Free SOP templates for startups and small business.

Purpose. To make sure every new role is justified, budgeted and approved before recruiting starts. It also ensures job descriptions are accurate, inclusive and consistent so the right candidates apply.

Roles: Hiring Manager, Department Head, Finance Lead, People Lead, Recruiter.

1. Raise the requisition
2. Confirm business need
3. Approve budget
4. Set level and pay band
5. Write the job description
6. Agree the hiring plan
7. Consider internal candidates
8. Publish the advert
9. Activate sourcing
10. Review pipeline weekly
11. Close or hold the requisition

KPIs: Requisition approval time (90% approved within 5 business days); Time to fill (Median under [45] days from approval to accepted offer); Qualified applicants per role (At least [10] within 14 days); Hires within approved budget (100%).

Purpose. To assess candidates fairly and consistently against agreed criteria so that hiring decisions are based on evidence rather than gut feel. It also gives candidates a timely, respectful experience.

Roles: Recruiter, Hiring Manager, Interviewer, People Lead.

1. Screen applications
2. Hold a screening call
3. Assign interview focus areas
4. Schedule interviews
5. Run structured interviews
6. Assess the work sample
7. Submit feedback independently
8. Hold the debrief
9. Make and record the decision
10. Take references
11. Inform candidates
12. Review process fairness

KPIs: Feedback submitted within 24 hours (95%); Time from first interview to decision (Under [10] business days); Candidate experience score (Average 4 out of 5 or above); Offer acceptance rate (At least [80]%).

Purpose. To make offers that are approved, competitive and legally sound, and to verify a candidate is eligible and suitable to work before they start. This protects both [Company] and the candidate.

Roles: Hiring Manager, People Lead, Finance Lead, Recruiter, Candidate.

1. Prepare offer terms
2. Obtain approval
3. Make the verbal offer
4. Handle negotiation
5. Issue the written offer and contract
6. Collect consent and documents
7. Run the checks
8. Review adverse results
9. Confirm the offer is unconditional
10. Trigger onboarding

KPIs: Offer acceptance rate (At least [80]%); Offer letter issued after verbal acceptance (100% within 1 business day); Checks completed before start date (100%); Offers outside band without approval (Zero).

Purpose. To give every new employee a consistent, well-organised start with the equipment, access, knowledge and relationships they need. Good onboarding shortens time to productivity and reduces early attrition.

Roles: People Lead, Hiring Manager, IT Administrator, Onboarding Buddy, New Hire.

1. Start the checklist
2. Order equipment and access
3. Send the welcome pack
4. Prepare the 30-60-90 plan
5. Assign a buddy
6. Deliver day one
7. Complete mandatory items
8. Schedule introductions
9. Hold weekly check-ins
10. Run a 30-day pulse
11. Review at 90 days
12. Close the checklist

KPIs: Day-one readiness (95% of hires have working equipment and access on day one); New hire 30-day survey score (4 out of 5 or above); 90-day retention (At least [95]%); Mandatory training completion in week one (100%).

Purpose. To make sure every new employee receives regular feedback in their probation period and a fair decision at the end. Clear records protect both the employee and [Company].

Roles: Line Manager, People Lead, Employee, Department Head.

1. Set objectives in week one
2. Diarise review dates
3. Give ongoing feedback
4. Hold the mid-point review
5. Escalate early concerns
6. Prepare the final review
7. Hold the final meeting
8. Approve the outcome
9. Issue the outcome letter
10. Update records

KPIs: Reviews completed on time (95% of mid-point and final reviews); Outcome letters within 2 business days (100%); Probation pass rate (Tracked, target [85 to 95]%); Extensions resolved within extended period (100%).

Purpose. To close every employment relationship professionally and securely. It ensures access is revoked on time, equipment and data are returned, final pay is correct and knowledge is handed over.

Roles: Line Manager, People Lead, IT Administrator, Payroll Administrator, Leaver.

1. Acknowledge the notice
2. Open the checklist
3. Agree the handover plan
4. Communicate the departure
5. Calculate final pay
6. Hold the exit interview
7. Recover equipment
8. Revoke access
9. Issue leaving documents
10. Close records

KPIs: Access revoked on time (100%); Assets recovered within 10 business days (At least 98%); Final pay errors (Zero); Exit interview completion rate (At least [80]% of voluntary leavers).

Purpose. To give every employee regular, evidence-based feedback on their contribution and agreed goals for the next period. Calibrated ratings make reward and promotion decisions fair and defensible.

Roles: People Lead, Line Manager, Employee, Peer Reviewer, Department Head.

1. Publish the timeline
2. Train managers
3. Complete self-assessment
4. Request peer feedback
5. Draft the review
6. Calibrate ratings
7. Finalise ratings
8. Hold the review conversation
9. Set next-period goals
10. Sign off the review
11. Report and improve

KPIs: Review completion by deadline (At least 95%); Employees with agreed goals within 30 days (100%); Employee agreement that review was fair (At least [75]% in post-cycle survey); Appeals upheld (Tracked, investigated where above [5]%).

Purpose. To make taking leave simple for employees while making sure teams keep enough cover and records stay accurate for payroll. It also ensures statutory leave entitlements are respected.

Roles: Employee, Line Manager, People Lead, Payroll Administrator.

1. Submit the request
2. Check cover and decide
3. Resolve clashes fairly
4. Report sickness
5. Record sickness
6. Hold return-to-work check-in
7. Handle family and special leave
8. Process pay effects
9. Monitor balances
10. Apply year-end rules

KPIs: Leave requests decided within 3 business days (95%); Leave balance accuracy (100% match between HRIS and payroll); Return-to-work check-ins completed (At least 95%); Employees using at least 80% of entitlement (At least [90]%).

Purpose. To give clear, fair rules for working away from the office so collaboration, security and wellbeing are maintained. It sets expectations on availability, equipment and communication.

Roles: Employee, Line Manager, People Lead, IT Administrator.

1. Submit the request
2. Assess the request
3. Agree the arrangement
4. Record the arrangement
5. Set up equipment and access
6. Complete the workstation assessment
7. Follow security rules
8. Hold in-person time
9. Approve work from abroad
10. Review the arrangement

KPIs: Requests answered within 10 business days (100%); Workstation assessments completed (100% within 2 weeks); Remote devices compliant with security baseline (At least 98%); Employee engagement score for remote staff (Within [5] points of office-based staff).

Purpose. To resolve concerns raised by employees and address misconduct or capability problems through a fair, consistent process. It protects employees' rights and reduces legal risk for [Company].

Roles: People Lead, Investigating Officer, Hearing Manager, Appeal Manager, Employee.

1. Try informal resolution
2. Log the case
3. Consider precautionary measures
4. Investigate
5. Invite to a hearing
6. Hold the hearing
7. Decide the outcome
8. Confirm in writing
9. Hear any appeal
10. Close and follow up

KPIs: Cases resolved within 30 business days (At least [85]%); Outcome letters within 5 business days (100%); Appeals overturned (Tracked, root cause review if above [20]%); Retaliation complaints after grievances (Zero).

Purpose. To make sure employees complete mandatory training and have fair access to development that builds skills the business needs. It also ensures training spend is approved and its impact is reviewed.

Roles: People Lead, Line Manager, Employee, Finance Lead, Trainer.

1. Maintain the training matrix
2. Agree development plans
3. Submit training requests
4. Approve the request
5. Book and pay
6. Deliver internal training
7. Chase mandatory completion
8. Record completion
9. Share and apply learning
10. Review impact and spend

KPIs: Mandatory training completion (100% by deadline, 98% minimum); Employees with a development plan (At least [90]%); Learning budget utilisation ([70 to 100]% per year); Training satisfaction score (4 out of 5 or above).

Purpose. To engage external individuals quickly while controlling cost, protecting intellectual property and avoiding misclassification of workers. It gives managers a repeatable route from need to signed contract to closure.

Roles: Engagement Owner, People Lead, Finance Lead, IT Administrator, Contractor.

1. Define the need
2. Approve budget
3. Assess employment status
4. Select the contractor
5. Sign the contract and SOW
6. Set up supplier records
7. Grant limited access
8. Manage delivery
9. Approve invoices
10. Review long engagements
11. Close the engagement

KPIs: Engagements with signed contract before start (100%); Invoices paid within agreed terms (At least 95%); Contractor access removed by end date (100%); Engagements re-assessed on schedule (100%).

Purpose. To make pay and promotion decisions consistently, within budget and based on performance, role level and market data. It also checks for unjustified pay gaps before changes are communicated.

Roles: People Lead, Line Manager, Department Head, Finance Lead, CEO.

1. Set the budget
2. Refresh bands
3. Publish guidance
4. Prepare proposals
5. Calibrate within department
6. Run pay equity analysis
7. Approve outcomes
8. Update payroll
9. Issue letters
10. Communicate to employees
11. Handle off-cycle requests

KPIs: Review completed by effective date (100%); Spend versus budget (Within plus or minus [2]%); Unexplained pay gap at same level (Under [3]%); Employees below band minimum after review (Zero).

Purpose. To decide quickly and consistently which leads deserve sales time, using an agreed ideal customer profile and qualification criteria. It also ensures every lead gets a timely response and a recorded outcome.

Roles: Marketing Lead, SDR, Account Executive, Sales Manager, RevOps Analyst.

1. Capture and route the lead
2. Enrich and score
3. Respond fast
4. Run the follow-up sequence
5. Hold a qualification call
6. Apply criteria
7. Book the discovery call
8. Accept or reject the SQL
9. Return to nurture
10. Review weekly

KPIs: Speed to lead (inbound) (Median under [1] business hour); MQL to SQL conversion (At least [20]%); SQL acceptance by AEs (At least [85]%); Leads with no activity after 3 days (Zero).

Purpose. To understand the prospect's situation, pain, impact and buying process well enough to decide whether to pursue the deal and how. Strong discovery leads to better proposals, accurate forecasts and fewer lost deals late in the cycle.

