Service · The Systems Effect
Business Playbook Services
Business playbook services. We interview your people and write a chapter for each role: how it runs today, how it should run, and the SOPs inside it.
A playbook, not a pile of SOPs
An SOP is the steps for one task. A playbook is how the whole business runs, with one place for every role to start. Read playbook vs SOP vs operations manual for the full difference.
What each chapter holds
- An owner who keeps it true when the work changes
- Today: how the work runs now, gaps included
- Proposed: how it should run, before anyone retrains
- The SOPs inside it, with checklists and video from your own people
- The time it burns: the waste we found, in hours a year
How we build it
- Interview the people who know. Owners, managers, field and front desk.
- Capture the work. Screens recorded, jobs shadowed, decisions asked about.
- Write the chapter. Today beside proposed, checked by whoever does the job.
- Build the SOPs and training. Loaded into Trainual, PlaybookBuilder or your LMS, by role.
- Hand it over. Shared with your managers in your client portal.
Who this is for
- The business runs on what three or four people carry in their heads.
- You have SOPs, but nobody knows which ones matter for their role.
- You are planning a sale, a second location or an AI rollout.
Starting in house? Read what a business playbook is and how to build a business playbook.
How it runs
From their heads to a trained team.
- Discover and documentWeeks 1 to 2
Interview the people who know
Owners, managers, front line.
- 2 to 3 sessions a week
Capture the work
Screens, jobs, every decision.
- Procedure setup and build-outAbout 30 days a job
Build the playbook
Checked by whoever does the job.
- Launch
Train your team
Loaded and walked through.
- A living playbookEvery month
Keep it current
Audited as the business changes.
Some knowledge only shows up on site. So do we.
- Lake County, IN and Chicago
- On site nationwide
- Travel at cost
Pricing
What it costs
Systems Sprint
Starting atAbout 30 days per role$3,500
One role's chapter and its SOPs, done by a date.
Optimization and Implementation
Starting atOne system, about 60 to 90 days$12,500
One system mapped, fixed and rolled out across its roles.
Systems Partner
RecommendedStarting atThree-month blocks, billed monthly$4,500/mo
Your whole playbook, built and kept current.
- Discovery call
- Free
- Upkeep after a project
- Starting at $1,500/mo
- Custom software from The Software Effect
- Custom pricing
- On-site days and travel
- Agreed first, billed on top
A Sprint builds one role's chapter, Optimization and Implementation covers one system across several roles, and a Partner builds the whole playbook and keeps it current. The full breakdown is in what it costs to hire someone to write your SOPs.
Questions
What people ask first.
How is a playbook different from an operations manual?
An operations manual is usually written once and shelved. A playbook is organized by role, shows today beside proposed, and is kept current by the managers who own each chapter.
Do we get SOPs too?
Yes. Every chapter holds the SOPs for that role. The playbook is how your team finds them.
How much of our time does this take?
A few hours a week from the people who know the most. We run every session and write every page.
Who keeps it current after you leave?
Your managers, in your client portal. If you want us to keep auditing it, upkeep is starting at $1,500 a month.
Do you work outside Indiana?
Yes. We are local to Lake County, Indiana and the Chicago area, and work nationwide, virtually and on site.