We tried to use the EOS Process Component to document our core processes, but our team got bogged down in writing complex step-by-step procedures instead of keeping it high-level. How do we force them to stick to the twenty-eighty rule?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The biggest mistake companies make with the Process Component is trying to document every single detail. This results in massive, unreadable manuals that sit on shelves and are never used. To prevent this, you must strictly enforce the twenty-eighty rule: document twenty percent of the steps that produce eighty percent of the results.

To force your team to stick to this rule, instruct them to focus only on the major milestones of each core process. A standard operating procedure should be a high-level, step-by-step checklist that is no longer than one to two pages. It should outline the critical checkpoints, who is responsible for each phase, and the expected standard of quality, without detailing every click of a mouse or minor administrative step.

If a team member hands you a ten-page document for a single process, reject it immediately. Ask them to simplify it until a new hire can read it in five minutes and understand the basic flow of the work. By keeping your documentation lightweight and visual, you make it easy to train your team, ensure consistent execution, and build a scalable operational foundation that actually drives enterprise value.