Roles: Account Executive, SDR, Sales Engineer, Sales Manager.

1. Research the account
2. Send an agenda
3. Open the call
4. Explore the current situation
5. Quantify impact
6. Map the decision process
7. Check technical fit
8. Agree next steps
9. Send the recap
10. Update the CRM
11. Review call quality

KPIs: Discovery to next-stage conversion (At least [50]%); Recap sent within 1 business day (95%); Opportunities with complete qualification fields (At least 90%); Discovery call scorecard average (At least [3.5] out of 5).

Purpose. To send prospects clear, accurate proposals that reflect their needs and are priced within approved rules. Consistent quoting protects margin and speeds up the buying decision.

Roles: Account Executive, Sales Manager, Deal Desk, Sales Engineer, Finance Lead.

1. Confirm requirements
2. Draft the solution
3. Build the quote
4. Check delivery effort
5. Request discount approval
6. Review non-standard terms
7. Approve above limit
8. Quality check the document
9. Present the proposal
10. Track and follow up

KPIs: Proposal turnaround (Within [3] business days of discovery); Average discount (Under [12]%); Quotes sent without required approval (Zero); Proposal to close win rate (At least [30]%).

Purpose. To get deals signed efficiently while protecting [Company] from unacceptable legal, financial and delivery risk. It also makes sure every closed deal is recorded correctly for billing and revenue.

Roles: Account Executive, Legal Counsel, Sales Manager, Finance Lead, Authorised Signatory.

1. Send standard paper
2. Agree a closing plan
3. Triage redlines
4. Review legal terms
5. Complete security reviews
6. Approve commercial concessions
7. Approve payment terms
8. Prepare the final version
9. Sign the contract
10. Book the deal
11. Trigger the handoff

KPIs: Average days from verbal yes to signature (Under [14] days); Contracts on standard paper (At least [70]%); Legal review turnaround (90% within 3 business days); Booking errors found by Finance (Zero).

Purpose. To keep customer, contact and opportunity data in [CRM tool] reliable for forecasting, reporting and customer communication. It also keeps personal data accurate and lawfully held.

Roles: RevOps Analyst, Account Executive, Sales Manager, Marketing Lead.

1. Define standards
2. Enforce at entry
3. Check imports
4. Update records daily
5. Fix stale opportunities
6. Merge duplicates weekly
7. Review in team meetings
8. Reconcile with billing
9. Purge per retention rules
10. Audit quarterly

KPIs: Open opportunities with past close date (Zero at Monday pipeline review); Duplicate account rate (Under [2]%); Required field completeness (At least 95%); CRM to billing amount match (100% of closed won deals).

Purpose. To pass everything learned in the sales process to the team that will deliver, so the customer has a smooth start and promises made are known and achievable. It reduces early churn and scope disputes.

Roles: Account Executive, Delivery Lead, Customer Success Manager, Finance Lead, Sales Manager.

1. Complete the handoff document
2. Attach source material
3. Assign the delivery team
4. Hold the internal handoff
5. Flag unrealistic commitments
6. Set up billing
7. Send the welcome email
8. Run the kickoff
9. Confirm success plan
10. Review handoff quality

KPIs: Handoff document within 2 business days (At least 95%); Signature to kickoff time (Median under [10] business days); Delivery team rating of handoff quality (At least 4 out of 5); Customers churning in first 90 days (Under [2]%).

Purpose. To give leadership an accurate view of expected revenue and to spot and fix deal risks early. A consistent weekly rhythm improves forecast accuracy and coaching.

Roles: Account Executive, Sales Manager, Head of Sales, RevOps Analyst.

1. Update the pipeline
2. Submit the forecast call
3. Prepare reports
4. Run the team review
5. Inspect deal evidence
6. Agree actions
7. Check coverage
8. Submit team forecast
9. Consolidate and report
10. Track accuracy

KPIs: Forecast accuracy (commit vs actual) (Within plus or minus [10]% each quarter); Pipeline coverage (At least [3] times remaining target); Deals with past close dates at review (Zero); Slippage rate of commit deals (Under [15]%).

Purpose. To retain customers at renewal and grow accounts where there is real value to add. Starting early and tracking health reduces surprise churn and last-minute discounting.

Roles: Customer Success Manager, Account Manager, Sales Manager, Finance Lead, RevOps Analyst.

1. Create renewal opportunities
2. Assess account health
3. Hold a value review
4. Act on at-risk accounts
5. Identify expansion
6. Send the renewal quote
7. Approve pricing changes
8. Manage notice deadlines
9. Close the renewal
10. Invoice the renewal
11. Learn from churn

KPIs: Gross revenue retention (At least [90]%); Net revenue retention (At least [105]%); Renewals closed before renewal date (At least 95%); Value reviews completed for eligible accounts (At least 90%).

Purpose. To pay sales staff the right commission on time, based on verified bookings and the plan they signed. Accurate, transparent calculation builds trust and keeps commission costs controlled.

Roles: RevOps Analyst, Finance Lead, Sales Manager, Payroll Administrator, Sales Rep.

1. Confirm plan acceptance
2. Close the bookings period
3. Verify bookings
4. Confirm credit splits
5. Calculate commission
6. Second-person check
7. Approve totals
8. Issue statements
9. Handle disputes
10. Process payment
11. Archive records

KPIs: Commission paid on schedule (100% of pay runs); Calculation errors found after payment (Under [1]% of statements); Disputes resolved within 10 business days (At least 95%); Commission cost as % of new bookings (Within plan budget of [x]%).

Purpose. To make sure [Company] publishes useful, accurate and on-brand content on a steady schedule. It links each piece to a business goal and a target audience so effort is not wasted.

Roles: Content Lead, Writer, Editor, SME, Marketing Ops.

1. Hold the monthly planning meeting
2. Score and select ideas
3. Write the content brief
4. Draft the piece
5. Run SME fact check
6. Edit for style and quality
7. Prepare assets and metadata
8. Give final sign-off
9. Schedule and publish
10. Distribute
11. Review performance

KPIs: On-time publishing (90% of pieces published on the scheduled date); Organic sessions per piece ([target] sessions within 90 days); Content-assisted conversions ([target] per month); Review cycle time (Draft to sign-off within 5 business days).

Purpose. To publish consistent, approved posts on [Company] social channels and respond to the community quickly and appropriately. It also protects the brand by setting rules for harmful comments and sensitive topics.

Roles: Social Media Manager, Content Lead, Support Team, Communications Lead.

1. Build the weekly queue
2. Approve the queue
3. Schedule posts
4. Monitor channels
5. Respond to comments and DMs
6. Route support issues
7. Moderate harmful content
8. Escalate risk situations
9. Handle crisis responses
10. Report monthly

KPIs: Response time (90% of comments and DMs answered within 4 business hours); Engagement rate ([target]% per post on average); Posting consistency (100% of planned posts published); Escalations logged (100% of risk situations escalated within 30 minutes).

Purpose. To send effective marketing emails that reach only people who have agreed to receive them. It reduces errors such as broken links, wrong segments and missing unsubscribe links.

Roles: Email Marketing Manager, Content Lead, Marketing Ops, Reviewer.

1. Confirm the campaign brief
2. Build the segment
3. Write and approve copy
4. Build the email
5. Add tracking
6. Test rendering and links
7. Complete the pre-send checklist
8. Run A/B test if planned
9. Schedule and send
10. Report results

KPIs: Delivery rate (98% or higher); Spam complaint rate (Below 0.1%); Click-through rate ([target]% per campaign); Error-free sends (100% with no correction email needed).

Purpose. To launch paid advertising that spends within budget, tracks conversions accurately and follows platform and advertising rules. It gives a repeatable way to test, optimise and stop campaigns.

Roles: Performance Marketing Manager, Head of Marketing, Marketing Ops, Finance, Content Lead.

1. Approve brief and budget
2. Verify tracking
3. Build campaign structure
4. Load approved creative
5. Set budget caps
6. Peer review before launch
7. Launch and monitor
8. Optimise weekly
9. Reconcile spend
10. Close and report

KPIs: CPA vs target (At or below [target CPA]); Budget adherence (Spend within 5% of approved budget); Tracking accuracy (Platform conversions within 10% of analytics or CRM); Ad disapprovals (Fixed within 1 business day).

Purpose. To make sure all external marketing material is on-brand, accurate and legally safe before it is published. Tiered approval keeps low-risk items fast and puts more checks on high-risk ones.

Roles: Requester, Brand Manager, Content Lead, Legal Reviewer, Head of Marketing.

1. Submit the request
2. Confirm the tier
3. Brand review
4. Messaging review
5. Substantiate claims
6. Legal review
7. Check rights and licences
8. Record approval
9. Resolve disagreements
10. Archive the final

KPIs: Approval turnaround (Tier 1 in 1 day, Tier 2 in 3 days, Tier 3 in 5 days); Post-publication corrections (Fewer than [2] per quarter); Items published without approval (Zero).

Purpose. To bring new products and major features to market in a coordinated way. Everyone customer-facing should know what is launching, who it is for and how to talk about it before launch day.

Roles: Product Marketing Manager, Product Manager, Sales Lead, Support Lead, Head of Marketing.

1. Set the launch tier
2. Write positioning and messaging
3. Build the launch plan
4. Confirm feature readiness
5. Produce launch assets
6. Enable sales
7. Prepare support
8. Hold the readiness review
9. Launch
10. Run the 30-day review

KPIs: Launch on planned date (90% of Tier 1 and 2 launches); Adoption ([target]% of active customers using the feature in 30 days); Launch pipeline ([target] value created in 30 days); Support readiness (Help articles live on launch day).

Purpose. To run events that are well organised, on budget and produce measurable leads or customer value. It covers planning, promotion, delivery and follow-up so nothing is missed.

Roles: Event Manager, Speaker or Host, Marketing Ops, Sales Lead, Head of Marketing.

