The second time a problem comes back, that’s information.
Every new client needs the same checks: contract, billing details, delivery contact. Every time, one point gets missed, and only one person knows which. A short checklist, tried once and fixed, solves it for everyone.
A system is whatever makes next time easier: a checklist, a template, a rule, a tool, a person you’ve trained. It can be very small.
This section is about getting the dose right: delete a step before you document it, get knowledge out of a single head, write down what broke, and accept that not everything deserves to become a process.
To start: spot one thing you did twice this month. Write down how you do it.
To go further: look at the shortcut everyone takes. That’s the real process. Bring the official one in line with it, or fix the shortcut.
If you’re growing a team: give people time to pass things on. Knowledge that fits in one head is a problem waiting to happen, and rarely by that person’s choice.
A sign it’s working: the next person manages without you, and you can say what helped them.
Next: leverage, for when a solution deserves to go further.