Before anyone builds anything, we want to see how the work gets done today. This sheet is the simplest way to show us. One row per step, a few numbers, and one honest note about where things go wrong.
You do not need special software. A spreadsheet is enough, and 30 to 45 minutes with the person who does the work usually fills it.
#The template
The block below copies as tab-separated text, so it pastes straight into Google Sheets or Excel with each value landing in its own column. The four example rows are hypothetical, from a made-up service business quoting a job. Delete them and add your own.
Step What happens Who does it Tool or file Minutes each time Times per week Where it breaks1. Request comes in Customer emails or calls asking for a quote Front desk Shared inbox, phone 5 25 Requests arrive in three places and one gets missed2. Site visit notes Estimator measures and takes photos, then types up notes Estimator Phone notes, photos 30 10 Notes are retyped later and details get lost3. Build the quote Copy numbers into the quote template and price the job Office manager Spreadsheet 25 10 Old prices and copy-paste errors4. Send and follow up Email the quote, then check back after a few days Office manager Email, calendar 10 10 Follow-up is forgotten when the office is busy #How to fill it in
- One row per handoff. Every time work moves from one person or tool to another, start a new row. Handoffs are where things get lost.
- Use real names for tools and files. “The pricing spreadsheet on Dana’s laptop” is more useful than “our system.”
- Count minutes honestly. Time one real run if you can. Guesses tend to run low because people forget the waiting and the searching.
- Mark rework. If a step happens twice because the first attempt was wrong or incomplete, add a row for the fix.
- Write down the workarounds. The sticky note, the personal spreadsheet and the “ask Maria” step all belong in the sheet.
- Ask the people who do the work. Managers know how the process should go. The person doing it knows how it goes.
#How to read it
Start with minutes multiplied by frequency. As an example, a 25-minute step that happens 10 times per week costs 250 minutes per week, while a 5-minute step that happens 25 times costs 125. Sort the sheet by that number and look at the top few rows.
Then read the “breaks” column on those rows. A step that is slow but never fails may just need a better tool. A step that fails often, or costs you customers when it does, is a stronger candidate for change, even if the minutes are small.
Rows that are repetitive, rule-based and fail the same way each time are usually the best candidates to automate. What to automate first in a 20-person company walks through that choice in more detail. If the sheet points to a larger build, how to scope a custom build explains what comes next.
