What an SOP Is and How To Create One [+ Examples & Templates]

As your business grows, your training needs become more complex. Without clear procedures, new employees will develop their own methods for different tasks, and existing employees won’t have easy access to new information. These issues lead to mixed results when it comes to efficiency and accuracy.

A standard operating procedure (SOP) addresses this problem by outlining each step of an essential process. SOPs encourage company consistency and are necessary for transferring knowledge, maintaining compliance and meeting production requirements. Using this resource, teams can complete tasks the same way every time.

Read on to learn how to create an SOP and explore examples and templates to start right away.

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Standard Operating Procedure Summary

Here’s a quick summary of this guide’s main topics:

• Four SOP types depending on your needs: step-by-step, flowchart, hierarchical and checklist.

• The top benefits of creating SOP documents, including enhanced consistency, efficiency and performance.

• An actionable guide on prioritizing processes, drafting an SOP and distributing it to your team.

• Seven effective SOP templates you can use today, including an employee training plan and a sales-to-service handoff document.

• Different industry SOP use cases, including healthcare, finance, operations and human resources.

What Are Standard Operating Procedures?

Standard SOP Example

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are step-by-step instructions that direct employees through a specific task, process or activity.

Step-by-step procedures are basically the rules that put our policies into action. SOP documents do this by:

• Identifying the task's goal.
• Outlining clear work instructions.
• Identifying the responsible person (or responsible people).

The instructions are sequential (one at a time) and outcome-oriented. Typically, if you follow the necessary steps, you can pretty much predict the results. This helps teams achieve uniformity, facilitate training and maintain quality standards.

SOPs and other process documentation are important for any business, but are absolutely crucial in regulated industries like:

• Finance and accounting.
• Healthcare, clinical research and pharmaceutical processing.
• Customer service and customer support.
• Operations.

We store SOPs in a knowledge base or other documentation tool to maintain document control and reduce miscommunication while keeping them easily accessible.

SOP Format

Different teams will document standard work instructions based on their unique policies and regulatory requirements.

However, a good SOP format will include a number of elements and standard structure, no matter the department or industry:

• Clear title: We recommend following a standard nomenclature here.

• A table of contents: This is especially important for complex procedures.

• Fundamental purpose: Define the SOP aim and objective. Make sure to reference any related resources.

• Procedures: A step-by-step list outlining clear instructions for each phase of the process in a hierarchical format.

• Role and Responsibility: Identify the responsible people by either naming current team members or job titles.

• Accountability Measures: Capture verifications and approvals as well as the escalation matrix, naming the responsible person(s).

💡 SOP Tip: Make sure to include screenshots or illustrations after each step to reduce miscommunication.

Types of SOP Formats

An SOP organizes your procedures into a specific structure, and there are several types to choose from. Here are a few examples:

• Flowchart SOPs visually document a workflow by displaying different scenarios and outcomes, making them ideal for showcasing complex processes like addressing various concerns.
• Checklist SOPs break a workflow into items you can check off as you complete tasks. Teams can customize these to suit their needs. For instance, HR might use this format to create employee onboarding checklists, and financial groups can list accounting procedures.
• Hierarchical SOPs organize a workflow into chapters with substeps. This comprehensive format distributes information across different headings (like H1s and H2s) to visually showcase step hierarchies. 
• Step-by-step SOPs list tasks sequentially, often using visual cues to walk users through stages. For example, employees can use an IT SOPs detailed instructions and images to solve tech problems.

Benefits of Creating Standard Operating Procedures

Standardized processes enhance productivity, assist company growth and help your team produce better outcomes. Here’s why:

• Consistency at scale: Leaders can share an SOP with new team members so anyone can do a procedure correctly, offering consistent results.
• Elevated employee training: Writing an SOP brings your team up to speed on new software, industry regulations and client requirements, saving trainers and trainees time and energy.
• Enhanced autonomy: Using an SOP allows employees to complete their work without asking leadership for constant clarification, reducing micromanaging.

What Are Standard Operating Guidelines?

Although the term sounds similar, standard operating guidelines (SOGs) differ from SOPs: 

• Standard operating guidelines offer a broad overview of organizational best practices, such as a restaurant asking servers to greet customers within five minutes of their arrival.