1. Approve the event brief
2. Book venue, platform and vendors
3. Confirm speakers and content
4. Set up registration and tracking
5. Promote the event
6. Rehearse
7. Run the event
8. Upload and grade leads
9. Follow up
10. Close out

KPIs: Registration to attendance ([40]% or higher for webinars); Cost per lead (At or below [target]); Lead follow-up (100% of hot leads contacted within 2 business days); Budget adherence (Within 10% of approved budget).

Purpose. To protect and grow organic search traffic by catching technical problems early and finding content opportunities. It turns data into a short, prioritised list of actions each month.

Roles: SEO Specialist, Web Developer, Content Lead, Head of Marketing.

1. Pull performance data
2. Review keyword rankings
3. Crawl the site
4. Check indexation and coverage
5. Check page experience
6. Find content opportunities
7. Prioritise actions
8. Approve and assign
9. Fix technical issues
10. Update content

KPIs: Organic sessions ([target]% growth quarter on quarter); Organic conversions ([target] per month); Critical crawl errors (Zero open beyond 2 business days); Action completion (80% of monthly actions done on time).

Purpose. To make sure all contact with the media is handled by approved people with accurate, approved messages. It protects [Company] from off-the-cuff comments and missed opportunities.

Roles: Communications Lead, Spokesperson, CEO, Legal Reviewer, All Employees.

1. Forward all media enquiries
2. Log and assess requests
3. Brief the spokesperson
4. Give the interview
5. Draft the press release
6. Review and approve
7. Distribute
8. Follow up and track coverage
9. Correct errors

KPIs: Enquiry response (100% acknowledged within 4 business hours); Coverage ([target] pieces per quarter in target outlets); Message pull-through (Key message present in [70]% of coverage).

Purpose. To work with influencers and partners in a way that is transparent, measurable and protects the brand. It sets checks on fit, contracts, disclosure and payment.

Roles: Partnerships Manager, Brand Manager, Legal Reviewer, Finance, Head of Marketing.

1. Define the brief
2. Shortlist and vet
3. Approve selection
4. Agree contract
5. Share the creative brief
6. Review content before posting
7. Monitor live content
8. Pay against delivery
9. Measure and review

KPIs: Cost per acquisition via partners (At or below [target]); Disclosure compliance (100% of sponsored posts); On-time delivery (90% of deliverables on agreed dates).

Purpose. To make sure every incoming request is read, classified and assigned quickly and consistently. Correct priority means critical problems are fixed first and SLAs are met.

Roles: Triage Agent, Support Agent, Support Lead, On-call Engineer.

1. Monitor the new queue
2. Identify the customer
3. Categorise
4. Set priority
5. Escalate P1 immediately
6. Route to the right queue
7. Acknowledge the customer
8. Close spam and non-actionable
9. Review queue health
10. Audit triage quality

KPIs: Time to triage (95% within 1 business hour); First response SLA (95% met across priorities); Triage accuracy (90% correct in weekly sample); Reassignment rate (Below 10% of tickets).

Purpose. To get complex, urgent or high-risk issues to the right people quickly without losing context. It keeps the customer informed and one owner accountable throughout.

Roles: Tier 1 Agent, Tier 2 Specialist, Engineering Liaison, Support Lead, Account Manager.

1. Check escalation criteria
2. Write the escalation note
3. Tell the customer
4. Accept and investigate
5. Raise a bug if confirmed
6. Triage the bug
7. Update the customer regularly
8. Handle hierarchical escalations
9. Resolve and confirm
10. Review open escalations weekly

KPIs: Escalation rate (Below [15]% of tickets); Escalation acceptance time (95% within target); Update cadence compliance (95%); Escalations older than 10 days (Fewer than [5]).

Purpose. To process refunds and returns quickly and fairly while protecting [Company] from fraud and errors. It makes decisions consistent with the published refund policy.

Roles: Support Agent, Support Lead, Finance, Warehouse Operative.

1. Log the request
2. Check eligibility
3. Try to resolve first
4. Get approval by limit
5. Issue RMA for physical goods
6. Inspect returned goods
7. Process the refund
8. Confirm to customer
9. Reconcile monthly
10. Review reasons

KPIs: Refund processing time (95% within 5 business days of approval); Refund rate (Below [x]% of revenue); Reconciliation errors (Zero unexplained differences); Chargeback rate (Below [0.5]% of transactions).

Purpose. To treat complaints as a chance to recover the relationship and improve the business. Every complaint should be acknowledged, investigated fairly, answered on time and analysed for root causes.

Roles: Support Agent, Complaint Owner, Support Lead, Department Head.

1. Recognise and log
2. Acknowledge
3. Assign an owner
4. Investigate
5. Agree the remedy
6. Respond in writing
7. Offer a further route
8. Fix the root cause
9. Close and confirm
10. Review trends monthly

KPIs: Acknowledgement time (100% within 1 business day); Resolution time (90% within 10 business days); Repeat complaints on same issue (Falling quarter on quarter); Post-complaint satisfaction ([target]% satisfied with handling).

Purpose. To help new customers set up correctly and reach their first meaningful result quickly. Good onboarding reduces early churn and support load.

Roles: Customer Success Manager, Account Executive, Implementation Specialist, Customer Champion.

1. Complete sales handoff
2. Send welcome email
3. Run the kickoff
4. Agree the success plan
5. Complete technical setup
6. Train users
7. Track adoption
8. Confirm first value
9. Hold the 90-day review
10. Collect onboarding feedback

KPIs: Time to value (Median under [30] days); Onboarding completion (90% complete within [60] days); Onboarding satisfaction ([target] average score); 90-day retention ([target]% of new accounts active).

Purpose. To keep the help centre accurate, easy to search and aligned with the current product. Good articles reduce ticket volume and speed up agents.

Roles: Knowledge Manager, Support Agent, Product Manager, Editor.

1. Identify needs
2. Get release notice
3. Draft the article
4. Check accuracy
5. Edit and format
6. Publish
7. Fix flagged errors
8. Review stale articles
9. Measure usefulness

KPIs: Self-service ratio ([target]% of help centre visits without a ticket); Article helpfulness ([75]% positive votes); Stale articles (Fewer than 5% past review date); Error fix time (95% within 2 business days).

Purpose. To identify customers at risk of leaving early enough to act. A consistent save process improves retention and reveals why customers leave.

Roles: Customer Success Manager, Head of Customer Success, Account Executive, Product Manager.

1. Monitor health weekly
2. Flag at-risk accounts
3. Contact the customer
4. Diagnose the root cause
5. Agree a save plan
6. Approve concessions
7. Review weekly
8. Handle renewal
9. Record the outcome
10. Share churn insights

KPIs: Gross revenue retention ([target]% annually); Save rate ([target]% of at-risk accounts retained); Time to contact (90% within 3 business days of flag); Logo churn (Below [x]% per month).

Purpose. To give customers fast, friendly and secure help over live channels. It sets standards for availability, identity checks, call handling and recording.

Roles: Support Agent, Shift Lead, Workforce Planner, Quality Analyst.

1. Forecast and staff
2. Start the shift
3. Greet and identify
4. Verify identity
5. Resolve or route
6. Manage the queue live
7. Handle difficult contacts
8. Wrap up
9. Hand over at shift end
10. Review quality

KPIs: Chat ASA (Under 60 seconds); Call answer rate ([90]% within [2] minutes); First contact resolution ([70]% or higher); CSAT ([90]% satisfied); Quality score ([85]% average).

Purpose. To listen to customers in a structured way and act on what they say. Closing the loop with responders builds trust and gives product and leadership clear priorities.

Roles: Customer Insights Owner, Customer Success Manager, Product Manager, Head of Customer Success.

1. Plan the survey schedule
2. Send the survey
3. Alert on detractors
4. Close the loop with detractors
5. Engage promoters
6. Tag and analyse feedback
7. Review themes with product
8. Tell customers what changed
9. Report to leadership

KPIs: NPS ([target] or improving quarter on quarter); Survey response rate ([20]% or higher); Detractor follow-up (100% within 2 business days); Actions completed ([75]% of agreed actions on time).

Purpose. To keep customers informed quickly and honestly when the service is down or degraded. Clear updates reduce ticket volume, protect trust and support contractual obligations.

Roles: Incident Commander, Communications Owner, Support Lead, Account Manager, Head of Customer Success.

1. Confirm the incident
2. Post the first update
3. Prepare support
4. Contact key accounts
5. Update on a fixed cadence
6. Announce resolution
7. Close related tickets
8. Publish the post-incident report
9. Apply service credits
10. Review communications

KPIs: Time to first update (SEV1 within 15 minutes, SEV2 within 30 minutes); Update cadence compliance (100%); Post-incident report on time (100% within 5 business days); Incident-related ticket volume (Falling as status page subscribers grow).

Purpose. To make sure every delivered product or service is billed correctly and promptly. Accurate invoices reduce disputes, shorten payment times and keep revenue records reliable.

Roles: Billing Specialist, Account Owner, Finance Manager, Customer.

1. Confirm the billing trigger
2. Verify customer master data
3. Draft the invoice
4. Apply tax correctly
5. Reconcile to the contract
6. Approve non-standard invoices
7. Send the invoice
8. Confirm receipt for large invoices
9. Record and post
10. Handle corrections with credit notes
11. Run recurring billing check
12. Archive records

KPIs: Invoice timeliness (95% of invoices sent within 2 business days of billing trigger); Invoice accuracy (Fewer than 2% of invoices credited or reissued due to error); Days sales outstanding (DSO) (At or below [target, e.g. 40] days); Unbilled revenue at month-end (Below [amount or % of monthly revenue]).

Purpose. To process supplier invoices from receipt to payment in a controlled way. It protects cash, keeps suppliers paid on agreed terms and prevents duplicate, unauthorised or fraudulent payments.

