How to Document Your Processes for Easy Delegation

Delegation Can be Simple

One of the scary things about hiring someone is trying to figure out what you can delegate to them and how to delegate it. Delegation begins with creating processes for your business.

Now, you might be thinking, “Oh crap, now I have to start writing a huge manual with all of this step-by-step, tedious writing.”

There’s a much easier way, my friend. Record what you do, as you do it. And then organize it in a super simple file system. Are you excited yet?

Step One: Recording What You Do

Whether you’re answering a support email, tracking an expense, or performing one of the tasks that are core to the product or service you provide, you can record yourself doing it so that you can share that recording for someone else to follow. The beauty of this is, you’ll be getting work done while you do the recording. All you have to do is talk out loud and explain what you’re doing as you do it.

Fortunately, WikiHow has a great tutorial explaining how to record on your PC or Mac. These are free solutions and are pretty easy to set up and/or follow. Have a look here for the instructions.

You don’t have to start big, you can just record one simple task that you can then delegate. As processes change and evolve, you or your teammate can, for example, record a new video to replace the old one. Gradually over time, you’ll have more and more videos making up your systems and processes.

Step Two: Get Organized

The easiest way to organize your processes is to create a shared folder on one of those fancy cloud sharing applications like Google Drive or Dropbox (those are the two we have here at Smack Happy). I think Google Drive is an easy no-brainer, especially if you’re using Gmail or G Suite because it’s already built in your tools and ready for use.

Google Drive Pointers

Google Drive is in fact so user-friendly, there really isn’t a right or wrong way to use it. Just make sure to keep your files organized and secure. Know who you’re sharing your file with, and keep your files organized in a way that makes sense to you and your company’s culture.

Here’s a sample file structure I’d recommend using with Google Drive. Hint: it’s ours, and our whole team finds it effective.

• SHD Processes
  • Attract (Marketing)
  • Collect (Accounting)
  • Convert (Sales)
  • Deliver (Operations)
  • Solve (Troubleshooting)

And there we keep general files outside of subfolders for quick reference.

Step Three: Delegate That Task!

Now that you have at least one task documented and organized, you are ready to delegate it! Share the new processes folder with your teammate and explain how all the things you do in the company will be added to this file structure over time.

If you need some ideas on what you can delegate, don’t worry, we have you covered! Here are a few resources to help you get some more ideas flowing.

• 98 Tasks You can Affordably Outsource to Virtual Assistant Services by Rob Rawson
• • What to Delegate via Park Scholar Training
• How You can Go Beyond Your “Zone of Genius” & Delegate Better by us!

Time to Get the Ball Rolling!

Getting set up for delegation and adding or onboarding a teammate doesn’t have to be daunting. Take it one step, or rather, one task at a time and you’ll get that new teammate helping you out the best that they can in no time!

For further reading: How do you know when to hire?