The Camcorder Method
Record yourself doing the task once, then have the person you delegate to build the SOP
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 90%
The Camcorder Method turns delegation into a net-zero-time activity. Instead of scheduling separate documentation, you record yourself the one time you do the task, narrating why you do each step, then send that video to the person taking it over. Crucially, they create the SOP from your recording, not you, which both saves your time and reveals whether they actually understood. Any defect in their later work becomes a training moment you document, so the next person inherits it. Martell layers on 'sensors': the criteria you teach people to look for so quality can be judged, reporting up on a red-yellow-green threshold so you only hear about problems when they cross into yellow or red.
Origin
Martell developed the Camcorder Method as the 'transfer' half of his Buyback Loop, using tools like Loom and screen recording to capture tasks as he performs them.
Core principles
- 01Capture the task in real time, in net-zero extra time
- 02The delegate writes the SOP, not you, so you can verify understanding
- 03A training video plus a document beats either alone
- 04Set sensor criteria so others can give feedback on quality
- 05Build a machine that runs a machine
How to run it
- 1
Record while you work
The next time you do the task, record yourself doing it and narrate your reasoning, using Loom, Zoom screen-share or your device's screen recorder.
Pro tip On an iPad, use the control-panel screen recorder with audio to talk through a design or architecture review as you mark it up.
- 2
Send it to the delegate
Message the recording to the person who will own the task going forward.
Pro tip Automate delivery: a trigger on a shared folder can notify the person a new video is ready.
- 3
Have them build the SOP
The person you delegate to writes the standard operating procedure from your video, not you.
Pro tip This lets you verify they interpreted the task correctly before they run with it.
- 4
Train on every defect
When the work isn't done the way you'd have done it, write it down and train them, updating the document so the next person inherits the lesson.
Pro tip Train, don't tell: 'I used to do this, I no longer do it, you now own it.'
- 5
Set quality sensors
Define the criteria you'd look for to judge the work, and set red-yellow-green thresholds so issues report up only when they matter.
Pro tip Unless it hits yellow or red, you don't need to know about it.
In the wild
Martell found maintaining his triathlon bikes with all their computer chips and Garmin devices a pain. He had his assistant film him doing it once: here's how I do the chain, here's how I plug the machines in, on this cycle, for about twelve minutes. He sent the video, the assistant created the SOP, and any tweaks went into the document, leaving a training video plus a written procedure.
→ The recurring task was fully documented and offloaded in the time it took to do it once.
Common mistakes
Writing the SOP yourself
If you author the document, you spend the time and never learn whether the delegate understood; having them write it does both jobs at once.
The team offsite SOP binder
Dedicating an offsite to write 'the company way' produces a document that is stale in three weeks and that nobody opens; SOPs must be captured live and used as a working culture.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone offloading a recurring task who wants it documented without setting aside separate SOP-writing time.
Not ideal for
One-off tasks that will never repeat and don't justify a recording.
From the transcript
“I call that the camcorder method that's the transfer side”
“whoever I'm giving the task to creates the SOP”
“we train we don't tell”
From the episode
How To Stop Wasting Your Time & Money On Things That Don’t Matter - Dan Martell - #831
Dan Martell