Roles: AP Clerk, Budget Holder, Finance Manager, Payment Authoriser.

1. Receive invoices centrally
2. Check for duplicates
3. Perform three-way match
4. Approve non-PO invoices
5. Code the invoice
6. Verify bank detail changes
7. Prepare the payment run
8. Review the payment proposal
9. Release payments with dual authorisation
10. Send remittance advice
11. Reconcile supplier statements
12. File and retain

KPIs: On-time payment (95% of invoices paid within agreed terms); Invoice processing time (Median under 5 business days from receipt to approval); Duplicate payments (Zero per quarter); Touchless match rate (At least [e.g. 70%] of PO invoices auto-matched).

Purpose. To turn overdue receivables into cash quickly and consistently. A clear escalation path reduces bad debt and avoids ad hoc, inconsistent chasing.

Roles: Credit Controller, Account Owner, Finance Manager, Founder or CEO.

1. Send a pre-due reminder
2. Send the first overdue reminder
3. Call at 7 days overdue
4. Resolve disputes quickly
5. Escalate at 15 days overdue
6. Agree a payment plan where justified
7. Place account on hold at 30 days
8. Issue a final notice at 45 days
9. Refer to agency or legal at 60 days
10. Review the bad debt provision
11. Report weekly

KPIs: Days sales outstanding (DSO) (At or below [target] days); Overdue over 60 days (Less than 5% of total receivables); Promise-to-pay kept rate (At least 80%); Bad debt write-off (Below [e.g. 0.5%] of annual revenue).

Purpose. To produce accurate, timely monthly financial statements that leadership can rely on for decisions. A fixed calendar and checklist make the close repeatable and auditable.

Roles: Accountant, Finance Manager, Budget Holders, Founder or CEO.

1. Announce cut-off
2. Close sub-ledgers
3. Reconcile bank and cash
4. Post payroll journals
5. Collect and post accruals
6. Post prepayments, depreciation and deferrals
7. Reconcile balance sheet accounts
8. Review journals
9. Analyse variances
10. Prepare management accounts
11. Sign off and lock the period
12. Present and run a retrospective

KPIs: Days to close (Management accounts delivered by WD[5]); Post-close adjustments (Zero material adjustments after sign-off); Reconciliation completion (100% of balance sheet accounts reconciled by WD4); Unexplained variance items (None above materiality).

Purpose. To reimburse employees fairly and promptly for business costs they pay personally. It also ensures claims are within policy, correctly coded and supported for tax purposes.

Roles: Claimant, Line Manager, Finance Reviewer, Payroll or AP Lead.

1. Capture receipts at the time of spend
2. Submit the claim
3. Attach pre-approval where needed
4. Approve for business purpose
5. Check receipts and coding
6. Query or reject exceptions
7. Flag taxable items
8. Pay approved claims
9. Reconcile company cards
10. Audit a sample

KPIs: Reimbursement time (90% paid within 10 business days of submission); Policy compliance (At least 95% of claims approved without query); Card receipt match rate (98% of card transactions with receipts by month-end).

Purpose. To run each payroll accurately, on time and in line with employment and tax law. It controls changes to pay data so that errors and fraud are caught before money leaves the bank.

Roles: Payroll Administrator, HR Manager, Finance Manager, Payment Authoriser.

1. Collect authorised changes
2. Collect variable pay
3. Update the payroll system
4. Run the draft payroll
5. Investigate variances
6. Review and approve
7. Fund and release net pay
8. Distribute payslips
9. Pay and file statutory deductions
10. Post payroll journals
11. Handle errors with off-cycle runs

KPIs: On-time pay (100% of employees paid on pay date); Payroll accuracy (Fewer than [1] correction per 100 payslips); Statutory filings (100% submitted by deadline, zero penalties); Approval lead time (Pay run approved at least 3 business days before pay date).

Purpose. To translate company goals into an agreed financial plan and keep it current. Regular reforecasting gives early warning on cash, hiring and revenue shortfalls.

Roles: Finance Manager, Department Heads, Founder or CEO, Board.

1. Set targets and guardrails
2. Issue templates and assumptions
3. Build driver-based submissions
4. Consolidate the first draft
5. Challenge and prioritise
6. Model scenarios
7. Approve the budget
8. Load and communicate budgets
9. Report actuals against budget monthly
10. Update the rolling forecast
11. Trigger corrective actions

KPIs: Forecast accuracy (Revenue and costs within 10% of actual for the next quarter); Budget delivered on time (Approved before the financial year starts); Variance explanations (100% of material variances explained within 5 working days of close); Cash runway (At or above [e.g. 18] months).

Purpose. To allow small, urgent purchases in cash without losing control of the money. A fixed float with regular counts makes shortages visible quickly.

Roles: Petty Cash Custodian, Approver, Finance Reviewer, Employee.

1. Set the float
2. Request a payout
3. Approve and pay
4. Collect receipt and change
5. Keep cash secure
6. Count weekly
7. Request a top-up
8. Approve and post the top-up
9. Perform surprise counts
10. Investigate differences

KPIs: Count variance (Zero unexplained differences); Receipt compliance (100% of payouts supported by receipts); Top-up frequency (No more than [2] per month, otherwise review float size).

Purpose. To meet indirect tax obligations in every place [Company] is registered. Accurate returns avoid penalties, interest and lost input tax recovery.

Roles: Tax Preparer, Finance Manager, External Tax Adviser, Billing Specialist.

1. Maintain the filing calendar
2. Monitor registration thresholds
3. Close the period first
4. Run the tax reports
5. Review exceptions
6. Draft the return
7. Review and approve
8. Submit and pay
9. Post and reconcile
10. Correct prior errors
11. Retain records

KPIs: On-time filing (100% of returns and payments by deadline); Penalties and interest (Zero); Post-filing corrections (No material corrections per year); Input tax recovery (All valid input tax claimed within the period).

Purpose. To confirm that cash in the accounts matches the bank. Frequent reconciliation catches errors, missing entries and fraud early.

Roles: Accountant, Finance Manager, AP Clerk, Credit Controller.

1. Import transactions
2. Match routine transactions
3. Allocate unidentified receipts
4. Reconcile payment providers
5. Investigate unknown payments
6. Prepare the month-end reconciliation
7. Clear old items
8. Review and sign off
9. Approve adjustments
10. Store evidence

KPIs: Reconciliation timeliness (100% completed by WD2); Aged reconciling items (None older than 30 days); Unidentified receipts (Allocated within 3 business days).

Purpose. To define clear limits for approving spending, contracts and payments. A documented matrix speeds up routine decisions and keeps large or unusual commitments with senior leaders.

Roles: Finance Manager, Founder or CEO, Budget Holders, Board.

1. Draft value bands
2. Define commitment types
3. Apply total contract value
4. Set rules for unbudgeted spend
5. Reserve Board and investor matters
6. Approve and publish
7. Configure systems
8. Approve within limits
9. Handle absence
10. Monitor compliance
11. Review limits

KPIs: Approval compliance (At least 98% of sampled transactions approved at the correct level); Approval turnaround (90% of approvals within 2 business days); Matrix currency (Reviewed within 30 days of any reorganisation).

Purpose. To control what [Company] buys, from whom and at what price. Raising an approved PO before ordering prevents unauthorised commitments and makes invoice matching simple.

Roles: Requester, Budget Holder, Procurement Lead, Finance Manager.

1. Raise a purchase request
2. Check budget and need
3. Select sourcing route
4. Compare and negotiate
5. Onboard new suppliers
6. Obtain final approval
7. Issue the PO
8. Obtain supplier acknowledgement
9. Receipt goods or services
10. Manage changes
11. Close the PO

KPIs: PO compliance (At least 90% of eligible spend under a PO); PR-to-PO cycle time (Median under 5 business days); Retrospective POs (Less than 5% of POs raised after the invoice); Savings from negotiation (Tracked against first quote, target [e.g. 5%]).

Purpose. To confirm that new suppliers are who they say they are and can deliver safely and securely. Proper onboarding reduces fraud, data and supply risks.

Roles: Requester, Procurement Lead, Security or IT Lead, Finance Manager, Legal Reviewer.

1. Submit the vendor request
2. Assign a risk tier
3. Collect company information
4. Screen for sanctions and adverse media
5. Assess information security
6. Check financial stability
7. Agree contract terms
8. Verify bank details
9. Create the supplier record
10. Record in the vendor register
11. Set up access

KPIs: Onboarding cycle time (Low tier within 5 business days, high tier within 20); Checklist completeness (100% of new suppliers); Vendors without owner (Zero).

Purpose. To make sure important suppliers deliver what they promised and continue to offer value. Regular, evidence-based reviews catch problems before they disrupt the business.

Roles: Vendor Owner, Procurement Lead, Finance Manager, Supplier Account Manager.

1. Select suppliers for review
2. Gather performance data
3. Check invoices against contract
4. Score the supplier
5. Collect internal feedback
6. Hold the review meeting
7. Agree improvement actions
8. Escalate persistent issues
9. Recheck risk status
10. Plan renewals
11. Publish the summary

KPIs: Reviews completed (100% of in-scope suppliers each quarter); Supplier OTIF (At least [95%] across key suppliers); Improvement actions closed on time (At least 85%); Unplanned auto-renewals (Zero).

Purpose. To make sure the right stock is available when needed while minimising cash tied up in inventory. Accurate records support reliable ordering, fulfilment and financial reporting.

Roles: Inventory Controller, Warehouse Operative, Procurement Lead, Finance Manager.

1. Receive stock
2. Put away to a recorded location
3. Record every movement
4. Apply picking rules
5. Classify stock by value
6. Run cycle counts
7. Investigate variances
8. Approve adjustments
9. Reorder at the reorder point
10. Manage slow-moving and expiring stock
11. Quarantine damaged stock
12. Perform the year-end count

KPIs: Inventory record accuracy (At least 98% of counted locations correct); Stockout rate (Below 2% of order lines); Inventory turnover (At or above [target] turns per year); Write-offs (Below [e.g. 1%] of inventory value).

