Capture Systems (Not Create Systems)
Record your existing processes as you do them instead of writing manuals from scratch
The Capture Systems framework flips the traditional approach to documentation on its head. Instead of painstakingly writing step-by-step Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that take forever to create, become outdated immediately, and are rarely followed, you simply record yourself doing the work using screen recordings, smartphone videos, and voice memos.
The key insight is that you already have every system your business needs; they are just trapped inside your head and the heads of your employees. The goal is not to create systems from scratch but to capture what already exists. As you perform a task, you narrate what you are doing and record it. The video is stored in a shared directory organized by ACDC categories (Attract, Convert, Deliver, Collect) and becomes an instant training resource.
When the process changes (as it inevitably will), the person currently doing the task records a new video. This makes the person who creates the training video both the teacher and the best student, reinforcing their own knowledge while creating transferable documentation. The result is a living library of systems that stays current because the people doing the work maintain the recordings.
- You already have every system your business needs; they just need to be captured, not created
- The best way to document a process is to record it while you are doing it
- The person who makes the training video is the best student because teaching reinforces learning
- Traditional written SOPs are almost always outdated by the time they are complete
- Organize all captured systems using the ACDC directory structure: Attract, Convert, Deliver, Collect
- Set up the ACDC directory structureCreate a shared cloud drive accessible to your entire team. Create a top-level SYSTEMS folder with four sub-folders: ATTRACT (marketing activities), CONVERT (sales activities), DELIVER (operations and fulfillment), and COLLECT (accounting and cash management). Add sub-directories as needed for specific processes.
- Identify the first process to captureStart with something small and repeatable that you want off your plate permanently. Good candidates include invoicing, shipping orders, posting to social media, responding to common customer inquiries, or any task that drains your time from the QBR.
- Record yourself doing the taskFor computer-based work, use screen recording software and narrate as you go. For physical tasks, have someone hold a smartphone and film you. For communication tasks, use a voice recorder. Do not try to make it perfect; just do the work as you normally would while explaining what you are doing and why.
- Delegate and iterateStore the recording in the appropriate ACDC folder and assign the task to the new person. They watch the video and perform the task. When they encounter gaps or questions, they record the updated, improved version. The system evolves with each iteration, always maintained by the person actually doing the work.
After spending four hours writing a 15-step SOP for shipping books that immediately failed due to missed variables and interface changes, Michalowicz switched to the capture method. He used screen recording software to capture the order processing on his PC and filmed himself packing an order with his iPhone, narrating the details as he went. The whole capture took only as long as actually doing the task.
Michalowicz spent years trying and failing to create traditional SOPs for his business. He wrote a 15-step procedure for shipping used books that took four hours to create, only to have it fail immediately when his intern encountered variables he had not anticipated. Then the US Postal Service and Amazon both changed their interfaces, rendering all his screenshots and steps obsolete. After this repeated cycle of failure with written SOPs, he realized the solution was to capture processes by recording them as they were being performed, which both got the work done and created the training simultaneously.