As we step into a new year, it’s time to clean house. Out with the outdated systems, toxic team habits, and inefficient workflows. In with tools, culture, and leadership that set your practice up for growth, peace, and sustainability in 2026.
Whether you’re a practice owner, office manager, or consultant, here’s our official list of what we’re leaving behind in 2025 and what we’re proudly taking with us into 2026.
OUT for 2025
- Paper binders collecting dust on a forgotten shelf: They're outdated, unsearchable, and never where you need them when you need them.
- SOPs that only live in someone’s head: Tribal knowledge disappears with turnover and causes massive inefficiencies.
- Team members being 'trained' by shadowing someone who’s winging it: Inconsistent training leads to inconsistent results.
- Reacting to problems instead of preventing them: Proactive systems reduce stress and increase productivity.
- Toxic team culture masked by pizza parties: Free food doesn’t fix a broken culture.
- Long onboarding periods with no real progress tracking: If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
- 'We’ve always done it this way': This mindset is the enemy of innovation and growth.
- Silos between front office and back office: Disjointed communication affects the whole patient experience.
- Forgetting to follow up with overdue patients: Lost revenue and lost trust is the cost of no follow-through.
- Frustration-fueled team meetings with no structure or accountability: Without systems, meetings waste time instead of driving progress.
- Hoping new hires just 'figure it out': No one wants to guess their way through their job.
- Burnout as a badge of honor: Tired teams are not productive teams.
- Missing out on collections because of manual billing gaps: Efficiency and profitability suffer when systems are outdated.
- Communication happening through sticky notes: Important info gets lost and forgotten.
- Compliance protocols that are out of date or out of sight: Risking fines and safety is never worth it.
IN for 2026
- Instantly searchable SOPs your whole team can access: Make every answer one click away.
- Digital onboarding that starts before Day 1: Set new hires up for success from the start.
- Role-specific training paths with trackable progress: Everyone knows what to do and when.
- Clear systems that prevent chaos: Structure reduces stress and improves outcomes.
- Culture rooted in feedback, growth, and psychological safety: Supportive teams perform better.
- Using team meetings to align on goals and processes: Make your meetings matter.
- Regular SOP reviews to keep things current and compliant: Stay audit-ready and efficient.
- Cross-training to avoid panic when someone’s out: Be prepared for anything with a flexible team.
- Streamlined patient reactivation and follow-up: No more patients slipping through the cracks.
- Documented workflows for everything from insurance to sterilization: Consistency creates confidence.
- Training accountability through knowledge checks and dashboards: Know who’s trained and who’s not.
- Letting go of micromanagement and still knowing things are getting done: Empowered teams = stronger results.
- Centralized communication tools that keep the whole team informed: No more miscommunication or confusion.
- Leaning into leadership, not just management: Your team needs a guide, not just a boss.
- Investing in tools that scale with you: Build systems that grow with your practice.
The best part about flipping the page to a new year? You get to choose what comes with you and what gets left behind. At My Dental SOP, we’re here to help you simplify, systemize, and scale smarter in 2026. Need help ditching the old systems and leveling up?