This is a judgement-free zone, right?
Until last week, I hadn't updated our internal company wiki since 2022. Before you judge me, don't act like you've never seen a hairdresser with jacked up hair. 😆
While I am paid to develop resources for our clients, internally it felt like less of a priority as I was figuring out our new structure and services after going from a team of 6 to 2.
Last week, I wrote a policy for how we use AI internally and realized I didn't immediately know where to save it to make it accessible for the team. Our company wiki had over 20 OUTDATED SOPs and processes, and I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to bring it up to speed with how we manage things now.
We didn't get to wiki status overnight either! I used to plan virtual coworking days where we would block off time to work on our SOPs. Everyone would have individual assignments to write out the things they managed, and by the end of the time block, we would have at least 10 new resources! Let me know if you need more specifics on how I would assign and pre-plan for this team assignment.
This week, I want you to think about the resources that you currently have in your drive or project management system.
Are they outdated? If someone had to reference them today, would they be able to follow them and get the task done?
As your business grows and changes, your training resources should evolve. Very few things are "one and done" in business, so you should always think of your SOPs, policies, and processes as ever-evolving.
Incorporate updating your resources into your routine:
If you learn a new or better way to do something, update the SOP.
If you hire a new person who is now taking the lead in an area, have them update the process as they improve or rework things.
If you need to roll out a new rule for your team to follow, write it down as a policy instead of just telling them once.
I want to treat The Digital Jane as if I would any client and make sure that our internal resources are just as updated and ready for training.
If you're thinking, “I work alone, I don't need to write anything down.”
Well, then what happens when you need to hire?
The idea is to start preparing now so that when the time comes, you are ready to train and not just relying on yourself to remember to brain-dump everything they'll need to know.
Here are a few tools you can use to start developing your resources this week! Reply to this blog and let me know which one you use or decide to try out.
Tango is one of my favorite tools for step-by-step documentation because it grabs a screenshot and transcribes your clicks. I would use this for quick guides on how to use specific software when you need to combine the "where" with what to do. The free version is great, and they have a new "guide me" feature that is a great training tool.
Have you seen the latest updates in Loom? The AI is incredible! I recommend using Loom for screen recordings when you want to show where and maybe explain in detail how. You can now also get a transcript from Loom and (*paste it into your favorite AI tool and tell them to create an SOP with it*). The free version is great!
Trainual is a great resource for storing your training resources and really getting clear on training plans by role. I don't recommend this one for starters, as the investment is about $300 per month, but if you are a team of 8+ with full-time employees, this is a worthy investment. PS - we are a certified Trainual consultant!
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