How do you handle repeat "how do I do X?" questions from your team?

[Frans VH]

Those of you with small teams - how do you handle training and "how do I do X?" questions?

I'm curious whether most people just rely on shadowing/asking colleagues,
or if you've found something that actually works for documenting processes.

(Context: thinking about this for a business owner I'm helping, not selling anything)

 

[fisicx]

You get the person asking the question to write down the process. They will never ask again.

Or if they do ask again you point them towards the process they wrote down.

 

[StrategyDoctor]

Those of you with small teams - how do you handle training and "how do I do X?" questions?

I'm curious whether most people just rely on shadowing/asking colleagues,
or if you've found something that actually works for documenting processes.

(Context: thinking about this for a business owner I'm helping, not selling anything)

agree with @fisicx and for regular tasks I would recommend you get them to put it into an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) - you then develop a set of written procedures, so when you have new starters there is a starter manual.

Then get the newbies to update the SOP for any improvements and/or better detail.

 

[Ozzy]

In my business, we've done a mixture of @fisicx advice, as well as some of the old guard in the business documenting their areas of responsibility. Part of this was done through the ISO certification process, but it all started with the main and very transparent reason that led to me being able to be made redundant in the company.

 

[fisicx]

@Frans VH - what sort of business do you have?

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

Those of you with small teams - how do you handle training and "how do I do X?" questions?

I'm curious whether most people just rely on shadowing/asking colleagues,
or if you've found something that actually works for documenting processes.

(Context: thinking about this for a business owner I'm helping, not selling anything)

Every morning for the first 6 weeks, I train my team for 1 hour on days where we don't have shoots. During and after this, they have training time. Some of this is research where they have to present or team me, while other elements are just to go and practice stuff.

Then, they pick a specialisation and we put in place a longer term plan.

Video production can be complex so we do this consistently.

 

[web-aviso]

Those of you with small teams - how do you handle training and "how do I do X?" questions?

I'm curious whether most people just rely on shadowing/asking colleagues,
or if you've found something that actually works for documenting processes.

(Context: thinking about this for a business owner I'm helping, not selling anything)

Documenting processes (with a quality management review process too) is really the best approach as should they ever apply for accrediation it puts them, in good stead, plus enables them to evaluate business progress.

Also a (diplomatic) deflective the reply to a question such as 'how would you approach the [task]' can be both empowering and educational to both.

 

[Frans VH]

@Frans VH - what sort of business do you have?

The issue came up when I was doing consulting work for a chain of 12 stores selling mainly during spring and summer. They needed to hire many temp workers and students but could not train them well enough to deliver good service to customers.

 

[Jordan Lopez]

Agree on documenting processes. Sometimes the detail of SOPs can deter employees from wanting to follow them, in which case it becomes a behavioural issue.

However this can be partially mitigated by developing more lightweight process documentation like swimlane diagrams and how-to videos. Loom or Scribe are good options for this (no affiliation).

 

[fisicx]

They needed to hire many temp workers and students but could not train them well enough to deliver good service to customers.

That looks like a management failure. The investigation needs to begin with finding out why they were not properly trained.

 

[Mark T Jones]

The issue came up when I was doing consulting work for a chain of 12 stores selling mainly during spring and summer. They needed to hire many temp workers and students but could not train them well enough to deliver good service to customers.

As an occasional agency drive, I can fully relate to this.

Common MO is to simply throw the keys and manifest at the driver and send them on their way. Then blame agency drivers when things go wrong.

I've often pointed out that a simple A4 guide would offer some value (anything is better than the current 'system')

 

[GLAbusiness]

I've often pointed out that a simple A4 guide would offer some value (anything is better than the current 'system')

I agree. A simple A4 /A5 checklist backed up (if appropriate) by a comprehensive user guide

 

[fisicx]

What? You expect me, a summer temp on minimum wages, to read and carry around an instruction book? Nah, far easier to keep asking my supervisor.

 

[Newchodge]

Any employer who cannot be bothered to ensure all staff (temp or not) are properly trained will always have issues.

 

[BubbaWY]

Any employer who cannot be bothered to ensure all staff (temp or not) are properly trained will always have issues.

