slides-temp.md

gistfile1.txt

## My dev agency gets systemized


Notes:

FIRST: slowly go over all slides once. Including the speaker view!

One of my goals for the next quarter is systemizing my agency.

---

## This video

Find great examples to copy from

From gitlab, 37signals, appsumo, and more

---
<!-- .slide: data-auto-animate -->

### Systemization =

Reduce complexity to a system

---
<!-- .slide: data-auto-animate -->

Reduce complexity to a system

= reduce complexity *of my agency*

---

It started in 2021


Notes:
I have been running my software agency since 2021.

[Pairing](https://pairing.dev/)

Recently we got more leads
coming in - and I fear we are not prepared to scale.

---

Everything we *do twice* gets documented.

Notes:
Documenting our processes is one way to ensure consistent delivery as we scale up.

---

- HR Processes
- Culture
- Projects management
- Development
- Customer success

Notes:
In this video I'll list the components we'll tackle first:

If you want to see the results of these efforts - subscribe to my channel. I will make a review video about this soon.

Let's get started

===

## How to make a "Playbook"

Notes:

It's basically a fancy word for "Process documentation"

Or "SOP" - standard operating procedure.

---



[google search: agency playbook](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=agency+playbook#ip=1)

= Too many "shoulds" or just sales pages

Notes:
It's hard to find good resources

The problem is this: Searching for "Agency Playbook" mostly yields sales pages for info products: 

What we want to do: SHOW what work for us. Then you can copy what you want.

---

Let's copy what works


Notes:
Why is this a problem?

I don't want to replicate someone elses system - I want to systemize my OWN agency, and get better

What I want to do: document every business process we run repeatedly:

---

Most playbooks are hidden


Notes:
In fact, most playbooks are hidden. They are inside internal company wikis.

Or in a lose collection of google docs.

---

Or they get never written 😱

Notes:
Or worse: they don't exist - as it's the case with many of our processes.

---

Approach: Find open-source playbooks


Notes:
So that's what we are going to do:

Search for 
-> HR Processes, Culture, Projects management, Development, ...

I take the most important processes that we need RIGHT NOW

And I research the best resources for them.

---

Download on

[TillCarlos.com/company-playbook](https://TillCarlos.com/company-playbook)


Notes:

Get the list from the video description or find these slides on my blog TillCarlos.com

===


## HR Processes

Notes:
HR got repeated a lot. And there are many thing I do repeatedly.

Soon, I'll delegate this to our chief of staff. Until then I document them

---

- Employee onboarding
- Contract signing
- Recruitment

---

Best resource: [oysterhr](https://oysterhr.notion.site/Welcome-to-The-Reef-Oyster-s-Open-Source-Employee-Guide-fc482e3f107c4afd8c85ed217f1d0c1d)

===


## Culture

Notes:
I find it often weird to document culture. 

You cannot force it.

Approach: let the team write them. More likely to stick.

---

Ideas:

- Critical thinking
- Communication is part of the job
- Engineering thinking
- Writing

---

Best resource

[Noah Kagan's $80 Million Teammate Playbook](https://overcast.fm/+O4jgLhvrY)

Notes:

Culture Club - Our success is rooted in its unique culture, influenced by principles like being resourceful, humble, and celebrating victories, while leaning on transparency, open communication, and a commitment to learning from failures.

Smooth Operator - The Teammate Handbook serves as a living document, evolving over time to reflect the company's values and practices. The manual covers diverse aspects, from financial approaches and experiments to teamwork, feedback, and scaling strategies, providing a comprehensive guide for efficient business operations.

Be your own Boss - Encouraging a sense of ownership at every level, from leadership to individual team members. The "lead by example" philosophy, coupled with open-door policies and an avoidance of committees, fosters an environment where everyone is empowered to contribute ideas and take responsibility for their work.



===


## Projects

-> Project Management

---

Things we always do

- How we plan projects
- How we set expectations
- How we send status updates

---

Best resource:

[shapeup book](https://basecamp.com/books/shapeup)


===


## Development


---


- code reviews
- devops
- security

---

Best resource: [Gitlab Handbook](https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/development/dev/)


===


## Customer success

---

Main problem: I've been doing it. 

Now I need to *delegate* it

Notes:
Now it's on me to teach it.

---

- Onboarding: clients
- How do we communicate with clients?
- Escalation Management Playbook

---

All blog posts state the same. 

-> [hiverhq](https://hiverhq.com/blog/customer-success-playbook) 
or [process.st](https://www.process.st/how-to/create-a-customer-success-playbook/)


===


## Next steps for us


Notes:
I'm currently talking to a mentor who is giving me his agency playbook.

---

We are trying to get a mentor

Notes:
I cannot disclose it now (subscribe to find out) - but I can list the systems he did.
Those are:

For the next videos:

- HR                    <-- we'll do these first
- PM + Service delivery <-- we'll do these first
- Administrative systems (Framework Company)
- Financial management
- Bizdev, sales, marketing + PR (We will probably do this at one point.)


---

Follow our journey to build 20 independent software teams: 

Subscribe [TillCarlos on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@tillcarlos?view_as=subscriber&sub_confirmation=1)