Choosing where to start.
WHAT TO DOCUMENT FIRST
Tasks only one person can do Tasks done infrequently Tasks where errors are costly Tasks done by many people who do them differently Questions asked repeatedly
WHY SINGLE-PERSON TASKS FIRST
They are the largest risk and the greatest constraint.
HOW TO FIND THEM
Ask what would be difficult if each person were absent for a month.
WHY INFREQUENT TASKS MATTER
Nobody remembers how, and they are reinvented each time.
WHAT EXAMPLES LOOK LIKE
Annual filings Year-end procedures System recovery Onboarding a new supplier Handling a rare exception
WHAT NOT TO DOCUMENT
Tasks that are obvious Tasks nobody performs Anything changing so fast it will be wrong immediately
WHY
It consumes effort and it produces material that is ignored.
WHAT ELSE IS WORTH CAPTURING
Why decisions were made Customer history and preferences Supplier arrangements and contacts System configuration and access Workarounds and known problems
WHY DECISIONS MATTER
People revisit settled questions because nobody recorded the reasoning.
WHY WORKAROUNDS MATTER
They exist only in people's heads and nothing works without them.
WHAT TO PRIORITISE
Whatever would cause the most difficulty if the person holding it left tomorrow.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
A short list, and work through it.
WHY SHORT
Long lists produce nothing.
