Someone key is leaving, and none of it is written down.
The bookkeeper, controller or office manager who has run things for years gives notice, and the job exists only in their head and their own files. 12² documents the whole role while they are still there, so it stays with the company when they go.
They record their normal work as they do it. Nobody is asked to write a manual.
A senior finance role, written down before the handover.
The client is a multi-location franchise operator of a national brand. The name is withheld at the client's request.
One long-serving person ran the back office: the daily cash position, supplier payments, weekly reporting and the period close. They were leaving. There was no written procedure for any of it, and the role carried a six-figure annual cost.
- 65screen recordings made by the person as they did the work, each one watched from start to finish and transcribed.
- 36recurring tasks documented from those recordings, each with its steps, the files and systems it touches, and how often it runs.
- 4 / 30 / 2Four tasks software can run on its own, thirty where software can prepare the work for a person to check, and two that stay with a person.
A job the company owns, not one person.
Everything is in a private portal the client's team signs in to. The owners can hand the role to a new hire, split it between people, or decide task by task what software should take on.
The automation itself is a separate next phase and is not finished work. This engagement delivered the record and the plan. We say so because the record is what was at risk.
- Every task, step by stepWritten from what was actually done on screen, with the recording behind it so anyone can watch the original.
- A calendar of what is dueDaily, weekly, monthly and period-end work laid out by date, so nothing depends on someone remembering.
- Every file and system the job touchesWhich spreadsheets, folders, logins and reports each task needs, and where they live.
- Risks raised while there was still timeAccess held by one person, steps with no second check and questions only the departing person could answer went to the owners while that person was still there to ask.
- A grade on every taskWhether software can run it, help with it, or should leave it to a person, with the reason.
Specific enough for someone new to do the job on Monday.
The client's portal is private, so this panel is an illustration. Every task name, system and detail in it is invented. The layout and the level of detail are the same.
- Supplier statement checkWeekly · ThursdaySoftware assists
- Download bank statementsMonthly · 1st working daySoftware can run it
- Site cash count reviewWeekly · MondaySoftware assists
- Approve the payment batchWeekly · FridayStays with a person
- Insurance renewal fileYearly · MarchSoftware assists
Supplier statement check
- Open the shared inbox folder "Statements" and save this week's supplier statements to the week's folder.
- In the accounting system, run the open-bills report for each supplier on the list.
- Compare each statement balance to the report. Note any invoice on the statement that is not in the system.
- Email the site manager for any missing invoice, using the saved reply.
- Mark the supplier as checked on the weekly sheet.
Four steps, finished while they are still in the building.
Record
The person records their screen and talks through each task as they do it in the normal course of the week. There is nothing extra to write.
You get: the job on video, in their own wordsDocument
We watch every recording in full, transcribe it and write each task out step by step, with the files and systems it uses.
You get: a written procedure for every taskQuestion
Gaps, risks and anything only that person knows are listed and put to them and to you before they leave.
You get: a risk list and the answers on recordHand over
Tasks, calendar, files and grades go into a private portal for the people you choose.
You get: the whole role, signed in and searchableStraight answers.
How much of the departing person's time does this take?
They record the work they are already doing, so the main ask is that they press record and talk as they go. After that there is a session or two to answer the questions the recordings raise.
Is this about replacing the role with software?
No. The first job is making sure the work can be done by whoever comes next. In the engagement above, four of thirty-six tasks were ones software could run on its own; most still need a person, with software doing the preparation. What you automate afterwards is your decision.
Why is the client not named?
At their request. The work covers their finances and internal procedures, so the page gives the method and the counts and nothing that identifies them.
Who can see the recordings and the portal?
Only the people you invite. Recordings of real work show sensitive screens, so the portal sits behind sign-in and is not public. Before work starts you get a written list of every provider that would touch your data.
What does it cost?
A flat fee, set by the size of the role and quoted in writing before any work starts. Building automations afterwards is separate work, priced by phase.
What if the person has already left?
It is harder, and we will tell you plainly what can still be recovered from their files, systems and the people who worked beside them. Get in touch as early as you can.
Can the tasks be automated afterwards?
Yes, as a separate build. The grades show where to start, and each one can become a 21-day build sprint or the first phase of a full implementation.
Tell us who is leaving and when.
The role and the last day are enough to start. The earlier we begin, the more gets captured.
- A real replyWritten for you by 12², within one business day. Never an autoresponder.
- A short callWe go through what the role covers and how much time is left.
- A written scope and flat feeWhat gets documented, by when and for how much, before any work starts.
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