Before day one, do a little prep.

You don't need to finish an operations manual before someone starts. You do need to give them somewhere to start.

SOPs (standard operating procedures) are just written steps for work you do regularly. Include what they need, the steps to follow, a finished example, and when to ask for help. Pair that with a short Loom screen-share video. Talk through why you're making a decision, too.

You can start documenting processes before your VP joins and keep improving them together during onboarding. It doesn't have to be fancy. A useful document and a five-minute recording can give someone a lot to work with.

Have these things ready:

  • A quick introduction to the business. Who you help, what you do, and who your VP will work with.
  • Access to the tools they'll use. Set up their accounts and permissions. Test access together on day one.
  • One home for instructions. Put the task list, SOPs, examples, and videos in a shared folder they can find.
  • A first assignment. Give them the source material, a clear result to produce, a deadline, and someone to review it.
  • Time on your calendar. Schedule the kickoff, daily 15-minute connects in week one, and a day-30 review. Count training and meetings toward the agreed hours.

Also, take a quick look at how that task is getting done today. If only six of the last ten sales calls have complete CRM notes on time, write that down. You'll have a starting point for the goal you set together.

The first week: show them what good looks like.

Make introductions. Explain who sends work their way, who approves it, and who they can ask when you're unavailable. Get to know the person a little, too.

Then agree on one useful goal for the first month. What should they be able to own? How will you both know it's going well?

Here's an example for someone handling sales-call notes: by day 30, they manage routine CRM updates without reminders, and at least 95% of records with complete source information are correct and finished by the agreed deadline during the final two weeks. You review five records each week. Missing information gets flagged during the work session instead of guessed.

Those numbers are an example. Pick a target that fits your work and the hours you've agreed on. Define the deadline, what counts as complete, and where you'll track it.

Now give them an assignment that helps them get there. For example:

  • The work: Update five CRM records using the five call notes and matching record links you've supplied.
  • The result: Each record has an accurate summary, a specific next action, the person responsible, and a due date. Save the record links in your shared call log.
  • The timing: Finish by Tuesday at 2 p.m. Mountain. Review the five records together at 2:30. Choose times that work for both of you.
  • The limits: No customer emails, deal-stage changes, price changes, or deletions. Ask about missing details or possible duplicates.

Show one finished record. If the call notes say Jamie will send a revised quote by Thursday at 3 p.m., the CRM should say exactly what needs to happen, who owns it, and when it's due. That's much easier to work from than “keep the CRM updated.”

Walk through the first record together, then let your VP complete the assignment. Review all five against the original notes. “Record three is missing an owner. The notes say Jamie is sending the quote; please add Jamie in that field” gives them something specific to fix. Recheck the correction and add anything missing to the SOP.

Use those daily 15-minute connects to talk through completed work, questions, and the next priorities. Agree on where questions go, when you'll reply during working hours, and how to flag something urgent. Your VP shouldn't have to guess whether you're watching email, Slack, or a task board.

Weeks two and three: build on what's working.

Once the first batch is accurate, agree on a workload that fits the hours. Your VP can start taking ready tasks from the queue and keeping their status current.

Keep the same quality checks. Each week, review five recent CRM records, or all of them if there are fewer than five. Check the contact, summary, next action, owner, and date against the source notes.

Track the goal with actual counts. How many records were ready to work on? How many were correct and on time? Which ones were blocked because someone still needed to provide information? Keep those blockers visible so they don't quietly become your VP's problem to solve alone.

I like a simple end-of-session update:

  • Here's what I finished, with links.
  • Here's what's next.
  • Here's the decision or information I need, and from whom.

Your part is to respond within the window you agreed on. If that isn't possible, give them a new time or a backup contact.

As the work gets steady, you can move from daily connects to two scheduled reviews in week two and one in week three. Agree on that together. Keep more support in place if it's still useful.

Ask your VP to add real exceptions and approved solutions to the instructions. Let them suggest improvements. Then have them run a normal batch from start to finish using the SOP, with you reviewing the result afterward. That gives you a much clearer picture of what's ready to hand over.

Around day 30, look at the work.

Bring the goal, task log, and actual examples to your review. Check whether routine work is starting without reminders, whether the quality and timing target is being met, and whether questions are getting raised early.

For the CRM example, 19 correct, on-time records out of 20 ready-to-work records is 95%. Still inspect the work. A percentage alone won't tell you whether the next step is useful or the right contact was updated.

Independence means they can handle the agreed routine and recognize when a decision needs you. Keep the approval limits clear as you hand over more responsibility.

Decide what they can own now, what still needs review, and what needs another walkthrough. Write down the next action, who owns it, and when you'll check back. If a milestone isn't there yet, work out what's missing: practice, clearer instructions, access, time, or a decision from you.

And ask how it's going from their side. The first month should help both of you learn how to work together.

For more on communication and working together, read my Best Practices for Working With a Virtual Professional.

Need a hand getting started? Grab a time with me. We can talk through the first few tasks and how to work together.