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Problem: When information is spread across different places, it’s easy for teams to get confused or miss updates.

Solution: Create a Single Source of Truth, a central spot for all information, so everyone can find what they need without searching multiple places.

Intro:

To make information universally accessible, our system organizes every detail—policies, objectives, workflows, instructions, values, and more—into a single, reliable knowledge system known as a Single Source of Truth (SSoT).

Tools:

• Clarity fuels better decisions
• When there’s only one source of truth, updates are straightforward—everyone’s on the same page, no confusion, no missteps.
• Flexibility meets transparency
• Teams choose the best medium for their work, but transparency is paramount.
• Each team is responsible for cross-linking and sharing their key resources, making them accessible across the organization—no barriers, just seamless access.
• Empowered teams, minimal distractions
• This system eliminates the need for constant updates, memos, or status checks.
• With all guidance easily accessible and editable, leadership can scale without dependency, enabling everyone to work confidently and independently. We call this approach handbook-first.
• Document before announcing
• Rather than documenting after changes, we capture solutions in a universally accessible handbook before announcing them.
• This ensures knowledge is complete and shared, avoiding the common pitfalls of undocumented updates.
• Documentation that drives clarity
• This isn’t about endless documentation; it’s about consistency. Solutions are recorded as the single source of truth, so each update aligns with the bigger picture.
• Teams handle documentation with precision, just as editors do with a style guide, ensuring continuity across the organization.
• Scaling communication as teams grow
• Small teams can get by with Slack and emails, but as teams scale, relying on these channels alone becomes chaotic.
• Structured documentation isn’t just helpful—it’s essential for growth and alignment.
• Structured documentation becomes crucial as teams scale.
• As a organization grows, structured documentation is the backbone of sustainable progress.
• Sales and retention matter, but so does a robust documentation culture to support long-term success.
• Efficient, handbook-first culture.
• A centralized source of truth prevents redundant questions, unnecessary meetings, and fragmented information.
• In a well-documented organization, communication flows smoothly, minimizing interruptions and making growth feel effortless.
• 90-day Slack history retention.
• Keeping Slack history short keeps it as a real-time messaging tool—not a project management crutch.
• This encourages teams to use the official source of truth, creating a genuinely asynchronous workflow.
• Retention policies that support knowledge retention
• Without strict retention, teams rely on message history, which leads to knowledge gaps.
• A set retention policy encourages updates in a universal location, reinforcing a culture of open, accessible knowledge.
• Slack for socializing, documentation for substance.
• Keeping Slack for informal chats might be challenging at first, but it’s necessary.
• Without this, real-time chatter becomes a replacement for lasting documentation, leading to chaos over time.
• Building a handbook-first culture isn’t an all-or-nothing project.
• We aren’t aiming for a complete handbook before launch—our goal is to introduce and expand it gradually, refining it as we grow.
• Adopt a gradual approach for lasting success.
• For established companies, iteratively build the handbook while maintaining day-to-day operations. Small steps make the shift in culture manageable, fostering smooth integration across the organization.
• A living, evolving handbook.
• No handbook is ever “complete.” Instead, it grows and adapts with each lesson learned, improving resilience and fostering a proactive response to challenges.
• Empowering contributions from day one
• Any team member, even new hires, should feel empowered to contribute.
• Immediate involvement in documentation builds engagement and aligns them with organization culture from the start.
• Instilling documentation as a core value.
• Teams should see it as a responsibility: if a solution isn’t documented, it needs to be. This mindset sustains continuous growth and clarity.
• A team-driven documentation culture.
• Ideally, every team member contributes to a culture of “writing things down.” For established teams, consider embedding editors or “scribes” to capture insights and streamline knowledge sharing.
• Dedicated editorial roles elevate knowledge sharing.
• Former journalists or skilled editors bring storytelling and structure, turning scattered notes into cohesive, valuable handbook content. This ongoing investment enhances efficiency and knowledge retention.