Hi Cyndy, have you been receiving my emails. Been trying to get hold for over a week.

 

[Stuart_Walker]

Make sure you have a good company wiki. An online one is best, if not then use a lever arch file.

Get each member of the team to document some part of the process.

Then when you get a question refer them to the wiki. Make a joke of it. "Where do we look???" type of thing.

if it is in there then fine
If it is in there but they don't understand the answer then it needs rewriting
if it is not in there at all then needs adding.

The best way to get the team engaged is to use the 'number 9 bus' problem.
What would you do if I fell under the number 9 bus. let's work as a team to produce a comprehensive 'how to' manual that everyone can use.

 

[fisicx]

But @Stuart_Walker that probably won’t work if your team is a bunch of sullen, teenagers only here for the summer.

 

[Stuart_Walker]

But @Stuart_Walker that probably won’t work if your team is a bunch of sullen, teenagers only here for the summer.

Haha yes that's true.

 

[Newchodge]

Make a joke of it. "Where do we look???" type of thing.

I thought the team were teenagers, not 4 year olds!

 

[alamest]

In small teams, we found a mix works best. Early on it’s mostly shadowing and asking questions, but that doesn’t scale once the same “how do I do X?” keeps coming up.


What helped was lightweight documentation:

• Short written checklists or SOPs for repeat tasks
• Quick screen recordings for anything visual
• One obvious place to store them (wiki/Notion/Drive)
  

The key was not trying to document everything up front — only writing things down once the same question had been asked a couple of times. That kept it useful rather than becoming shelf-ware.

 

[CassieJ]

The issue came up when I was doing consulting work for a chain of 12 stores selling mainly during spring and summer. They needed to hire many temp workers and students but could not train them well enough to deliver good service to customers.

What about an online training package? Someone just puts it together and they have to pass it to be able to take on the role? Or maybe their selection process should be reviewed, for a job requiring good customer services, then they need people who can do that.

 

[Keynote Speech]

Those of you with small teams - how do you handle training and "how do I do X?" questions?

I'm curious whether most people just rely on shadowing/asking colleagues,
or if you've found something that actually works for documenting processes.

(Context: thinking about this for a business owner I'm helping, not selling anything)

In smaller teams, informal shadowing tends to happen naturally, but it rarely scales well. The challenge isn’t just documenting processes; it’s keeping them usable and up to date.

What I’ve seen work effectively is a simple three-layer approach:

1. Short written step summaries for core tasks
2. Screen recordings for more complex processes
3. A central, searchable hub where everything lives

The key is making documentation lightweight. If it feels like a project in itself, no one maintains it. Building it into the day-to-day workflow usually makes the difference.

 

[fisicx]

In smaller teams, informal shadowing tends to happen naturally, but it rarely scales well. The challenge isn’t just documenting processes; it’s keeping them usable and up to date.

These are casual summer workers. The issue here is training not documentation.

 

[Keynote Speech]

These are casual summer workers. The issue here is training not documentation.

I fully agree, good training needs to be in place first.

Especially with casual summer workers, clear onboarding and hands-on guidance have much more impact. Getting the training structure right upfront usually solves most of the “how do I do X?” questions.

For smaller but long-term teams, having insightful training backed by documentation is a great way to go!

 

[Frans VH]

These are casual summer workers. The issue here is training not documentation.

There are a lot of good suggestions in the replies above: setting up wikis, develop SOP, write employee handbooks... Those can help for your full time staff. However, like fisicx mentioned, this doesn't work for a bunch of summer interns. Trying to get them through a training is also difficult: people forget most of what they learned after a few days. So employees ask their senior colleague or their team lead, which takes time.

What do people do in those cases? What works/doesn't work?

 

[fisicx]

Are these repeated questions about processes, locations, regulations…

Is there a pattern to the questions?

 

[Frans VH]

It is mainly product related questions. Customers come in the shops and explain a problem they are having with their installation. The root causes of the customer problems are sometimes difficult to find and it requires some expertise to ask the right questions. That's one part of the issue.

Typically there may be a product that can help the customer, however, it's difficult for new hires to know about the different product categories, let alone the individual products. They have about 30 000 items on their product list (half of it in dropshipping).