Writing standard operating procedures (SOPs) isn’t as simple as listing a few instructions. These guides must be clear and detailed — if you miss a step, employees may not follow company policy.

Thankfully, using SOP best practices and software can help you build clear process documentation. Read on to learn how to create these guides with ease.

What’s an SOP?

An SOP is a written document that details step-by-step instructions for organizational duties. This process documentation outlines the entire workflow from start to finish, describing the scope, relevant people and tasks.

SOP documents typically come in four types: checklists, hierarchical formats, step-by-step instructions and flowcharts. Depending on your needs, you can choose one of these structures to outline various procedures, such as operational tasks or safety protocols. But no matter the format you choose, writing an SOP helps standardize company methods and improve employee efficiency.

Why Are SOPs Important?

SOP documentation helps your employees maintain organizational standards and comply with regulations, no matter who executes the process. New team members can follow these instructions as soon as they start onboarding, which will help them ramp up quickly. And if workers who have been with the company for a while start to invent shortcuts, SOPs remind them of the proper way to complete tasks.

Another benefit of SOPs is enhanced productivity and speed. When employees have access to comprehensive instructions, they don’t have to waste time understanding a process or tracking down resources. Instead, they can focus on execution, which allows them to complete tasks more efficiently.

{{banner-short="/banner-ads"}}

11 SOP Best Practices

Follow these guidelines to create valuable SOPs, whether you want to update existing documents or draft new ones. 

SOP Best Practices for Planning and Implementation

First, let’s look at tips for planning and implementing SOPs in your company.

1. Identify Your Audience and Determine Your Goals

Determine your company’s standard operating procedure requirements, including the SOP’s objectives and intended audience. Selecting your audience allows you to match your tone to the user. You may be targeting new employees, managers or customers, and they all require different terminology.

For example, the goals of a tech support SOP might be to solve the customer’s issue and maintain a friendly demeanor throughout the call. Your document should address customer service representatives and include resources like a decision tree to help them address caller concerns.

2. Gather Information and Involve Your Team

Before you start writing, collect as much information as possible about the process. Involve every relevant team member — consulting subject matter experts when necessary — so you capture every vital detail. 

This step is critical when documenting knowledge from a departing employee. Gather insights from the worker before they go so you fully understand their role and can train incoming replacements.

3. Use SOP Software

Investing in SOP software like Scribe reduces the time and effort required to write these documents. With our features, you can create a valuable resource for your whole team in minutes.

As you perform tasks, Scribe automatically captures processes and writes SOPs with detailed steps and annotated screenshots. After generating these instructions, customize your Scribes by combining steps, adding multimedia and creating descriptions with AI. And if you’re outlining a long, complicated process, you can organize multiple guides into one document using Pages. 

4. Distribute SOPs Digitally

Paper SOPs are becoming less popular since in-office employees often overlook them and remote employees can’t access them. Plus, updating these instructions and communicating changes company-wide is a slow and impractical process.

Instead, share SOPs digitally through downloadable files, a knowledge base or a comprehensive SOP manual. This method gives each employee access to a current version of the procedures, and you can even control permission settings to protect sensitive information.

5. Review and Optimize Your SOPs Continuously

Regularly update company SOP documents to keep them relevant and accurate — we recommend reviewing them annually. As you revise, implement feedback from employees and other key stakeholders to create resources that are as helpful as possible. And after you complete the updates, notify employees so they can review the document and learn how to follow the new process.

SOP Writing Best Practices

How you write an SOP determines how helpful it is to employees and customers. Here are some actionable standard operating procedure writing tips.

6. Use Straightforward, Consistent Language

All employees need to understand SOPs, so use straightforward language. Technical jargon and complex corporate terms may confuse some people, especially if the instructions aren’t in their native language.

It’s also crucial to use consistent terminology to prevent misunderstandings. For example, a customer service SOP should stick with the term “customer” instead of deviating to “client” or “caller.”

7. Follow a Logical Order

When writing SOPs, format them logically so users can easily follow the steps and achieve the ideal results. Review a few SOP examples to get a better understanding of a standard layout. Alternatively, use an SOP generator to automatically capture the order of each task.

8. Use SOP Templates

Premade SOP formats establish a clear structure and include essential details so you don’t miss anything while drafting. 

SOP templates are especially useful if it’s your first time creating one of these documents. And if you have many manuals to build, ready-to-use templates save you from spending unnecessary time and effort formatting each one.

9. Keep It Clear and Concise

Use short, direct sentences to make your writing more digestible. Too many words could distract the user or muddle your original message.

It’s also important that every word is valuable — don’t include irrelevant information that could confuse employees or cause misunderstandings.

10. Use Active Voice

Active voice refers to a sentence structure where the subject performs the action of the verb. In instructions, it’s common to use direct commands, or imperatives, which have an implied subject of “you.” 

So, when outlining a task’s steps, place the direction at the beginning of the sentence. This format enhances clarity and readability. 

Here’s a quick example of an engaging active sentence compared to a passive one:

• Active voice: “Open Grammarly and paste your document into the main field.”
• Passive voice: “Your document should be pasted into Grammarly.”
  

11. Add Visuals to Enhance Understanding

Include visual elements like screenshots and videos to help users grasp instructions quickly. Images, graphs, GIFs and videos are a great way to convey complex topics because they can illustrate processes that are difficult to describe with text alone.

Label visual aids, add highlights to draw attention to points of interest and make sure graphics are relevant to the adjacent content. SOP generators like Scribe handle this for you, taking annotated screenshots and placing them in the appropriate steps.

Use Scribe To Create SOPs With Ease

SOPs are a valuable way to train employees and maintain company standards. But a poorly written document will likely confuse readers, doing more harm than good. Instead, update your guides using the above best practices to create useful, actionable resources.

If reworking all your SOPs sounds intimidating, let Scribe simplify the process. Just turn on our browser extension or desktop app and complete your tasks as usual — AI automatically generates a detailed resource with links, images and clear instructions. 

Sign up for Scribe and craft accurate SOPs in minutes instead of hours.

FAQs

What Are the 5 Parts of an SOP?

You can customize SOPs to suit your business or industry’s needs, but a standard document has the following five features:

• Purpose.
• Scope.
• Responsibilities.
• The procedure itself.
• References, such as manuals or organizational policies.

What Makes an Effective SOP?

To build an effective SOP, use clear, concise and logical language. You want employees to understand each step and consistently produce the desired outcome.

What Are the 4 Main Steps Involved in Building SOPs?

When crafting an SOP, here are the four key steps that help you write a useful document:

• Determine your goals.
• Gather information from subject matter experts.
• Outline the procedure.
• Draft the full resource.

How Do You Build a Good SOP?

Using SOP software is the best way to draft a successful resource. Tools like Scribe automatically capture and document the process for you, reducing time and effort and increasing accuracy.