Checklists
It used to surprise me how often I would get essentially the same "how to" question from a single client, over and over.
That happens less now, partly because I've been able to encourage folks to take one simple step to solve this problem:
Make a checklist.
The problem was not that these clients were somehow mentally deficient, any more than I am.
Because I had this problem too, until I started using checklists to keep track of my processes. I now have several checklists that I update regularly, for tasks like:
Starting up with a new coaching client.
Conducting a group training.
Speaking at a conference.
Spinning up a new hosting server for a client.
Migrating a site from one server to another.
Performing security updates.
Scheduling, recording, and releasing a podcast episode.
For everyday tasks, a checklist might be more trouble than it's worth. You're probably intimate already with the details of brushing and flossing, and driving to work.
But for tasks that come up less often, or even irregularly, a checklist is invaluable, because it helps you avoid common mistakes, like:
Skipping over important configurations.
Failing to follow up with other staff members, contributors, vendors.
Struggling to remember the location of that one tricky setting.
How I do it:
You can make this as complex as you want, but complexity is not necessary (and usually best avoided).
When I have a task that's likely to be repeated more than once, and that has more than three steps (e.g., three settings forms in the CRM, three system I need to touch, three people I need to talk to), I make a checklist for it.
The checklist includes every step I need to take to complete the task, plus extra steps for testing to ensure it's been done correctly.
Each checklist is just a Google Doc. I keep all of them in a checklist folder and title them with the name of the task.
While I'm doing the task, I work through the checklist. And if I find the checklist is missing a step or an option, I updat it on the spot. This ensures my checklists are continually improving and always up to date.
If I need to hand this task off to someone else, I start by walking them through the checklist. If I'm assigning this task to them on a long-term basis, I give them access to edit, so they can keep it up to date.
Here's the thing:
Human memory is fallible, and you're just a human being.
So are the airline pilots, brain surgeons, and people in hundreds of other important positions who rely on checklists every day.
Your work is no less important than theirs. And your brain is no less susceptible to a lapse in memory.
Save yourself, and your organization, a lot of trouble, by adding checklists to your documentation plan.
All the best,
A.