We all know the phrase, “You are what you eat,” but I think about its lesser-known cousin, “You are what you document.”

Just like eating habits shape your health, your documentation habits shape your business. Good documentation can give you a clearer perspective, momentum, and long-term continuity, or poor habits can leave you flustered, confused, and vulnerable to upheaval at the slightest disruption.

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That’s why documentation is a top business fitness topic at HireSmart. We have a number of healthy documentation habits, such as our standard operating procedures for each position and our daily close-of-business reports.

We have a record of what everyone has done on that day, and over the long haul, this is as beneficial to the employee as management. It allows employees to contemplate the day that passed and plan for the next one. Where were they productive? Where did they struggle?

This isn’t intended to be punitive. Far from it! It’s a form of communication that helps us align goals and actions and provides employees an avenue for daily feedback. As managers, we adopt the attitude of “help us help you.” Those reports help us do precisely that.

Gaining Perspective through Documentation

When you start documenting your days and processes, something interesting happens. You’re forced to step back and look at your operations from a higher vantage point. Suddenly, you’re not just going through the motions. You’re analyzing each step and decision.

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This bird’s-eye view holds such value. You might spot inefficiencies, redundancies, or gaps previously hidden in the daily grind. You might see opportunities to streamline, automate, or redesign. Documenting processes gives you the perspective to make better, more strategic decisions about how your business runs.

Creating Momentum through Documentation

But documentation isn’t just about reflection; it’s also about action. With clear, documented processes, moving forward with confidence and consistency is easier.

When everyone knows exactly what to do and how to do it, there’s less hesitation, less confusion, and less reinventing the wheel. Documented processes create a kind of operational momentum. They grease the wheels of your business, allowing you to execute more smoothly and efficiently.

Ensuring Continuity through Documentation

Perhaps most crucially, process documentation is about ensuring continuity. Every business has at least some turnover, but when your processes are well-documented, your business can keep running smoothly even during change.

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Documented processes act as the human USB input, allowing you to transfer knowledge from one employee to the next. They ensure that your company’s secret sauce — the unique ways you do things — doesn’t walk out the door when critical personnel leave. With solid standard operating procedures, you can maintain operational continuity and institutional memory even as your team evolves.

Making Documentation a Habit

Of course, to reap these benefits, process documentation needs to become a regular habit ingrained in your company culture. Here are a few tips:

• Provide documentation training — Teach your team best practices for creating and maintaining clear, useful process documents.

• Make it part of your workflow — Integrate documentation into your daily processes. For example, have employees update the relevant documentation as part of completing a task.

• Keep it simple and visual — Use clear language, concise steps, and visuals like flowcharts or screenshots to make documentation easy to follow and maintain.

• Review and update regularly — Schedule regular reviews to ensure documentation stays current as processes evolve. Make it a team activity.

• Set documentation goals and deadlines — Establish clear objectives and timelines for documenting key processes.

• Lead by example—As a leader, demonstrate your commitment to process documentation by sharing your process documents and lessons learned.

HireSmart VE Is Always Available for His Family and Profession

At HireSmart Virtual Employees, we can help you add the best virtual employees to your staff at a low cost, broadening your ability to document your work and sharpen your processes. I love talking with business leaders about various process management options and how to create new efficiencies.

Each of our processes and each of our actions are rooted in the foundation of core values. And that begins with service.

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We boast the industry’s highest successful placement rate at 98.8 percent because we talk to you about your specific needs, and then we search for someone who matches that exact skillset. We train them before onboarding about your industry terminology and needs, then walk with you through the process of bringing on your new team member. And we provide ongoing support as needed. Our bill rate is $9.50 an hour, and you get a full-time employee who receives free health and dental care at no cost to you.

“Evy has displayed open communication, teamwork, confidence, adaptability, commitment, motivation, self direction, trust, accountability, positive attitude and problem solving skills to name a few since day one,” said one client about their HireSmart employee. “Evy is an overall asset to our team, she exhibits great team player skills that not only elevate our team, but all others at our branch even from across the world. Without a doubt, Evy is a valued member to our team.”

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If you want more documentation about this process, we’d love to provide it. We can lay it out step by step. Or, if you want to chat about sharpening your business processes, we’re here for you. Click here to set up a free consultation at your convenience.

Right now, I feel a little better about the “you are what you document” phrase than the old “you are what you eat” mantra. I had second helpings of my homemade chocolate ice cream, but you would, too. It’s fantastic. Hit me up, and I’ll tell you my secret.