We want to use AI tools to fast-track our Process Component, but we are worried that automated standard operating procedures will just create digital clutter that nobody reads. How do we combine AI-driven drafting with the EOS 20/80 rule to ensure our team actually owns and follows our core processes?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Using artificial intelligence to draft your standard operating procedures is an excellent way to save time, but it must be done with extreme discipline. The primary risk of AI is that it makes it too easy to generate hundreds of pages of overly detailed, complex manuals that your team will simply ignore. To avoid this digital clutter, you must enforce the EOS® 20/80 rule: document the twenty percent of the steps that get you eighty percent of the results. Start by having your process owners record themselves performing the core processes or speaking the steps aloud. Feed these raw recordings or transcripts into an AI tool and instruct it to draft a high-level, simplified outline of the core process, focusing only on the essential milestones and key activities. Once the AI generates this lean draft, the human process owner must review, refine, and take full ownership of it. The document should fit on a few pages, utilizing checklists and clear metrics rather than dense paragraphs of text. Do not let the AI add unnecessary complexity. The final step is to ensure that the process is actually followed by everyone in that department. By using AI as an administrative assistant to capture your existing workflows quickly, you reduce the writing burden while keeping your team focused on ownership, training, and operational consistency.