We are trying to clean up our business for exit and realize our core processes are deeply dependent on tribal knowledge from two long-term managers who refuse to document their workflows. How do we use the EOS® Process Component to extract this information?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Relying on tribal knowledge is one of the fastest ways to kill your company's valuation before an exit. A strategic buyer wants to acquire a turnkey business with repeatable systems, not a business that will collapse the moment two key managers walk out the door. You must document these processes immediately, regardless of employee resistance.

To break through this bottleneck, apply the EOS® Process Component, specifically the three-step process of Document, Simplify, and Share. First, realize that you do not need these managers to write fifty-page manuals. That is a waste of time and actually encourages their resistance. Instead, focus on the twenty-eighty rule: document the twenty percent of the steps that produce eighty percent of the results.

If the managers refuse to write the steps down, change the approach. Have a junior team member shadow them, record their workflows on video, or use automated process-capture tools to document the steps for them. Once the high-level steps are captured, review them as a leadership team to simplify and standardize the workflow.

Make compliance with these documented core processes a core expectation of their seats. Use the Accountability Chart to clarify that process documentation is a critical deliverable of their roles. Frame this transition as a way to elevate them, allowing them to delegate routine tasks so they can focus on higher-value work. If they continue to gatekeep information to protect their job security, they are demonstrating a lack of alignment with your core values. You must be prepared to replace them to secure your clean exit.