We need to clean up our standard operating procedures before we put the business on the market, but the Process Documentation seat is currently empty. Every leadership team member is passing the buck because they hate writing manuals. How do we fill this seat without hiring an outside contractor?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A common mistake is leaving a critical seat blank or trying to distribute it among everyone, which means nobody is actually accountable. In EOS, we design the structure first, then place people. If you need a Process Documentation seat, it must live on your Accountability Chart with clear, defined roles.

To resolve this without hiring, look at your existing leadership team through the lens of GWC. You do not need the person in this seat to actually write every single document. Their core role is to ensure that the documentation gets done, is updated regularly, and is followed by everyone. They are the project manager for your company processes.

Review your leadership team to see who possesses the highest natural aptitude for structure, detail, and systemization. Often, this is your Integrator, your Operations head, or even a highly organized Finance leader. Ask who Gs, Ws, and has the C for this project management level of accountability.

Once you identify the right person, add their name to the seat. They will then assign the actual writing of specific procedures to individual department heads as Rocks or weekly to-dos. The seat owner is simply accountable for holding others to their deadlines and maintaining the central directory. By narrowing the seat focus from writing everything to managing the compliance process, you turn an intimidating, unwanted job into a manageable operational responsibility.