• Standard operating procedures specify step-by-step instructions for a process that needs to produce a specific result. For example, an SOP could explain how to generate and send invoices to clients each month. 

How To Create an SOP: 6 Steps

To build a helpful SOP, start with a strong strategy — identify critical tasks, choose the right structure and automate SOP creation with powerful AI tools. 

Here are the main six steps for creating an actionable SOP.

1. Identify and Prioritize Processes

Since businesses have so many tasks to complete, it may be difficult to decide which processes to document. To determine which have the highest priority, identify your main procedures and their impact on the company:

• List all processes: Ask team leaders and employees about their daily tasks, and use that information to create a comprehensive list of your organization's tasks and workflows.
• Assess employee productivity: Use key performance indicators like task completion times and time spent searching for answers to identify the procedures causing bottlenecks.
• Consider training needs: Survey employees to pinpoint confusing procedures or internal processes. 
• Analyze error rates: Check incident reports, customer feedback and manager surveys to identify areas with frequent mistakes. 
• Evaluate the impact on revenue: Check financial metrics and do risk assessments to determine which tasks could improve or reduce profits. For example, market research or sales team training could affect your bottom line.

Using data like profit margins and quality assurance checks, see which processes have the biggest effect on the company. Once evaluated, assign each process a priority level in the document, focusing on tasks that:

• Have a direct impact on your company's bottom line.
• Are critical for operational efficiency.
• Pose significant risks if not performed correctly.
  

2. Choose a Format and Structure

Pick an SOP format that suits the process you’re documenting to make the instructions accessible and easy to follow. Then, customize elements like the title, purpose, list of procedures and additional resources. 

Creating a clear structure means anyone should be able to follow the SOP’s steps and successfully complete the task, even if they haven’t done so before. SOP templates include these outlines, making it faster to write instructions. 

3. Research and Gather Information

After establishing an outline, it’s time to add detail to the SOP. During the research phase, talk to a knowledgeable teammate, subject matter expert or external stakeholder to get a hands-on and professional opinion. 

Here are some questions that will help you learn more about each process: 

• How often do you do this task? 
• Who are the main contacts or collaborators on this task? 
• What are the steps to complete this task?

By including the details you learn from these discussions, you can create a useful, in-depth SOP.

4. Build and Review the First Draft 

Write your SOP and add every detail identified in your research, including points that may seem small or obvious. We recommend starting with an SOP template like this:

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Templates offer an organized structure, making it easier to remember important details and arrange everything in order. 

With SOP software like Scribe, making SOP drafts has never been easier: 

• Create quick drafts using Scribe’s ChatGPT SOP Generator.
• Capture processes automatically as you complete each step.
• Generate instant screenshots so users can follow clear visual aids.
• Customize documents by adding company branding, using text overlays and redacting information.

Carla, a Partner Program Manager, explains how Scribe makes employee training seamless:

“Scribe is so intuitive and simple to use. The team has put thought into how people teach and learn. I can make a tutorial for team members in minutes. The process is no fuss and simplified and features all the tools I need to work effectively.”

After drafting the SOP, your team can comment on each step, enabling you to promptly receive and take action on feedback. 

When you’re done, send your SOP to company stakeholders or experts for final review so they can make revisions if needed. 

5. Distribute Your SOP

After writing a digital SOP, send it to your team so they can use your instructions to produce more accurate work. Scribe allows you to export your document as a PDF, HTML or Markdown to easily send it over email or group chat. You can also generate an embed code to add your SOP to your knowledge base software.

If you don’t have a centralized knowledge base, open Scribe Sidekick side-by-side with any tool to allow easy access to your work instructions.

6. Create Guidelines for Updating

We recommend building an SOP detailing how to update your SOP. A standardized process for updating these documents ensures they stay relevant and helpful. 

Here are a few tips for updating an SOP:

• Set a schedule to review the SOP regularly.
• Create feedback surveys that encourage employees to share suggestions so you can make the SOP more specific and relevant.
• Use Scribe Insights to see data on how employees interact with your documents. Click “Team Insights” on your dashboard to view the most active users, popular documents and daily view counts.