Purpose. To deliver every customer order correctly, safely and on time. A consistent pick, pack and ship routine reduces errors, returns and customer contacts.

Roles: Fulfilment Lead, Picker Packer, Customer Support Agent, Inventory Controller.

1. Release orders for fulfilment
2. Prioritise the queue
3. Pick items
4. Resolve short picks
5. Check and pack
6. Weigh and label
7. Hand over to carrier
8. Send tracking
9. Monitor exceptions
10. Handle lost or damaged parcels
11. Review daily performance

KPIs: Dispatch on time (At least 98% within dispatch SLA); Order accuracy (At least 99.5% of orders shipped without error); Damage rate (Below 0.5% of parcels); Cost per order (At or below [target]).

Purpose. To know what equipment [Company] owns, where it is and who is responsible for it. Good asset control reduces loss, protects data and supports accurate accounts.

Roles: Asset Administrator, Employee, IT Lead, Finance Manager, Line Manager.

1. Approve the purchase
2. Tag and register on arrival
3. Configure and secure
4. Issue to the employee
5. Record capital assets
6. Report loss or damage
7. Respond to loss
8. Maintain and repair
9. Recover assets from leavers
10. Audit the register
11. Dispose securely

KPIs: Register accuracy (At least 98% of assets found where recorded at audit); Leaver recovery (100% of assets returned within 5 business days of leaving); Lost or stolen assets (Below [number] per year); Encryption coverage (100% of laptops and phones).

Purpose. To give a clear sequence for declaring a disruption and restoring critical operations. A practised activation process limits harm to people, customers and revenue.

Roles: Crisis Lead, Recovery Lead, Communications Lead, People Safety Lead, Department Leads.

1. Raise the alert
2. Assess against activation criteria
3. Protect people first
4. Convene the CMT
5. Contain the incident
6. Invoke recovery procedures
7. Communicate internally
8. Communicate externally
9. Track recovery against RTOs
10. Approve emergency spending
11. Return to normal
12. Hold a post-incident review

KPIs: Activation decision time (Within 30 minutes of alert); Staff accounted for (100% within 1 hour); Critical services restored within RTO (100%); Post-incident actions closed (At least 90% by due date).

Purpose. To verify that products meet defined specifications at each key stage. Consistent inspection protects customers, reduces rework cost and supports quality standards such as ISO 9001.

Roles: QC Inspector, Quality Manager, Production or Warehouse Lead, Procurement Lead.

1. Plan the inspection
2. Check equipment
3. Draw the sample
4. Inspect against the checklist
5. Record results
6. Decide accept or reject
7. Tag and segregate
8. Decide disposition
9. Notify the supplier
10. Release accepted product
11. Review quality trends

KPIs: First pass yield (At least [e.g. 97%]); Customer-reported defects (Below [e.g. 500] parts per million); Inspection on time (95% of incoming batches inspected within 1 business day); Supplier rejection rate (Tracked monthly per supplier).

Purpose. To deal with supplier failures in a structured way, from containment to verified correction. It turns repeated problems into lasting improvements and gives evidence for supplier decisions.

Roles: Quality Manager, Procurement Lead, Supplier Quality Contact, Production or Warehouse Lead.

1. Raise the NCR
2. Contain the problem
3. Assess customer impact
4. Notify the supplier
5. Require root cause analysis
6. Review the response
7. Agree disposition and recovery
8. Increase inspection temporarily
9. Verify effectiveness
10. Close and record
11. Escalate repeat offenders

KPIs: NCR acknowledgement (100% acknowledged by supplier within 2 business days); CAPA closure (At least 80% closed within 60 days); Repeat non-conformances (Zero repeats of the same root cause within 12 months); Cost of poor supplier quality (Tracked and recovered where contractually possible).

Purpose. To make sure the workplace is safe and ready at the start of each day and secure at the end. Consistent checks reduce the risk of theft, fire, water damage and data exposure.

Roles: Key Holder, Office or Facilities Manager, Staff, Security or Alarm Provider.

1. Check before entering
2. Disarm the alarm and log entry
3. Walk through for hazards
4. Turn on services
5. Confirm lone working check-in
6. Report issues
7. Apply clear desk at end of day
8. Check all areas before closing
9. Shut down equipment
10. Secure cash and valuables
11. Arm the alarm and lock up
12. Review logs and access

KPIs: Checklist completion (100% of days); Security incidents (Zero caused by unlocked doors or unset alarms); Facility issues resolved (Urgent within 24 hours, routine within 5 business days).

Purpose. To make sure new staff, contractors and interns can work from their first day with exactly the access their role needs. It also creates an auditable record of who approved each permission.

Roles: Hiring Manager, HR Coordinator, IT Administrator, System Owner, Security Lead.

1. Trigger the joiner ticket
2. Confirm the role profile
3. Obtain approvals for privileged access
4. Create the core identity
5. Assign groups and applications
6. Set expiry for temporary staff
7. Enforce MFA enrolment
8. Send credentials securely
9. Verify access on day one
10. Close and record
11. Review role profiles quarterly

KPIs: Day-one readiness (95% of joiners have full role access by 10:00 on day one); Provisioning lead time (Tickets completed at least 1 business day before start); Access exceptions (Less than 10% of joiners need access outside their role profile); Audit sample accuracy (100% of sampled grants match approvals).

Purpose. To protect company systems and data by removing a leaver's access no later than their last working moment. It also ensures company data and devices are recovered and handed over.

Roles: HR Coordinator, Line Manager, IT Administrator, System Owner, Security Lead.

1. Notify IT of the leaver
2. Plan the handover
3. Schedule the disable
4. Disable identity and revoke sessions
5. Remove non-SSO access
6. Rotate shared secrets
7. Transfer data ownership
8. Recover devices
9. Wipe and reassign devices
10. Review activity for high-risk exits
11. Delete or archive the account

KPIs: Timely disable (100% of accounts disabled by the leaver time); Non-SSO removal (100% within 4 business hours); Device recovery (95% of devices returned within 5 business days); Orphan accounts found in audit (Zero per quarter).

Purpose. To reduce account takeover by enforcing strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication for every user and system. It also defines a safe process for resets and lost authenticators.

Roles: IT Administrator, Security Lead, Employee, Line Manager.

1. Set the password standard
2. Enforce MFA everywhere
3. Issue phishing-resistant keys to admins
4. Roll out the password manager
5. Use the password manager daily
6. Verify identity before any reset
7. Handle lost MFA devices
8. Manage service account credentials
9. Approve and log exceptions
10. Monitor compliance monthly

KPIs: MFA coverage (100% of user and admin accounts); Password manager adoption (95% of users active monthly); Reset identity verification (100% of resets have a recorded verification method); Open exceptions past expiry (Zero).

Purpose. To make sure critical business data can be recovered after deletion, ransomware, outage or error. Regular restore tests prove backups work rather than assuming they do.

Roles: IT Administrator, System Owner, Security Lead, Operations Manager.

1. Classify systems and targets
2. Configure backup jobs
3. Protect the backups
4. Back up SaaS data
5. Monitor job results daily
6. Run monthly file-level restore tests
7. Run quarterly full restore tests
8. Validate restored data
9. Report and remediate gaps
10. Update the inventory

KPIs: Backup job success rate (99% per month); Restore tests completed (100% of scheduled monthly and quarterly tests); RTO achieved in tests (100% of quarterly tests within RTO); Systems without backup (Zero critical systems).

Purpose. To limit the damage and recovery time of security incidents such as account compromise, malware or unauthorised access. It sets out who leads, how decisions are made and how evidence is preserved.

Roles: Incident Lead, IT Administrator, Communications Owner, Executive Sponsor, Data Protection Lead.

1. Report and log
2. Triage and assign severity
3. Open the response channel
4. Contain the threat
5. Preserve evidence
6. Assess data impact
7. Decide on outside help
8. Eradicate the cause
9. Recover services
10. Communicate
11. Close and review

KPIs: Time to triage (Within 30 minutes for 95% of reports); Time to contain SEV1 (Within 4 hours); Review completion (100% of SEV1 and SEV2 reviewed within 10 business days); Repeat incidents from same cause (Zero within 12 months).

Purpose. To close known security weaknesses quickly and keep systems supported and stable. Patching timeframes are tied to risk so critical issues are fixed first.

Roles: IT Administrator, Security Lead, System Owner, Employee.

1. Monitor advisories
2. Rate and set deadlines
3. Test with the pilot group
4. Deploy to all devices
5. Restart when prompted
6. Patch servers and network devices
7. Verify critical business systems
8. Chase non-compliant devices
9. Approve deferrals
10. Plan end-of-life replacements

KPIs: Critical patch compliance (95% of devices within 72 hours); High patch compliance (95% within 14 days); Unmanaged devices (Zero); Patch-related outages (Fewer than 1 per quarter).

Purpose. To give every user a secure, working device that meets the company security baseline from the moment they receive it. It also keeps an accurate record of who holds which asset.

Roles: IT Administrator, Hiring Manager, Employee, Finance Officer.

1. Request the device
2. Approve and order
3. Register the asset
4. Enrol in device management
5. Apply the security baseline
6. Install standard software
7. Test before handover
8. Ship or hand over securely
9. Accept and complete first sign-in
10. Reconcile the register

KPIs: Device ready on day one (98% of starters); Baseline compliance (100% of active devices); Register accuracy (99% match in quarterly reconciliation); Lost or stolen devices unencrypted (Zero).

Purpose. To turn staff reports of suspicious messages into fast action that protects the whole company. It also makes sure people who clicked a link feel safe to report it straight away.

Roles: Employee, IT Administrator, Security Lead, Finance Officer.

