If we told you to take a vacation, how would you feel?  Would you panic?  Would you come up with a list of all the things that would go wrong if you weren’t there?  Would you imagine the business crumbling in your absence?  Well, you’re not alone.  Most businesses are in the same place as you – where their day-to-day operations are dependent on the people who know how things work.

So, how do you escape this trap?  Simple.  Every time someone asks you how to do something you write it down.  Write out the steps it takes to complete the task.  Then sit with the person and have them follow your steps and see if they are able to perform the task in the way you would.  If you missed a step, add it in.  If you repeat this process a couple of times you should have a solid set of instructions that would allow anyone to perform this task.

The next step in freeing yourself is to identify the top 10 tasks that need to be accomplished to keep things running for a few days.  Take that list and write out the steps for each task and repeat the process above to validate them.

At the end of this exercise you now have the top 11 tasks documented in a way that anyone can do them.

Pick some people that are capable of performing the tasks and train them on your processes. Make sure that any special access, tools or contacts are provided, so that they don’t get blocked by something simple.

Choose a place to store the processes that are easily available to the people who have to execute them,  This may be share point, google drive or and in-house wiki.

Create a small process to enable people to suggest updates and corrections to the processes, to ensure that they stay up-to-date.

Figure out an “emergency” plan.  What happens if a process fails?  Can it wait until you get back?  Is there someone else in the business that can fix the problem?

Now you have top 11 tasks in place. Your staff trained and you have an emergency plan in place. It’s time to go on vacation, knowing that you can relax because all the important tasks will be taken care of while you are away.

Arcterion are masters at helping business identify their critical tasks and processes.  We can help you map them out, create your documentation and train your staff.  If you are in good need of that vacation you don’t think you can take, reach out to us.  We’ll have you packing your bags and enjoying a stress-free vacation in no time!