We need to build a comprehensive training and standard operating procedure library to prepare our business for an acquisition, but none of our department heads want to own this Documentation and SOP seat on our Accountability Chart. They all claim they are too busy running their daily operations. How do we assign accountability for this crucial seat when everyone is actively avoiding it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You cannot allow a critical function to remain unassigned because it is tedious. In EOS, every seat must have one owner. If a seat is vital to your business health or exit strategy, someone on your leadership team must own the accountability for it, even if they delegate the actual task work.

Start by looking at where documentation naturally sits. Usually, this falls under Operations or Human Resources. If you do not have a dedicated HR seat, the Integrator must own it temporarily. The owner of the seat does not need to sit at a keyboard and write every single procedure. Their role is to ensure the procedures get written, updated, and followed by everyone. They can hire a technical writer, use an intern, or assign specific documentation tasks as quarterly Rocks to other team members.

However, the ultimate accountability for the seat must rest with one person. If your current leaders are genuinely too busy, it is a sign that your structure is overloaded. You must look at your Accountability Chart, identify which transactional seats can be offloaded, and create the space for this documentation seat to be successfully managed. Running a company without documented processes lowers your valuation and makes you dependent on key people, which is a major red flag for buyers.