Templates

Templates you can copy and use today.

These are the working documents we set up inside client engagements, stripped back to the fields that matter. Copy one into your own tool, fill it in, and delete the parts you do not need. No email required.

Standard operating procedure

The one-page SOP format we use with clients. Trigger, owner, steps, standard of done, exceptions.

Use it when: Any task that repeats and currently lives in one person's head.

PROCESS NAME:
OWNER (role, not person):
BACKUP OWNER:
LAST REVIEWED:            NEXT REVIEW:

TRIGGER
Written as an event: "A new client signs the proposal."

OUTCOME
What must be true when this process is finished, and by when.

TOOLS USED
Tool - what it is used for - who has access

STEPS
1. [Role] does [action] in [tool > exact location].
   Done looks like:
2. [Role] does [action] in [tool > exact location].
   Done looks like:
3.
4.
5.

HANDOVER
Who receives the work, how they are notified, what they need from you.

EXCEPTIONS
- If [situation], then [action], and notify [role].
- If [situation], then [action], and notify [role].
- If [situation], then [action], and notify [role].

ESCALATION
Come back to [role] when:

Delegation brief

Four lines that prevent almost every failed handover: outcome, standard, decision rights, and the return point.

Use it when: Handing an outcome to an assistant, contractor, or new team member.

TASK / OUTCOME:
One sentence describing the result, not the activity.

WHY IT MATTERS:
The context the owner needs to make sensible judgement calls.

DEFINITION OF DONE:
-
-
-

DEADLINE:                 EFFORT ESTIMATE:

DECISIONS YOU CAN MAKE ALONE:
-
-

COME BACK TO ME WHEN:
- The cost exceeds:
- The deadline is at risk by more than:
- Anything involving:

INPUTS PROVIDED
- Access / logins:
- Examples of good work:
- Files and links:

CHECKPOINT DATE:
Questions at checkpoint: what took longer than expected, what did you ask me
about more than once, what would you change about the process?

Weekly operations meeting agenda

A timeboxed agenda that surfaces blockers and produces owned actions instead of a round of updates.

Use it when: A recurring 30-minute team meeting that keeps turning into a status update.

WEEKLY OPERATIONS MEETING - 30 MINUTES
Attendees:                      Facilitator:                Notes:

0-3   NUMBERS
      Three metrics only. Read them out, no commentary unless off target.
      Metric 1:            Target:        Actual:
      Metric 2:            Target:        Actual:
      Metric 3:            Target:        Actual:

3-8   LAST WEEK'S ACTIONS
      Each action: done / not done / carried. No explanations for done items.

8-18  BLOCKERS
      Only items where someone is genuinely stuck. For each:
      What is blocked - who owns it - what decision unblocks it.

18-27 DECISIONS
      Items needing a call today. State the options, decide, record the owner.

27-30 ACTIONS OUT
      Action - owner - due date. Read them back before closing.

RULES
- Anything that only affects two people moves to a separate conversation.
- No agenda item without an owner.
- The meeting ends on time even if the list does not.

Project kickoff checklist

Everything that must be agreed before work starts, so scope arguments do not happen in week five.

Use it when: The first 48 hours of any new client project or internal initiative.

PROJECT:                                  START DATE:
PROJECT MANAGER:                          CLIENT / SPONSOR:

SCOPE
In scope:
Explicitly out of scope:
Assumptions this plan depends on:

SUCCESS CRITERIA
How we will know this project succeeded (measurable):

DELIVERABLES
Deliverable - owner - due date - acceptance criteria

TEAM AND ACCESS
- Roles and who fills them:
- Tools and access granted:
- Shared folder / project board link:

COMMUNICATION
- Status update: format, day, sent by
- Escalation path and response time
- Meeting cadence

RISKS
Risk - likelihood - impact - mitigation - owner

BUDGET / HOURS
Approved:              Change request process:

SIGN-OFF
Who approves the finished work, and how long they have to review.

Lead and pipeline tracker

A minimal column set for a spreadsheet or CRM that shows where deals actually stall.

Use it when: Outbound or referral leads currently tracked across inbox, notes, and memory.

COLUMNS (one row per lead)

1.  Date added
2.  Company
3.  Contact name
4.  Role
5.  Email
6.  Phone / LinkedIn
7.  Source (referral, outbound, inbound, event, partner)
8.  Campaign or referrer name
9.  Service interest
10. Stage (New > Contacted > Replied > Call booked > Proposal > Won / Lost)
11. Stage last changed (date)
12. Next action
13. Next action date
14. Owner
15. Estimated value
16. Notes (last conversation, in one line)
17. Lost reason (price, timing, no need, went elsewhere, no response)

WEEKLY REVIEW
- Any lead with no next action date: fix or close it.
- Any lead in the same stage for 14+ days: chase or mark lost.
- Count wins and losses by lost reason once a month; that column tells you
  whether you have a pricing problem, a targeting problem, or a follow-up
  problem.

Want them installed, not just downloaded

We set these up inside your tools and run them with your team.

Templates fix the format. Getting them adopted is an operations problem, and that is the part we handle.

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