be confirmed with the customer and where to record the final agreement. It need not reproduce every screen in the customer system.
A guide cannot replace training or supervision for work that needs them. Check applicable safety, industry and legal requirements for the specific task before deciding that a written page is sufficient.
Check the cost of keeping it current
Before writing, name an owner who can confirm the procedure and approve changes. Identify what would trigger an update: a new tool, a changed approval rule, a new product or a repeated exception. If no one can maintain the proposed guide, narrow it to the durable parts or first settle who owns the process.
Draft one high-priority guide with the person who does the work. Have another suitable colleague use it on a real or safe practice case. Note where they have to guess, where access is missing and where the written step conflicts with current practice. Correct the guide before adding the next one.
Guidelines for Maintaining Process Guides
- Owner responsibilityName an owner who can confirm the procedure and approve changes.
- Update triggersNew tool, changed approval rule, new product, repeated exception.
- Validation stepHave another colleague use the guide on a real or safe practice case.
