Training Your Team: SOPs, Playbooks & Office Hours

How to take inventory of your current processes and tools
Why better team training starts with clear business outcomes
A 30–60–90 day framework to document and roll out SOPs and playbooks
Strategies for team adoption, training habits, and change management
How owners can stay involved without micromanaging

Where You Are Now: Inventory Your Processes & Tools

Before you create anything new, get clear on what your team is already doing and how they’re doing it. Most businesses are already using a mix of written instructions, verbal tips, and “ask Sarah” moments to get things done. Let’s bring visibility to all of it.

Start with a quick audit:

List your current SOPs, help docs, and informal how-to messages
Note what tasks rely on tribal knowledge or only live in someone’s head
Review the tools your team uses: project trackers, chat apps, email, drives—are they connected or scattered?

Ask yourself:

What processes consistently work well?
What causes bottlenecks, repeat questions, or delays?

Pro tip: Run a one-day “task shadow” or quick team survey to get input directly from your staff. What’s clear to you may be unclear to new hires.

Pick Business Outcomes, Not Features

Don’t write SOPs just to “have documentation.” Start by identifying the results you want your team to achieve without you in the room.

Some examples of great outcome-focused goals:

New hires can handle 80% of support tasks with 2 weeks of onboarding
Client onboarding finishes in under 10 days without needing owner signoff
Marketing campaigns hit launch deadlines without scrambling

When your training materials are aligned with outcomes, your docs aren’t just reference—they become real tools for enabling independence, quality, and speed.

Prioritize by Impact vs. Effort

You don’t have to document every task at once. Start where it counts the most. Use a simple prioritization approach:

	Low Effort	High Effort
High Impact	Start here	Do next
Low Impact	Consider skipping	Probably not worth it

Look for processes that:

Repeat often—weekly or monthly
Directly affect customers, speed, or revenue
Slow things down when done incorrectly

Delegation tip: Ask the person who actually does the task to draft the first version. You’ll get a more accurate and useful version that way.

A 30–60–90 Day Plan for SOPs & Playbooks

0–30 Days: Get Initial Drafts Ready

Create 3–5 SOPs for your top-impact workflows—or set up a simple playbook template
Use short Loom videos or screenshots instead of long text docs
Block 15 minutes weekly for “SOP review” office hours

30–60 Days: Get Feedback and Improve

Share drafts with team members
Ask: “Is this easy to follow?” and “Does this help reduce errors or speed things up?”

60–90 Days: Organize and Maintain

Centralize documents in one shared folder or tool
Assign clear ownership for each SOP (who updates what)
Host monthly office hours to refresh and improve SOPs

Budget & Owner Roles

Your most important investment? Time.

Set aside 2–4 hours/week per team for the next 90 days
Use a shared calendar or weekly meeting to make space—it won’t happen “off the side of the desk”

As the business owner, your role is:

Explain why the systems matter—especially to newer hires
Be present for the first few SOP office hours
Share and celebrate moments when a system works without you

You don’t have to manage the library yourself. Pick a team lead or internal champion to help maintain the SOPs long term.

Change Management & Training Plan

Rolling out SOPs isn’t a one-time project—it’s a weekly and monthly rhythm.

Keep it light but consistent:

10–15 minute team reviews during regular meetings
“What’s new in our playbooks?” discussions every month

Make training part of the culture with:

Peer-led walkthroughs for new or updated SOPs
Simple recognition or rewards for catching outdated steps or improving a doc

Need help building your plan or training team leads? We offer coaching to walk with you as you roll things out.

Risk & Guardrail Checklist

Watch out for traps like:

Over-documenting random processes but not applying any training
Conflicting SOPs stored across multiple platforms
Outdated info stacking up and cluttering things

Set a few smart safeguards:

Do quarterly SOP reviews—just 1–2 hours
Label each SOP with last-updated date and owner name
Stick to a single shared location for all training resources

Next Steps

Pick 2–3 high-impact processes to start standardizing
Write your first simple SOP (even just 3 bullet points)
Announce a recurring internal office hours slot this week
Nominate one team member to help maintain your new system

Conclusion

You don’t need complicated software or a massive system overhaul to build a better-trained team. Just start with simple structures, like SOPs, playbooks, and regular office hours—and commit to keeping them light, useful, and up to date.

The result? Less confusion, faster execution, and more free time for you as an owner.

Need a hand building this out? We help business owners create smart, simple systems that stick—no jargon or extra logins required.