THE CASE: When Knowledge Disappears
Meena's ops lead quit. Payroll process lived entirely in her head. Month-end chaos. Errors. Late payments. Angry employees. "Why wasn't this documented?" Because no one had time. Until they paid the price.
70% of processes are undocumented (AIIM). Documentation reduces onboarding time by 40% (Process Street). But documentation often ignored until crisis hits.
The Evidence
70% of processes undocumented (AIIM)
40% faster onboarding with docs (Process Street)
30% fewer errors with documented processes
The 80/20 Documentation Rule
Document the Critical 20%
You don't need to document everything. Just the 20% of processes that cause 80% of chaos when they fail:
- Payroll
- Client onboarding
- Release deploy
- Month-end close
Format: Checklists + video walkthroughs. Visual = faster adoption.
The Experiment
Identify 3 most critical undocumented processes. Document 1 this week. Video + checklist. Measure onboarding impact.
Sources
- AIIM. Process Documentation Study. 2023.
- Process Street. Documentation and Onboarding. 2023.
Key Takeaways
- 70% of processes are undocumented—knowledge disappears when people leave
- Document the critical 20% that causes 80% of chaos
- Use checklists + video walkthroughs for faster adoption