Ask HN: Does anybody use “playbooks” at work? When, and how?

I hear this term a lot. "Playbooks". "Systems". Even, "Operating System". And I hear about people creating them and using them with much success in their business. I've never really used one, and I'm not even sure how they're being used. I realize I'm at risk of sounding really silly here, but they sound like great tools that I'm not taking advantage and I'm not sure how.

I've used SOPs in operations before. Checklists and requirements and "thou shalt do X" and what not. But I've never been "wowed" by a system or really seen its benefit firsthand.

As an engineer, I understand the benefit of having a system you can iterate on and improve over time, but how are people actually implementing these in their business?

I know this is a vague question, here are a few concrete ones:

- Are you currently using playbooks? - When? - How? - For what purpose? - Have you ever created one for your company?