1. Report the message
2. Tell IT immediately if you interacted
3. Triage within 1 business hour
4. Search and purge
5. Block indicators
6. Secure affected accounts
7. Check payment fraud attempts
8. Escalate confirmed compromise
9. Respond to the reporter
10. Review trends and train

KPIs: Triage time (90% of reports within 1 business hour); Report rate in simulations (Above 60% of recipients report); Click rate in simulations (Below 5%); Payment fraud losses (Zero).

Purpose. To meet legal obligations when personal data is lost, stolen, exposed or altered without authorisation. It ensures a consistent risk assessment and timely, accurate notifications.

Roles: Data Protection Lead, Incident Lead, Legal Adviser, Executive Sponsor, Communications Owner.

1. Record awareness time
2. Gather the facts
3. Assess the risk to individuals
4. Confirm legal obligations
5. Decide on regulator notification
6. Approve and submit
7. Notify affected individuals
8. Notify business customers if a processor
9. Handle enquiries
10. Close and record lessons

KPIs: Notifications on time (100% within legal deadlines); Initial assessment completed (Within 24 hours of awareness); Register completeness (100% of breaches recorded); Repeat breaches from same cause (Zero within 12 months).

Purpose. To reduce outages and security gaps caused by uncontrolled changes to infrastructure and business systems. It balances speed with a level of review that matches the risk.

Roles: Change Requester, Change Manager, Approver, Implementer.

1. Raise the change request
2. Classify the change
3. Assess and approve
4. Check the calendar
5. Prepare and back up
6. Implement in the window
7. Verify the outcome
8. Handle emergency changes
9. Close and record
10. Review failed changes

KPIs: Change success rate (95% without incident or rollback); Unauthorised changes found (Zero per quarter); Emergency change share (Below 10% of all changes); Change-caused incidents (Fewer than 2 per quarter).

Purpose. To prevent unmanaged tools from exposing company data, duplicating spend or creating compliance gaps. It gives teams a clear, fast route to get the tools they need.

Roles: Requester, IT Administrator, Security Lead, Finance Officer, Budget Owner.

1. Check the approved list
2. Submit the request
3. Check overlap and fit
4. Classify the data and set review depth
5. Review vendor security and privacy
6. Review commercial terms
7. Approve or reject
8. Set up centrally
9. Schedule renewal review
10. Detect unapproved tools

KPIs: Request turnaround (Light reviews within 3 business days, full within 10); Tools on SSO (90% of approved tools); Unapproved tools found per quarter (Decreasing trend); Unused licences (Below 10% of paid seats).

Purpose. To ship product changes to customers reliably and predictably. It makes sure every release is tested, approved, monitored and communicated.

Roles: Release Manager, Engineering Lead, QA Lead, Product Manager, Support Lead.

1. Freeze the scope
2. Cut the release candidate
3. Run regression and acceptance tests
4. Review known issues
5. Prepare support and customers
6. Hold the go or no-go check
7. Deploy with a staged rollout
8. Monitor and expand
9. Roll back if thresholds breach
10. Publish release notes
11. Watch support signals
12. Close the release record

KPIs: Change failure rate (Below 15% of releases need rollback or hotfix); Release on schedule (90% of releases on planned date); Post-release critical bugs (Fewer than 1 per release); Time to restore after bad release (Under 1 hour).

Purpose. To catch defects and security issues before they reach production and to spread knowledge of the codebase. It sets clear expectations for authors and reviewers so reviews are fast and useful.

Roles: Author, Reviewer, Code Owner, Engineering Lead.

1. Keep changes small
2. Self-review and test
3. Write a clear description
4. Pass automated checks
5. Assign reviewers
6. Review within 1 business day
7. Give clear, labelled feedback
8. Approve sensitive changes
9. Resolve feedback
10. Merge and clean up
11. Audit review practice

KPIs: Time to first review (Median under 1 business day); PR size (80% of PRs under 400 changed lines); Escaped defects (Decreasing trend quarter on quarter); Merges bypassing review (Zero).

Purpose. To make sure every reported bug is reviewed, reproduced and prioritised by its real impact on users and the business. It prevents important issues being lost and stops low-value work crowding the backlog.

Roles: Triage Lead, Support Lead, QA Lead, Engineering Lead, Product Manager.

1. Log the bug
2. Check for duplicates
3. Reproduce
4. Escalate S1 bugs immediately
5. Set severity and priority
6. Apply fix targets
7. Assign an owner
8. Update reporters
9. Verify the fix
10. Review the backlog monthly

KPIs: Time to triage (90% of new bugs triaged within 2 business days); P1 fix time (90% within 2 business days); Bug reopen rate (Below 5%); Open P1 and P2 bugs older than 30 days (Zero).

Purpose. To restore service quickly when the product is down or degraded and keep customers and colleagues informed. It also makes on-call fair and sustainable for engineers.

Roles: On-call Engineer, Incident Commander, Communications Owner, Engineering Lead, Subject Matter Expert.

1. Maintain a fair rota
2. Acknowledge alerts
3. Assess and declare severity
4. Appoint an Incident Commander
5. Stabilise first
6. Bring in experts
7. Communicate status
8. Confirm resolution
9. Post the resolved notice
10. Hand off and schedule review
11. Improve alerts and runbooks

KPIs: Time to acknowledge SEV1 (Under 5 minutes); Mean time to restore SEV1 (Under 1 hour); Monthly uptime ([99.9]% or the published SLA); Out-of-hours pages per on-call week (Fewer than 2).

Purpose. To restore a stable product quickly when a deployment causes errors or harms users. It defines when to roll back, who decides and how to handle data changes safely.

Roles: On-call Engineer, Release Manager, Engineering Lead, QA Lead.

1. Recognise rollback triggers
2. Decide fast
3. Try the kill switch first
4. Check database compatibility
5. Announce the rollback
6. Execute the rollback
7. Verify recovery
8. Handle affected data
9. Block re-release
10. Review and prevent

KPIs: Time from trigger to rollback complete (Under 15 minutes); Rollback success rate (100% of rollbacks restore service); Releases with irreversible migrations without plan (Zero).

Purpose. To give the team a focused, achievable plan for each sprint that supports product goals. It balances new features, bugs and technical work against real capacity.

Roles: Product Manager, Engineering Lead, Delivery Lead, Team Member.

1. Refine the backlog beforehand
2. Calculate capacity
3. Reserve capacity for bugs and tech work
4. Propose the sprint goal
5. Select items
6. Break down and estimate
7. Identify risks
8. Commit to the plan
9. Publish the sprint
10. Manage mid-sprint changes

KPIs: Sprint goal achievement (80% of sprints meet their goal); Planned vs completed work (Between 80% and 100%); Mid-sprint scope changes (Fewer than 2 per sprint); Carry-over items (Below 15% of planned items).

Purpose. To learn from incidents and near misses so they do not happen again. A blameless approach encourages honest detail about what happened and why decisions made sense at the time.

Roles: Post-mortem Owner, Facilitator, Incident Participants, Engineering Lead.

1. Assign an owner
2. Build the timeline
3. Quantify the impact
4. Gather participant input
5. Hold the review meeting
6. Analyse causes
7. Agree action items
8. Publish the post-mortem
9. Track actions to completion
10. Share learning across incidents

KPIs: Post-mortem completion (100% of SEV1 and SEV2 within 10 business days); Action completion (80% of actions closed by their due date); Repeat incidents (Zero repeat SEV1 from the same root cause within 12 months).

Purpose. To turn scattered ideas and customer asks into structured evidence that informs product decisions. It also makes sure requesters get a clear answer rather than silence.

Roles: Product Manager, Support Lead, Account Manager, Product Operations.

1. Capture the request
2. Log sales and account requests
3. Deduplicate and tag
4. Group into opportunities
5. Evaluate and score
6. Decide the outcome
7. Close the loop
8. Notify on delivery
9. Report trends

KPIs: Requests processed (90% tagged within 5 business days); Loop closure (80% of requesters receive an outcome); Roadmap items backed by request data (70% or more).

Purpose. To make sure the team builds the right thing with shared understanding of goals, scope and success measures. Clear sign-off reduces rework and late changes.

Roles: Product Manager, Engineering Lead, Design Lead, Stakeholder Approver, Security Lead.

1. Define the problem
2. Set goals and success metrics
3. Write scope and non-goals
4. Add designs and flows
5. Review technical feasibility
6. Review security and privacy
7. Hold the review meeting
8. Obtain sign-off
9. Control changes after sign-off
10. Confirm acceptance at delivery

KPIs: Time from draft to sign-off (Under 10 business days); Post-sign-off scope changes (Fewer than 2 material changes per project); Features meeting success metric (60% or more within 90 days of release).

Purpose. To reduce security vulnerabilities and avoid outages caused by outdated libraries or retired third-party APIs. Regular, small updates are cheaper and safer than rare large ones.

Roles: Dependency Owner, Engineering Lead, Security Lead, Reviewer.

1. Keep an inventory
2. Vet new dependencies
3. Automate update PRs
4. Apply security fixes by severity
5. Review and merge routine updates
6. Plan major upgrades
7. Track API deprecations
8. Test integrations
9. Record exceptions
10. Review dependency health quarterly

KPIs: Critical vulnerability fix time (100% within 7 days); Dependencies more than one major version behind (Below 10%); API deprecation migrations completed before cut-off (100%); Outages caused by third-party changes (Zero per quarter).

Purpose. To make sure no contract is signed without a proportionate legal and commercial review. It protects [Company] from unfavourable terms, unauthorised commitments and lost contract records.

Roles: Contract Owner, Legal Reviewer, Finance Approver, Authorised Signatory, Contract Administrator.

1. Submit the request
2. Triage and assign risk tier
3. Check the counterparty
4. Review against the playbook
5. Prepare redlines and a summary
6. Negotiate open points
7. Confirm financial terms
8. Obtain approval per the matrix
9. Execute the contract
10. File and record metadata
11. Set obligation and renewal reminders
12. Hand over to the business

KPIs: Review turnaround (90% of medium-risk contracts reviewed within 3 business days); Repository completeness (100% of executed contracts stored with metadata within 2 business days); Unauthorised signatures (Zero contracts signed outside delegated authority); Missed renewal deadlines (Zero auto-renewals missed per year).

