The Performance Playbook for a Healthy Business  

Scaling your business requires putting repeatable practices in place. Essentially, you're doubling down on what works and eliminating what doesn't.

A playbook helps create standardized procedures, workflows, and policies for all employees. This saves wasted efforts on ineffective activities and helps to get everybody up to speed quickly.

A performance playbook is imperative if you want to build a healthy business that continues to grow. Let's explore what it is and how to create one.

What Is a Performance Playbook for Business?

The performance or business playbook is a document that serves as a guide for company procedures and policies. Think of it like a standard operating procedure for every facet of the business. It should clearly lay out how the company operates along with the roles and responsibilities of the various positions.

Types of Performance Playbooks:

There are many reasons to have a performance playbook, from customer service to onboarding new hires. Here are the various types of playbooks you can build for your company:

• Company playbook: This is an overview of the company, including the mission statement, values, and purpose. Each employee can better understand the company culture and what the business is striving to achieve.

• Operations playbook: This details how you will deliver your services to customers. For example, a restaurant would detail how the hosts treat their guests and assign them their table.

• Human Resource playbook: This helps HR members recruit top talent and onboard new employees. It may cover topics like dress code, benefits, and attendance.

• Marketing playbook: This is the SOP for all things marketing-related, such as brand guidelines, procedures for content marketing, etc.

• Sales playbook: This document outlines the strategies and tactics reps can use throughout the various stages of sales.

• Customer service playbook: All employees should be trained to deliver excellent customer service. For example, this playbook may include using your helpdesk software or best practices for answering live chats. It can provide scripts to customer-facing employees to handle complex scenarios.

• Building a high-performing team playbook: This document describes fostering a positive work environment and a culture of collaboration, trust, and empowerment.

Why You Need a Performance Playbook

Imagine whipping up a new dish without a recipe or assembling IKEA furniture without an instruction manual. Suffice it to say, it'd probably be disastrous. In the same way, every business needs a roadmap. Here are a few good reasons to have one.

• Saves Time for Your Employees

Employees don't have to research when they have questions or ask around the office. With a playbook, they have a map that guides them on the best practices to perform any given task. It prevents costly mistakes and thus saves time from re-doing tasks again.

• Improve Collaboration and Communication

Working towards a common goal is easy when all efforts are aligned. Marketing and sales teams can operate on the same playbook, so they know what to do at every stage of the buyer's journey. This prevents confusion, and leads are nurtured properly to close more sales.

• Ensure Compliance with Regulations

Each industry may have different regulations that must be met. For example, restaurants have food safety laws requiring employees to get their Food Handler certifications. Or a healthcare company must follow HIPAA regulations that require providers to protect the privacy of their patient's health information.

How to Build Your Playbook

Developing your playbook can be daunting, especially if you're unsure where to start. Fortunately, we've laid out the steps.

1. Define Your Goals

Define your objective for the playbook and define what you'd like to streamline. Research a few existing templates online to find a structure that fits your needs. Then, make a list of processes and procedures that need documentation.

2. Document Your Processes

Next, you want to assemble a brain trust, so you can have a group of leaders participate in creating your playbook. Depending on the size of your organization, you may not have the most detailed experience or knowledge of every process, especially if you're not involved in it on a daily basis. Have your team of trusted experts document their current processes by writing the steps and resources needed.

3. Organize the Content

Each playbook is unique and will depend on your goals. However, there are several elements you may want to include:

• Overview of your company, such as your mission statement, purpose, and values

• Marketplace and your target audience

• Sales process

• Job responsibilities

• Workflow diagrams and training materials

• Company policies

4. Make It Accessible

Once your content is organized, you'll need to have it readily available to all employees. You can use a knowledge base center where your team can access it anytime. Think of it as a self-service library where people can search for what they want.

5. Get Feedback and Revise as Needed

Ensure to get feedback from the bottom up — meaning all the employees using the playbook. It should be a living document that is continuously updated and revised. Some new practices and strategies can be utilized, especially as technology advances. Perhaps your company has decided to change software programs, meaning you'll need to update your playbook to reflect those changes.

Streamline Your Entire Operations with Performance Playbooks

As you grow your team and hire more employees, it becomes increasingly vital to have standardized procedures. Documentation helps business leaders ensure everyone is on the same page and their company runs smoothly.