Reduce Chaos with an Organizational Playbook

The Chaos of Tribal Knowledge and Ambiguous Authority

Small organizations often run off of "tribal knowledge." Everyone just knows how things are done because they sit in the same room (or Slack channel) and figure it out on the fly. There's a classic approach of "we hire smart people and then turn them loose." But as people transition in and out and/or you scale, that "unwritten" culture can fray or become a bottleneck. Communication breaks down, expectations get fuzzy, and the owner becomes a constant "human search engine" for their employees.

The Solution

The solution isn't a 100-page corporate manual. It’s a simple playbook document to define your organization's "operating system." I have seen this work well for small businesses, as well as other organizations such as a professional association chapter or cub scout den.

A playbook is a living document that defines your operating model, your values, and your mechanics. It ensures that as people in the organization change or the organization needs to dramatically scale, the business can continue to run smoothly.

The Anatomy of a High-Impact Playbook

If you’re ready to document your "way of doing things," here is an outline structure I've seen work in several different domains:

1. The North Star (Mission & Values): Start with the why. This grounds every tactical decision in your organization’s purpose.
2. Governance & Change Management: Who owns this document? A playbook is useless if it’s out of date. Define how it gets updated and who has the authority to change "the way we do things."
3. The Onboarding Journey: A "Welcome" section that outlines the first 30 days. This sets the tone for professionalism and support from day one.
4. Cultural/Expectations: Clearly define expectations. Are we "cameras on" for meetings? What is our stance on asynchronous communication? Define the "vibe" and the rules of engagement.
5. Current Strategy : Summarize the current strategic plan. Everyone should know what the focus areas are currently.
6. Roles vs. Job Titles: This is a crucial distinction for small teams. One person might hold the roles of "Lead Designer" and "Internal IT Support." Map the roles to responsibilities so nothing falls through the cracks. Include definition on the amount of authority each role has (over time this will grow into a separate authority documents, such as a signature authority or authority matrix)
7. The Operating Cadence: A table of recurring activities (e.g., weekly sync meetings, monthly process improvement discussions, monthly program reviews, quarterly strategy reviews, annual compliance events) so the business runs on a predictable heartbeat.
8. The IT Systems Matrix: A table of every tool you use, who owns the system and budget impact, and—most importantly—what it’s actually for.
9. Processes and Checklists: The "How-To" section. Link to your most frequent workflows and checklists to ensure consistent quality.
10. Vocabulary and Acronyms: Every industry has its own shorthand. Don’t let new hires feel like they’re learning a foreign language; give them a cheat sheet.