Service Standardization

Every delivery is a little different. You adapt to the client, which is good—but when nothing is repeatable, you can't delegate or scale. Service standardization is creating consistent, repeatable ways of delivering your service. Same structure, same checkpoints, same definition of "done." It enables delegation and scaling because "good" is defined—someone else can run the process and you hold the bar at a quality gate.

Same service, standardized. A coach who runs every session differently can't hand off. One who defines a flow—intake, framework, follow-up—and trains an associate to run it can. The coach does supervision and the complex cases; the associate runs the standard flow. A consultant who delivers a different report every time stays the bottleneck. One who standardizes structure (sections, tone, key outputs) can delegate the first draft; she does the review and client conversation. Standardization doesn't mean rigid—it means defined. You can still adapt within the structure.

How to standardize

1. Define the steps. What happens from start to finish? Intake → X → Y → delivery. Write it down (SOP, documentation). The steps become the standard.

2. Define "done." What does the client receive? What does good look like? When that's clear, you can add a quality gate—work is reviewed against the standard before it ships.

3. Keep the bar. You (or a designated lead) own the gate. Standardization enables delegation; the gate ensures quality. Don't skip the gate.

Where to go next