Why it helps
Most small businesses run on routines that live in the owner's head. That works until you're sick, on holiday or training someone new, and then the bins don't go out or the till doesn't get cashed up properly. Writing it all down feels like a big job, so it never happens.
Talk it through with AI, as messily as you like, and it turns your words into a tidy step-by-step checklist. It works for opening and closing, cash-up, cleaning a room between guests, receiving stock, or a simple guide to your booking or POS system.
The prompt
Copy it, swap the bits in [square brackets], and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
I run a [type of business] in [town], New Zealand. Turn my rough description below into a clear [opening / closing / training] checklist for my staff. - Group the steps into sections (for example front of house, kitchen, cash-up, lock-up). - Short, simple steps a brand new staff member could follow. One action per line. - Put a tick box [ ] at the start of each line. - Use NZ English spelling. - Only use the steps I've given you. Don't add new tasks, temperatures, times or rules. If something looks missing or unclear, list it as a question at the end instead. Here's roughly what we do: [describe your routine in your own words, as messy as you like]
Then keep chatting
Make it fit on one printed A4 page.
Add a column for initials and time so staff can sign it off.
Write a short "why we do this" note for the three most important steps.
Turn this into a 5-minute training script I can read to a new staff member.
Step by step
- Pick one routine. Closing is usually a good place to start.
- Talk it through or type it out the way you'd explain it to a new person on their first night. Voice-to-text on your phone works well.
- Paste it into the prompt and run it.
- Check the questions AI lists at the end. These are often the steps you do without thinking.
- Check the steps against your Food Control Plan or safety rules, then print it and ask a staff member to test it on a real shift. Fix anything they get stuck on.
Worked example
Example details are made up. Your results will vary, so always read and check before you use them.
Watch out for
- AI doesn't know your food safety or health and safety rules. Check any food steps against your Food Control Plan (mpi.govt.nz has guidance), and safety steps against your own H&S rules and worksafe.govt.nz.
- Don't paste alarm codes, safe combinations, door codes or passwords into AI. Write "[alarm code]" and keep the real ones somewhere secure.
- Keep staff names out of it unless you need them. Use roles like "duty manager" instead.
- Get the team to test it. A checklist that skips a step can be worse than none, because people trust it.
Go further
Once your closing checklist works, do opening next, then the jobs people forget (weekly deep clean, stock rotation). Keep them in one folder or laminated on the wall, and add them to your new staff onboarding pack.
