What is the Three-Step Process Documenter?
The Three-Step Process Documenter™ is the EOS® tool for getting your handful of core processes clear. The three steps are: Identify Your Handful of Core Processes, Document and Simplify Each Core Process, and Package Them (so they are easy to find and use). After the three steps, the leadership team works to get those processes Followed By All (FBA™). FBA is a separate discipline, not a step inside the tool. The goal is not a detailed procedure manual. The goal is to capture the five to twelve critical processes that, when followed consistently, make the business scalable and predictable.
Process is the fifth of the Six Key Components in the EOS Model. Most companies have too many processes, documented in too much detail, followed inconsistently. The Three-Step Process Documenter plus FBA fixes that.
Why the Three-Step Process Documenter exists
Most entrepreneurs avoid documenting processes. They associate it with bureaucracy, corporate rigidity, and 200-page binders nobody reads.
The result is that every employee does important work their own way. When one person leaves, the knowledge leaves with them. When a new person joins, they have to figure it out. Growth gets capped by the founder’s ability to explain.
The Three-Step Process Documenter solves this with a radical simplification. Identify the handful of core processes. Document each one at a high level. Package them so they are easy to find and use. Then get them Followed By All.
Not exhaustive. Not over-engineered. Just enough to make the business work consistently.
The three steps
Step 1: Identify Your Handful of Core Processes
Most companies have five to twelve core processes. Not fifty. Not one hundred. Five to twelve.
Typical core processes include:
- HR Process (hiring, onboarding, reviewing, firing)
- Marketing Process (generating leads, qualifying them, handing to sales)
- Sales Process (discovery, proposal, close, handoff to delivery)
- Operations or Delivery Process (producing the product or service). Most companies have two to five operations processes.
- Customer Retention Process (onboarding, success, renewal)
- Accounting Process (invoicing, receivables, reporting)
Every business is different. But most have five to twelve processes that together define how the business actually runs.
The first step is identifying yours. As a leadership team, list every core process. Narrow to the critical handful using a 20/80 approach: focus on the 20% of processes that drive 80% of the results.
Step 2: Document and Simplify Each Core Process
Document each core process at a high level. Not every detail. Just the major steps.
A strong process document is one to two pages per process. Seven to fifteen major steps. Each step named and briefly described. Include the who, what, when, where, and how of each step.
Example: HR Process
- Job profile and Accountability Chart™ seat defined
- Posting and sourcing
- Phone screen
- Behavioral interview and Core Values check
- Skills assessment
- Final interview with hiring manager
- References and background check
- Offer and negotiation
- Onboarding (first 90 days)
- 90-day review
That is enough. No need for sub-processes or 20-page procedure manuals.
Step 3: Package Them
Package the documented processes so they are easy to find and use. Store them where employees actually work. Make them searchable. Make them visual. Title each one clearly.
Packaging includes:
- A consistent format across all processes
- A clear home (shared drive, wiki, or internal system)
- Easy access from the tools employees use every day
- A single index that lists every core process in one place
Poor packaging kills process adoption. Processes that are hard to find do not get followed.
Then: Followed By All (FBA)
FBA is not Step 4. It is a separate discipline the leadership team takes on after the three-step documentation is complete.
FBA means: every employee doing the work follows the same documented process. Every salesperson follows the sales process. Every HR action follows the HR process. Every new employee follows the same onboarding.
Getting to FBA requires:
- Training. Every employee learns the process.
- Accountability. The seat owner enforces the process.
- Measurement. The Scorecard™ tracks whether the process is being followed.
- Consequences. Repeated deviations get addressed.
FBA is not a command-and-control culture. It is consistency. The process exists to serve the work. When everyone follows it, the work compounds.
The 20/80 approach to process documentation
EOS teaches a specific ratio for process documentation: capture 20% of the detail that will drive 80% of the result.
Most companies do the opposite. They document 80% of the detail and get 20% of the result. Why? Because exhaustive documentation is never read. Over-documented processes become shelfware.
The 20/80 approach forces simplification. Every process document should be short, visual, and usable. Not exhaustive.
How to roll out the Three-Step Process Documenter and FBA
Phase 1: Leadership team names the processes (Step 1)
One to two hours. The leadership team identifies the handful of core processes. Gives each a clear name.
Phase 2: Each seat owner documents and simplifies (Step 2)
Over the next 30 to 90 days, each leadership team member documents the core process their seat owns. They use the 20/80 approach.
Phase 3: Package the processes (Step 3)
The leadership team reviews each documented process together. Aligns on format. Chooses the storage location. Builds the single index.
Phase 4: Training and FBA rollout
Each process gets trained to every employee who touches it. Then measured. Then reinforced until Followed By All.
Phase 5: Ongoing refinement
Processes evolve. Every quarter, the leadership team reviews whether processes are still fit for purpose. Refine as needed.
Common Three-Step Process Documenter mistakes
- Too much detail. 50-page documents that no one reads. Stay at the 20/80 level.
- Too many processes. Companies with 40 documented processes never get to FBA. Five to twelve is the target.
- Skipping Step 3 (Package). Documentation that nobody can find does not get used. Package it where employees work.
- Treating FBA as Step 4. FBA is an ongoing discipline, not a one-time step. It requires training, accountability, measurement, and consequences.
- Writing processes alone. The seat owner documents, but the leadership team reviews together. Isolation produces inconsistent formats.
- Treating it as a one-time project. Process documentation is ongoing. Review every quarter.
- Over-engineering. Flowcharts with twenty boxes and seven decision points are not useful. Simple linear steps work best.
How the Three-Step Process Documenter connects to the rest of EOS
- Six Key Components. Process is the fifth component.
- Accountability Chart. Each seat owner documents the process their seat owns.
- Scorecard. Process adherence can be measured.
- Core Values. “Do What You Say” and similar values tie to process discipline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Three-Step Process Documenter?
The Three-Step Process Documenter is the EOS tool for getting your handful of core processes clear. The three steps are: Identify Your Handful of Core Processes, Document and Simplify Each Core Process, and Package Them. After the three steps are complete, the leadership team works to get the processes Followed By All (FBA).
Is FBA the third step of the Three-Step Process Documenter?
No. The three steps are Identify, Document and Simplify, and Package. FBA (Followed By All) is a separate ongoing discipline that happens after the three steps, requiring training, accountability, measurement, and consequences.
What does FBA mean in EOS?
FBA stands for Followed By All. It means every employee doing the work follows the same documented process. It is the ultimate outcome of using the Three-Step Process Documenter well.
How many core processes should a company have?
Five to twelve. Most companies have a handful of core processes that together define how the business runs. Typical core processes include HR, Marketing, Sales, two to five Operations processes, Customer Retention, and Accounting.
How detailed should process documentation be?
Use the 20/80 approach: capture 20% of the detail that drives 80% of the result. One to two pages per process. Seven to fifteen major steps. Over-documented processes become shelfware that nobody reads or follows.
Why simplify processes instead of documenting everything?
Exhaustive documentation is never read. Processes exist to serve the work, not constrain it. The 20/80 approach captures the few critical steps that drive consistency. Simplified processes get followed. Over-engineered ones get ignored.
Is Three-Step Process Documenter trademarked?
Yes. The Three-Step Process Documenter and FBA are trademarks of EOS Worldwide.
Related EOS Tools
Simplify Your Core Processes
Ready to capture the 20% of process that drives 80% of results? Start with a Free 90-Minute Meeting with a Professional EOS Implementer.