Purpose. To protect [Company]'s confidential information by making sure an appropriate NDA is in place before discussions with third parties. It also keeps NDA turnaround fast so deals are not delayed.

Roles: Requester, Legal Reviewer, Authorised Signatory, Contract Administrator.

1. Check for an existing NDA
2. Submit the request
3. Select the right template
4. Handle counterparty paper
5. Approve any changes
6. Send for signature
7. Countersign
8. Confirm and release
9. Store and set expiry reminder
10. Mark shared information

KPIs: Standard NDA turnaround (90% fully signed within 3 business days); Template usage rate (80% or more on [Company] paper); Repository completeness (100% of signed NDAs filed within 1 business day).

Purpose. To handle privacy rights requests lawfully, consistently and on time. It reduces regulatory risk and builds trust with customers, employees and other individuals.

Roles: Privacy Lead, Request Handler, System Owners, Legal Counsel.

1. Log the request
2. Verify identity
3. Clarify scope
4. Identify systems
5. Issue search or deletion tasks
6. Search, extract or delete
7. Assess exemptions and third-party data
8. Instruct processors
9. Prepare the response
10. Approve and send
11. Close and record

KPIs: Requests completed on time (100% within statutory deadline); Acknowledgement time (95% within 2 business days); Disclosure errors (Zero responses sent to the wrong person or with unredacted third-party data).

Purpose. To keep business records for as long as law and business need require, and no longer. It reduces storage costs, privacy risk and the burden of searching old data in disputes.

Roles: Records Manager, Record Owners, Legal Counsel, IT Administrator.

1. Maintain the retention schedule
2. Classify records at creation
3. Configure system retention rules
4. Apply legal holds immediately
5. Run the disposal review
6. Approve disposal
7. Destroy paper records securely
8. Delete electronic records
9. Log the disposal
10. Lift holds when cleared

KPIs: Disposal cycle completion (100% of overdue records reviewed each quarter); Holds issued promptly (100% within 1 business day of notice); Records past retention (Less than [5%] of records held beyond their period without reason).

Purpose. To prevent bribery and the appearance of improper influence in [Company]'s business dealings. It gives staff clear limits and a simple way to record and approve gifts and hospitality.

Roles: Employee, Line Manager, Compliance Officer, Finance Team.

1. Check the limits before acting
2. Apply extra rules for public officials
3. Watch timing and frequency
4. Request approval
5. Approve or decline
6. Return or hand over refused gifts
7. Record in the register
8. Reconcile expenses
9. Review the register
10. Report suspected bribery

KPIs: Register completeness (100% of expense claims for gifts or entertainment matched to an entry); Training completion (100% of staff trained yearly); Approval turnaround (95% within 3 business days).

Purpose. To make compliance audits efficient and predictable by preparing evidence and people in advance. It reduces findings caused by missing documents rather than real control gaps.

Roles: Audit Lead, Control Owners, Executive Sponsor, Audit Coordinator.

1. Confirm scope and timeline
2. Map controls to owners
3. Run a gap assessment
4. Remediate gaps
5. Collect evidence
6. Quality-check evidence
7. Update policies
8. Brief interviewees
9. Run fieldwork logistics
10. Review draft findings
11. Agree the remediation plan
12. Track to closure

KPIs: Evidence ready before fieldwork (100% of controls 3 weeks before fieldwork); Major findings (Zero); Remediation on time (90% of findings closed by due date).

Purpose. To protect [Company] decisions from bias caused by personal, financial or family interests. It gives staff a safe, simple way to declare interests and shows how they are managed.

Roles: Declarant, Line Manager, Compliance Officer, Board Chair.

1. Declare at onboarding
2. Declare new conflicts promptly
3. Assess the declaration
4. Escalate significant conflicts
5. Agree a management plan
6. Record in the register
7. Recuse in meetings
8. Run the annual declaration
9. Monitor compliance

KPIs: Annual declaration completion (100% within 30 days of launch); Assessment time (95% within 5 business days); Undeclared conflicts found in audit (Zero).

Purpose. To identify hazards in the workplace systematically and make sure they are corrected on time. It also provides evidence that [Company] meets its health and safety duties.

Roles: Safety Lead, Inspector, Site Manager, Employees.

1. Schedule inspections
2. Review previous actions
3. Walk the whole site
4. Record findings with evidence
5. Rate each hazard
6. Make high risks safe immediately
7. Issue the report
8. Complete corrective actions
9. Verify closure
10. Share learning

KPIs: Inspections on schedule (100%); High-risk actions closed (100% within 24 hours); Overall actions closed on time (90% or more); Repeat findings (Downward trend quarter on quarter).

Purpose. To make sure people who are hurt get help, incidents are reported to authorities when required, and causes are fixed. Near misses are captured so problems are fixed before anyone is injured.

Roles: Person Involved or Witness, Supervisor, Safety Lead, HR Partner.

1. Make safe and give first aid
2. Report immediately
3. Complete the initial report
4. Preserve the scene
5. Classify severity
6. Notify regulators and insurers
7. Investigate
8. Agree corrective actions
9. Support the injured person
10. Close and share lessons

KPIs: Report timeliness (95% within 24 hours); Near-miss to accident ratio (Rising ratio, showing healthy reporting); Investigation completion (90% within 10 business days); Lost time injury frequency (Below [target]).

Purpose. To make sure staff and visitors leave the building quickly and safely in a fire or other emergency. Regular drills test the plan and build habits.

Roles: Fire Safety Lead, Fire Wardens, Roll Call Officer, All Staff.

1. Maintain the warden rota
2. Raise the alarm
3. Evacuate immediately
4. Sweep the zone
5. Take roll call
6. Brief emergency services
7. Wait for the all clear
8. Run drills twice yearly
9. Debrief and improve
10. Induct new starters

KPIs: Drills held (At least 2 per site per year); Evacuation time (Under [4] minutes); Warden coverage (100% of shifts).

Purpose. To make sure trained first aiders and equipment are available and that the response to injury or illness is quick and consistent. It supports legal first aid duties.

Roles: First Aider, Safety Lead, Supervisor, Kit Checker.

1. Assess first aid needs
2. Keep certificates current
3. Call for help
4. Check for danger and assess
5. Give first aid within training
6. Arrange onward care
7. Inform contacts
8. Record the treatment
9. Report as an incident
10. Restock kits

KPIs: Shift coverage (100% of shifts have a first aider); Kit compliance (100% of monthly checks completed); Certificate currency (Zero expired certificates).

Purpose. To know who is on site at all times for safety and security reasons, and to protect confidential areas and information. It also gives visitors a professional welcome.

Roles: Host, Receptionist, Facilities Manager, Security Officer.

1. Pre-register the visitor
2. Approve restricted access
3. Check in on arrival
4. Issue a badge
5. Collect the visitor
6. Escort throughout
7. Handle unknown people
8. Sign out and return the badge
9. Reconcile the log
10. Retain and purge records

KPIs: Pre-registration rate (90% of visitors); Open sign-outs at end of day (Zero); Badge return rate (100%).

Purpose. To protect people and the environment from harm caused by chemicals and other hazardous materials. It ensures risk assessments, safety data sheets, correct storage and disposal are in place.

Roles: Safety Lead, Area Supervisor, Trained Handler, Purchasing.

1. Approve before purchase
2. Obtain the SDS
3. Assess the risk
4. Store correctly
5. Train handlers
6. Use with controls
7. Respond to spills
8. Dispose through licensed contractors
9. Inspect storage monthly
10. Review the register

KPIs: SDS coverage (100% of substances); Training coverage (100% of handlers trained before use); Spills reported (100%, with zero unreported exposures).

Purpose. To give the leadership team a reliable weekly rhythm for reviewing performance, making decisions and staying aligned. It replaces ad hoc updates with a consistent agenda and action log.

Roles: Chair, Meeting Coordinator, Leadership Members, Metric Owners.

1. Update the scorecard
2. Add issues
3. Circulate the pack
4. Start on time with a check-in
5. Review the scorecard
6. Review previous actions
7. Prioritise and solve issues
8. Record decisions
9. Agree communication
10. Publish notes
11. Rate the meeting

KPIs: Scorecard completion (100% before deadline); Action completion rate (85% or more by due date); Meeting rating (Average 8 or above); Start on time (95% of meetings).

Purpose. To set a small number of measurable priorities each quarter and align teams behind them. It creates focus and a fair basis for reviewing progress.

Roles: CEO, OKR Coordinator, Team Leads, Key Result Owners.

1. Score last quarter
2. Draft company OKRs
3. Review with leadership
4. Share company draft
5. Draft team OKRs
6. Check quality
7. Resolve dependencies
8. Finalise and publish
9. Track weekly
10. Run a mid-quarter check

KPIs: OKRs published on time (100% before quarter start); Weekly update rate (90% of key results updated each week); Average committed OKR score (0.9 or above); Average aspirational OKR score (0.6 to 0.7).

Purpose. To review the quarter's performance honestly with data and turn the lessons into decisions. It connects financial results, OKRs and operational health in one place.

Roles: CEO, Finance Lead, Department Heads, Chief of Staff.

1. Schedule the review
2. Issue the template
3. Close the numbers
4. Prepare department packs
5. Circulate a pre-read
6. Review company performance
7. Run department reviews
8. Identify cross-cutting themes
9. Make decisions
10. Communicate outcomes

KPIs: QBR held on time (Within 15 business days of quarter end); Pre-read on time (100% of packs); Decision follow-through (90% of actions done by next QBR).

Purpose. To make board meetings productive and well-governed by preparing a clear board pack and accurate records. It helps directors make informed decisions and meet their legal duties.

