How to Document Organizational Structure and Ways of Working Effectively?
Building on the foundational practices of structuring an organizational knowledge base, we now turn to a specific use case: documenting the organizational structure and ways of working.
What & How: Detailed Documentation of Organizational Structure:
Maintain up-to-date presentations or diagrams that clearly depict the overall organizational structure and the internal configuration of the growth team. These should include key points of contact for specific information needs such as data access and product launch calendars.
Also include documentation of specific operational protocols like research methodologies for new features, formatting for review meeting minutes, and common internal acronyms or unique metric calculations.
This ensures everyone knows whom to contact and how to perform routine tasks, streamlining communication and operational efficiency.
Why: Gradual Onboarding of New Members:
Having a detailed reference of the organizational structure and standard operating procedures allows new team members to onboard at their own pace. This approach is especially helpful for assimilating complex information such as internally used acronyms in the Growth department.
Such resources become invaluable tools during the initial weeks and months, aiding new hires in smoothly integrating into the team without overwhelming them with information.
Why: Facilitating Asynchronous Communication:
Well-documented ways of working support asynchronous communication by providing a constant reference that doesn't need to be repeated verbally. This allows for a more efficient flow of information, reducing the need for constant reminders or repetitive instruction.
For example, before review meetings, team members can simply be reminded to check the documented format guidelines. This saves time and ensures that administrative tasks do not detract from strategic discussions.
Takeaway:
Effectively documenting organizational structure and ways of working ensures that team members have clear guidelines and resources for communication and operations, supports new members as they adapt to the team, and enhances overall efficiency by reducing the need for repeated information sharing.