Issue #07 — Building Systems That Work When You're Not There

Issue #07  ·  January 27, 2026  ·  The Operations Weekly

Here’s a simple test for your business: if you took a two-week vacation with no cell service, what would break? For most small business owners, the honest answer is “most things.” That’s not a people problem — it’s a systems problem.

The Documentation Foundation

Every repeatable process in your business should have a written standard operating procedure. Not a novel — a one-page checklist that tells the person doing the work exactly what to do, in what order, and how to know they’ve done it correctly. If you have 20 core processes, you need 20 one-page documents.

The Delegation Ladder

Delegation isn’t binary. There are five levels: (1) do exactly what I say, (2) research and report back, (3) develop options and recommend one, (4) decide and inform me, (5) decide without informing me. Most business owners delegate at level 1 forever. The goal is to move your key people to levels 4 and 5 on routine decisions.