Roles: CEO, Board Chair, Company Secretary, Finance Lead, Paper Authors.

1. Set the annual calendar
2. Agree the agenda
3. Commission papers
4. Prepare financials
5. Write the CEO update
6. Review the pack
7. Issue notice and pack
8. Collect conflicts and apologies
9. Hold the meeting
10. Draft minutes
11. Approve and file
12. Track actions

KPIs: Pack sent on time (100% at least [7] days before); Minutes drafted (100% within 5 business days); Board actions completed (90% by next meeting).

Purpose. To protect people, customers, assets and reputation when a serious event threatens the business. It sets who leads, how decisions are made and how [Company] communicates under pressure.

Roles: Crisis Lead, Communications Lead, Operations Lead, Legal Counsel, Crisis Coordinator.

1. Escalate the event
2. Assess and declare
3. Convene the CMT
4. Protect people first
5. Establish the facts
6. Check legal obligations
7. Issue a holding statement
8. Decide and log
9. Run an update rhythm
10. Activate continuity plans
11. Stand down
12. Review and improve

KPIs: CMT activation time (Within 1 hour); Holding statement time (Within 2 hours); Crisis exercises (At least 1 tabletop per year); Review completion (100% within 10 business days).

Purpose. To speed up investor due diligence and reduce deal risk by preparing accurate documents in advance. It also controls who sees confidential information and when.

Roles: CEO, Finance Lead, Legal Counsel, Data Room Administrator, Department Owners.

1. Create the index
2. Assign document owners
3. Clean up the cap table
4. Prepare financials
5. Gather legal documents
6. Fix gaps found
7. Redact sensitive data
8. Set staged permissions
9. Answer questions through a log
10. Monitor activity
11. Close and archive

KPIs: Data room readiness (100% of index complete before first meeting); Q&A response time (90% within 2 business days); Due diligence duration (Under [6] weeks).

Purpose. To make sure every store opens to customers on time in a safe, presentable and ready state. A consistent routine also protects cash and stock at the most vulnerable time of day.

Roles: Opening Manager, Store Associate, Area Manager.

1. Arrive and check the exterior
2. Enter with two people
3. Walk the store
4. Prepare tills
5. Power up systems
6. Replenish and face up
7. Clean customer areas
8. Hold a team huddle
9. Complete the checklist
10. Open the doors on time

KPIs: On-time opening (100% of trading days); Checklist completion (100% daily); Float discrepancies (Zero).

Purpose. To close stores safely and account for every sale and every unit of cash each day. It detects errors and theft early and protects staff.

Roles: Closing Manager, Store Associate, Finance Team, Area Manager.

1. Announce closing
2. Sweep the store
3. Run the Z report
4. Count cash with a witness
5. Reconcile and record variances
6. Reconcile card terminals
7. Prepare banking
8. Clean and tidy
9. Secure the premises
10. Submit daily figures
11. Review daily reports

KPIs: Cash variance (Within [tolerance] on 98% of days); Banking on time (100% within [1 business day]); Daily report submission (100% by [time]).

Purpose. To prevent food from making customers ill by controlling hazards at every stage from delivery to service. It provides the daily records that inspectors expect.

Roles: Food Safety Lead, Shift Supervisor, Food Handlers, Receiving Staff.

1. Check staff fitness to work
2. Wash hands and wear clean clothing
3. Receive deliveries
4. Store food correctly
5. Monitor fridges and freezers
6. Cook to critical limits
7. Cool and reheat safely
8. Control allergens
9. Clean to schedule
10. Take corrective action
11. Calibrate thermometers
12. Review records weekly

KPIs: Temperature log completion (100% of required checks); Inspection rating (Highest local rating); Food safety incidents (Zero customer illnesses or allergen incidents).

Purpose. To deliver online orders accurately and on time while stopping fraudulent orders. It sets clear cut-off times and quality checks for the fulfilment team.

Roles: Order Processor, Picker, Packer, Fulfilment Manager.

1. Import orders
2. Screen for fraud
3. Check address and stock
4. Batch and print pick lists
5. Pick by scanning
6. Verify at packing
7. Pack to standard
8. Label and manifest
9. Hand over to the carrier
10. Notify the customer
11. Manage exceptions

KPIs: On-time dispatch (98% of orders within SLA); Order accuracy (99.5% or higher); Chargeback rate (Below [0.5%]); Damage in transit (Below [0.5%]).

Purpose. To make sure every new product is listed accurately and consistently across all channels. Good product data drives sales and reduces returns and complaints.

Roles: Buyer, Catalogue Coordinator, Content Creator, Compliance Reviewer, Ecommerce Manager.

1. Approve the product
2. Create the SKU
3. Enter product data
4. Photograph the product
5. Write the description
6. Check compliance
7. Set price and promotions
8. Confirm stock is received
9. Run the go-live check
10. Publish and announce
11. Review performance

KPIs: Time to list (Within [5] business days of stock receipt); Listing error rate (Below 2% of listings); Returns due to wrong description (Below [1%]).

Purpose. To confirm that inventory records match physical stock, so that financial reports, reorders and online availability are correct. It also measures shrinkage and its causes.

Roles: Stocktake Lead, Counters, Checkers, Finance Team.

1. Plan the count
2. Prepare locations
3. Freeze movements
4. Brief counters
5. Count blind
6. Check samples
7. Compare with the system
8. Investigate significant variances
9. Approve and post adjustments
10. Report shrinkage
11. Run cycle counts

KPIs: Inventory accuracy (98% or higher at location level); Shrinkage (Below [1%] of sales); Cycle count completion (100% of schedule).

Purpose. To start projects with a shared understanding of goals, scope, responsibilities and ways of working. A good kickoff prevents most later scope disputes and delays.

Roles: Project Sponsor, Project Manager, Project Team, Key Stakeholders.

1. Confirm authorisation
2. Draft the charter
3. Map stakeholders
4. Build the RACI
5. Agree charter with the Sponsor
6. Run the kickoff meeting
7. Capture initial risks
8. Set up governance
9. Set up tools
10. Baseline the plan
11. Circulate the pack

KPIs: Charter sign-off before work starts (100% of projects); Baseline approved (Within 5 business days of kickoff); Kickoff attendance of key stakeholders (90% or more).

Purpose. To control scope creep by making the impact of every change visible and agreed. It keeps the baseline meaningful and protects margins on client work.

Roles: Requester, Project Manager, Project Team, Change Board, Account Manager.

1. Raise the change
2. Log and acknowledge
3. Triage
4. Assess impact
5. Prepare options
6. Agree commercials
7. Decide
8. Update the baseline
9. Communicate the decision
10. Report change status

KPIs: Changes assessed on time (90% within 3 business days); Unapproved scope work (Zero hours logged against unapproved changes); Revenue recovered on client changes (100% of chargeable changes invoiced).

Purpose. To identify and manage threats to project success before they cause damage, and resolve issues quickly. A regular review keeps the log useful rather than a forgotten spreadsheet.

Roles: Project Manager, Risk Owners, Project Team, Project Sponsor.

1. Log new items promptly
2. Score each risk
3. Assign an owner
4. Plan responses
5. Review weekly
6. Escalate high items
7. Sponsor decides
8. Convert risks to issues
9. Close items
10. Report the top risks

KPIs: Log freshness (Reviewed weekly on 100% of active projects); Overdue response actions (Below 10%); Issue resolution (80% by target date).

Purpose. To give sponsors and stakeholders a reliable weekly view of project health so they can act early. Consistent format makes reports quick to write and read.

Roles: Project Manager, Workstream Leads, Project Sponsor, PMO Lead.

1. Collect updates
2. Check against the baseline
3. Set the RAG rating
4. Write the summary
5. List progress and next steps
6. Show risks, issues and changes
7. Make asks explicit
8. Publish on time
9. Follow up asks
10. Consolidate the portfolio

KPIs: On-time reports (95% of weeks); Watermelon projects (green turning red suddenly) (Zero); Asks answered (90% within 3 business days).

Purpose. To get clear, documented client acceptance of each deliverable so the project can move on and invoices can be raised. It avoids endless revision loops.

Roles: Project Manager, Quality Reviewer, Client Approver, Account Manager.

1. Confirm the approver
2. Run an internal quality review
3. Submit formally
4. Hold a walkthrough
5. Track the review period
6. Collect consolidated feedback
7. Classify feedback
8. Rework within limits
9. Obtain signed acceptance
10. Trigger invoicing
11. File the record

KPIs: First-pass acceptance (70% or more of deliverables accepted without rework); Acceptance cycle time (Within the review period for 90% of deliverables); Invoice after acceptance (100% within 2 business days).

Purpose. To end projects cleanly so that nothing is left open and the organisation gets better with each project. It releases people and budget and records what worked.

Roles: Project Manager, Project Sponsor, Operations Owner, Finance Team, PMO Lead.

1. Confirm final acceptance
2. Hand over to operations
3. Close contracts and suppliers
4. Close the finances
5. Release resources
6. Run the retrospective
7. Write actionable lessons
8. Write the closure report
9. Approve closure
10. Archive records
11. Act on lessons

KPIs: Closure within target (Closure report approved within 30 days of completion); Lessons implemented (70% of actions completed within 6 months); Open items at closure (Zero unowned items).

Purpose. To allocate people to projects realistically and plan hiring or contractors ahead of need. It balances delivery commitments with sustainable workloads.

Roles: Resource Manager, Project Managers, Line Managers, Delivery Director.

1. Calculate capacity
2. Submit demand
3. Add pipeline demand
4. Match people to demand
5. Confirm with line managers
6. Resolve conflicts
7. Decide priorities
8. Hold the weekly resource meeting
9. Forecast 3 months ahead
10. Track actual vs planned

KPIs: Planned utilisation (Between 70% and 85% per person); Requests fulfilled on time (90%); Forecast accuracy (Within 10% of actual demand).