What processes should I document first?

The Short Answer

The process that costs you the most hours per week. For most founders, that's sales follow-up or client onboarding. Document that one first. Hand it off. Get those hours back. Then document the next one.

The Priority Filter

List every process you personally handle. Be specific: not "sales" but "follow up with prospects after the first conversation" and "send proposals" and "close deals." Now score each one on two criteria. First: how many hours per week does it take? Second: does it require your unique judgment, or could someone else do it with the right instructions?

High hours plus low judgment requirement = document first. The founder who spends five hours per week on sales follow-up emails doesn't need to write those emails personally. A team member with the right template and a quality checklist can do it at 80% of the founder's quality. That 80% frees five hours per week permanently.

The Typical Sequence

For most service businesses, the documentation sequence goes: (1) sales follow-up and proposal process, (2) client onboarding, (3) delivery milestones and check-ins, (4) invoicing and accounts receivable, (5) recruiting and hiring. The first two have the highest time cost and the lowest judgment requirement. Start there.

What NOT to Document First

Don't start with the process you're most excited about. Start with the one that gives you the most time back. Don't start with the most complex process. Start with the simplest high-time-cost process. A win in the first week builds momentum. A slog through a complex process kills it.

Also don't document processes that genuinely require the founder's judgment, relationships, or expertise. Closing a $50K deal with a relationship-based buyer is a founder task. Following up after the conversation with a one-pager and a check-in email is a team task. Know the difference.

The 80% Standard

The goal isn't to clone yourself. It's to free yourself from the 80% of work that doesn't require you. This guide covers the full SOP format, the handoff process, and the testing method that catches gaps before they reach clients. The Growth Navigator Pro ($747/mo) maps your processes and identifies which ones to document first. Start free.