Business Artifacts
What are the essential documents to start and run a business?
Each artifact serves a specific purpose in the business lifecycle. The goal: minimum viable documentation that enables action, not bureaucracy that prevents it.
Questions
What are the most valuable artifacts across all operations?
- When, how, and why should they be created?
- Is production initiated by trigger or schedule or both?
- What actions should they instruct and what outcomes should they yield?
Starting Up
Artifacts needed before you have customers.
| Artifact | Purpose | When to Create |
|---|---|---|
| Business Plan One-Pager | Align stakeholders, test thinking | Before seeking funding/partners |
| Mission & Vision Statement | Define why you exist | Day 1 |
| Positioning Strategy | Carve out market space | Before marketing spend |
| Business Model Canvas | Map value creation | Before building product |
| Competitive Analysis | Know the battlefield | Before positioning |
| Financial Projections | Prove viability | Before seeking capital |
Legal & Structure
Artifacts for compliance and protection.
| Artifact | Purpose | When to Create |
|---|---|---|
| Company Registration Docs | Legal existence | At incorporation |
| Shareholder Agreement | Ownership rules | With co-founders/investors |
| Operating Agreement | Governance structure | At incorporation |
| NDAs | Protect confidential info | Before sensitive discussions |
| Contracts | Formalize agreements | Every major relationship |
| Terms of Service | User agreement | Before launch |
| Privacy Policy | Data handling | Before collecting data |
Product & Design
Artifacts for building what customers want.
| Artifact | Purpose | When to Create |
|---|---|---|
| Product Requirements Doc | Define what to build | Before development |
| JTBD Interviews | Understand customer needs | Before product decisions |
| User Personas | Target customer profiles | Before design |
| Wireframes/Mockups | Visualize solutions | Before development |
| Component Design System | Consistent UI | During development |
| CRUD Checklist | UX completeness | During development |
Marketing & Growth
Artifacts for acquiring and retaining customers.
| Artifact | Purpose | When to Create |
|---|---|---|
| Landing Page | Convert visitors | Before launch |
| Brand Guidelines | Consistent identity | Before marketing |
| Brand Archetype | Brand personality | With positioning |
| Content Calendar | Planned communications | Monthly |
| Email Sequences | Nurture leads | Before campaigns |
| Case Studies | Prove value | After wins |
| Sales Deck | Pitch to prospects | Before sales calls |
See: Marketing Artifacts
Sales & Customer Success
Artifacts for closing and keeping customers.
| Artifact | Purpose | When to Create |
|---|---|---|
| Sales Playbook | Repeatable sales process | After first sales |
| Proposal Template | Consistent pitches | Before scaling sales |
| Pricing Sheet | Clear pricing | Before sales |
| Objection Handling Guide | Overcome resistance | After pattern recognition |
| Customer Onboarding Checklist | Smooth handoff | Before first customer |
| Support Documentation | Self-service answers | Before support load |
Finance & Accounting
Artifacts for money management.
| Artifact | Purpose | When to Create |
|---|---|---|
| Chart of Accounts | Organize finances | At incorporation |
| Accounting Cycle | Track transactions | Ongoing |
| Bank Reconciliation | Verify accuracy | Monthly |
| Budget | Plan spending | Annually/quarterly |
| Cash Flow Forecast | Predict runway | Monthly |
| Capital Allocation | Investment priorities | Quarterly |
| Fundraising Materials | Raise capital | When needed |
Operations & HR
Artifacts for running the machine.
| Artifact | Purpose | When to Create |
|---|---|---|
| Org Chart | Role clarity | When scaling |
| Job Descriptions | Define roles | Before hiring |
| Recruitment Process | Consistent hiring | Before first hire |
| Employee Onboarding | Smooth starts | Before first hire |
| Payroll Process | Pay people correctly | With first employee |
| Contractor Agreements | Flexible talent | Before first contractor |
| Employee Handbook | Rules and culture | When scaling |
| Process Documentation | Repeatable operations | When patterns emerge |
Data & Technology
Artifacts for the tech backbone.
| Artifact | Purpose | When to Create |
|---|---|---|
| Tech Stack Documentation | System overview | During development |
| Data Engineering | Data pipelines | When data matters |
| Data Integrity | Trust the data | With data collection |
| API Documentation | Integration guide | Before external use |
| Security Policy | Protect assets | Before handling sensitive data |
| Disaster Recovery Plan | Business continuity | Before it's needed |
The Minimum Viable Set
Starting a business? Create these first:
- Business Plan One-Pager - Forces clarity on the Tight Five
- Legal Structure - Company registration, basic agreements
- Landing Page - Test market interest
- Financial Model - Prove you can make money
- Customer Contract - Get paid
Everything else can wait until you have paying customers.
Artifact Lifecycle
Documents aren't "done." They evolve:
CREATE → USE → LEARN → UPDATE → REPEAT
| Stage | Action |
|---|---|
| Create | Start with minimum viable version |
| Use | Actually use it in operations |
| Learn | Note what's missing or wrong |
| Update | Improve based on reality |
| Repeat | Keep the loop running |
Dead documents that nobody uses are worse than no documents—they create false confidence.
Related
- Business Models - How value flows
- Business Strategy - Where to compete
- Marketing Activities - Work chart for growth
- Customer Journey - Path to purchase