Business and project planning
Small Business Operations Starter Kit
Give recurring work a repeatable home.
What’s inside
Project intake
Capture the request before promising a deadline. This is an internal planning form, not a client contract.
- Request date / customer reference
- Problem and desired outcome
- Included deliverables / exclusions
- Inputs required / owner / target date
- Acceptance criteria and approval owner
Deliverables checklist
Define acceptance before starting. Retain the previous version when corrections are required.
- Project / deliverable / version
- Required components
- Quality checks and evidence
- Reviewer / decision / date
- Outstanding corrections
Recurring routine
Write steps a colleague can follow. Include what to do when an input is missing; do not include passwords.
- Routine / purpose / owner
- Frequency / next due date
- Required inputs / access
- Steps in order
- Failure response / completion log
Weekly business review
Review evidence before selecting an improvement. Keep financial estimates separate from confirmed transactions.
- Week / reviewer
- Completed commitments and evidence
- Customer issues / unresolved work
- Capacity / next-week priorities
- One process improvement and how to measure it
A worked example
Fictional example: Alder Studio receives a request for a three-page website refresh. Intake excludes hosting and ongoing maintenance. Acceptance requires approved text, working navigation and a mobile layout review. The weekly routine checks open client questions every Monday. The review finds two delayed approvals, so next week the team tests one consolidated approval checklist. Measure days awaiting approval, not an assumed revenue increase.
Fits your workflow when…
You need a consistent place to record references, responsibility and follow-up. Keep using any forms mandated by your project; these worksheets supplement your process.
Format and requirements
ZIP download containing START-HERE.html, README.txt and LICENSE.txt. Current desktop browser with JavaScript enabled. No installation or internet required after download. No Excel, Word or pre-made PDF file included. Print to PDF using your browser.