1. Objective
This SOP governs how you set up, maintain, and manage the task and project management system for your executive's business. Your role is not just to do tasks — it is to track them, organize them, and ensure nothing disappears. A solo business owner typically has dozens of moving pieces: active client projects, business development, internal improvements, and operational day-to-day. Without a system to hold all of this, things fall through the cracks. Your system prevents that.
Where this SOP starts: Week 1 of any engagement — set up the task system before you begin work.
Where this SOP ends: Never — task and project management is ongoing and daily.Success looks like: Your executive never wonders if something is being handled. Active projects have clear next actions with owners and due dates. Nothing stalls because the next step was unclear. Your executive's task load is organized, visible, and progressing.
2. Your Role & Boundaries
2a. What you handle independently
- Setting up and maintaining the task management system
- Adding all known tasks and projects with appropriate owners and due dates
- Completing the weekly review without being prompted
- Moving projects forward by identifying and executing the next action
- Keeping the task list current — adding, updating, and closing items daily
2b. What requires executive approval before acting
- Deciding the priority order for projects when priorities are genuinely unclear
- Closing or archiving a project that may still be active
- Making a scope commitment to a client or external party as part of a project
- Deciding to pause a project that your executive hasn't explicitly deprioritized
2c. What you never do
- You never treat a project as a task — large outcomes require breakdown into next actions
- You never add tasks to the system without an owner and a due date
- You never let the weekly review slip — it is a standing, non-optional commitment
- You never close a task until the output has actually been completed and confirmed
3. Tasks vs. Projects
A task is a single, discrete action. "Send invoice to Hendersons." "Confirm Thursday's meeting." "Upload proposal to shared folder."
A project is a collection of tasks working toward a single larger outcome. "Launch the new client onboarding system." "Complete Q2 client proposals."
Why this matters:
Projects don't just get done — they get managed. A task needs to be completed. A project needs:
- A defined outcome: "What does done look like?"
- A list of all the individual tasks it contains
- A rough timeline
- Someone responsible for each task
The most common project failure in solo businesses: Treating a project as a single task. "Redo the website" sits on a list forever because it's too large to just do — but no one breaks it down. Your job is to see this difference and break it down.
When you receive a project-level directive:
1. Ask: "What does done look like for this?"
2. List all the component tasks needed to reach that outcome
3. Assign ownership (you, executive, or external) and a due date to each
4. Add them to the system
5. Identify the first next action and execute it or assign it
4. System Setup
If your executive doesn't have a task management system, start simple. Don't introduce complexity before the habit is established.
Option 1: Google Sheets (immediate, low barrier)
| Task/Project | Category | Status | Owner | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Send Q2 invoices | Finance | In Progress | EA | May 1 | Draft complete |
| Onboard Martinez | Client | Not Started | EA | Apr 28 | Waiting on agreement |
Categories: Client Work / Business Ops / Marketing / Admin
Option 2: Asana, ClickUp, or Notion (when volume warrants it)
Set up after the executive has seen the value of the spreadsheet system and is ready to invest in a more robust tool. (See SOP-CEA-TOOLS-01 for tool selection guidance.)
Choose based on the executive's preference and current reality. The best system is the one they'll actually use with you.
5. Daily Task Management
Every morning:
- Review active tasks for the day
- Identify any task that is at risk of missing its deadline
- Identify any task where the next action is unclear — resolve the ambiguity before moving on
- Update status on anything completed yesterday
Throughout the day:
- Add new tasks as they emerge (from emails, calls, executive requests) immediately — don't let them live in your head
- Update status as tasks progress
- Flag anything that blocks a task from moving forward
At end of day:
- Close out completed tasks
- Confirm tomorrow's priority stack
- Add any new tasks from the day's calls or communications
6. The Weekly Review
This is the single most important operational habit in the role. Once per week — Friday afternoon or Monday morning — conduct a full sweep.
Weekly Review Checklist:
- ☐ Review all active projects: what moved forward this week? What's stalled?
- ☐ Review all tasks due this week or next: any at risk of missing?
- ☐ Review next week's calendar: what prep is needed?
- ☐ Capture anything new that came up during the week
- ☐ Check the follow-up tracker: any outstanding commitments due?
- ☐ Confirm your executive's priorities for the coming week
Time to allow: 30–60 minutes.
Deliverable: A brief summary for your executive — or include the key items in your Monday morning check-in.
7. Common Task Management Platforms
| Tool | Best For |
|---|---|
| Asana | Multiple ongoing projects, team collaboration, businesses with more than 2 people |
| ClickUp | Highly customizable — simple task list or complex project system; built-in docs and automations |
| Monday.com | Visual, grid/board format; strong for client-facing project tracking |
| Todoist | Simple personal task management; best for solo executives who don't need full project management |
| Notion | Combined workspace — task lists, project tracking, documents, databases, wikis |
Your role: Become genuinely proficient in whatever tool your executive uses. Own it. Know the keyboard shortcuts, filters, views, and automation capabilities. Your executive should feel like you're the expert on their own system.
8. Escalation Protocol
Escalate when:
- Projects have stalled because a decision needs to be made that's above your authority
- Two high-priority projects are competing for the same time and you need the executive to choose
- A deadline is missed or at serious risk and you need their awareness before it becomes an external problem
Escalation format:
Project flag — need your input:
[Project name] is stalled at [specific step]. The blocker is: [description].
Options: (1) [Option A] | (2) [Option B]
My recommendation: [X]. Shall I proceed?
9. Tools & Access
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| [Task management platform] | Active task and project tracking |
| [Shared spreadsheet — fallback] | Simple task visibility if no platform in use |
| [Calendar platform] | Deadline and milestone visibility |
10. Changelog
| Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| April 2026 | Initial release |