Standard Operating Procedure: 7 Examples & Templates

SOPs have thousands of use cases and can help any organization document processes and boost alignment.

Here are seven strong SOP templates and examples you can customize to suit your needs.

1. Onboarding SOP

Onboarding SOPs outline steps for bringing on a new hire, such as giving them access to essential programs, training them on job-related tasks and introducing them to the team. 

Creating a standardized hiring and onboarding process prevents employee confusion, allowing them to get up to speed quickly. And following consistent instructions helps your HR team comply with company and national policies.

2. Employee Training SOP

Training SOPs transition new hires into their roles by outlining employee responsibilities, company policies and role-specific training. These documents also centralize company information and tools so people don't waste time searching for resources. 

With this SOP type in hand, employees will likely need less assistance from HR staff and managers, freeing up time for leaders to complete other work. 

3. IT SOP

IT standard operating procedure documents are great for both internal and client-facing tasks. Internally, these documents train employees on processes like installing software, scanning for viruses and backing up systems. And SOPs for client-facing duties help employees solve common troubleshooting issues, ensuring every client interaction meets quality standards.

4. Sales-To-Service SOP

A sales-to-service handoff is the crucial moment when a prospect becomes a paying customer, and a smooth transition shows them they made the right choice.

This sales SOP centralizes crucial client data, including company size, name, point of contact and signing date. You can also list essential project details here, such as KPIs. Gathering all this information in one place helps your team provide a positive customer experience and prepares them to answer every client question.

5. Customer Service 

Customer service SOPs outline instructions and best practices so every client interaction is positive and high-quality. This document also serves as a handy reminder of regulations, guidelines and industry standards, which helps employees follow the same set of rules. 

Say you have a call center agent who needs help remembering your company’s new credit policy. SOPs can list details like minimum purchase amounts and accepted credit card brands. When customers have questions, agents simply check the SOP to ensure they offer accurate responses.

6. Knowledge Base SOP

A knowledge base is a centralized hub for all your other SOPs to keep them tidy and increase company efficiency. With this template, you can create an SOP that sorts company information and makes it easy to access and understand. This library holds countless documents, including training manuals, customer support FAQs, product knowledge manuals and troubleshooting guides.

7. Step-By-Step Guide SOP

This standard operating procedure template is useful for any task requiring a transparent step-by-step process. A linear structure helps people complete tasks in order, reducing errors and increasing efficiency.

Filling out customizable templates is fast, but Scribe can generate one even faster. As you perform a process, our documentation tool captures your screen and uses AI to automatically make step-by-step guides for you.

+100 Free SOP Templates

The previous examples are only a small selection from our library — check out our SOP gallery to browse over 100 free SOP templates.

SOP Challenges

Let's take a look at the top SOP challenges and see what we can do to reframe and resolve SOP problems once and for all.

Incorrect or Outdated Sops

“SOPs are not evergreen. If there is no mechanism to imbibe feedback and updates, SOPs become outdated and start causing unnecessary friction.” — Dwarika Sinha | Co-founder, PressLord

An outdated SOP is as bad as no SOP at all. Maybe even worse. If your employees can’t count on your procedures, they won’t be able to work effectively. 

One wrong SOP can ripple into distrust in your systems and cause major issues. For example, the GAO (General Accounting Office) found that 40 percent of drug shortages resulted from incorrect SOPs. 

SOP Solution — Schedule Regular Audits & Solicit Feedback

I recommend reviewing SOPs at least once a quarter. Break reviews up by department, and make sure the people signing off on your content are the ones who use the SOP every day. 

Maintain consistent upkeep by creating a feedback loop. That way, if someone catches a mistake, you can quickly fix it for everyone. 

💡 Tip: Take advantage of process automation. Process documentation tools like Scribe are a great way to save time writing, editing and updating SOPs.

Irrelevant or Inflexible SOPs

“One of the most difficult things for leaders to accept is probably this: SOPs are frequently seen as being ineffective because the needs of the worker and the SOP are not compatible.” — Jenny Ly | Founder, Go Wanderly 

If you create SOPs just to have them, you’ll end up with a knowledge management tool stuffed with unhelpful documentation.

Structure doesn’t always equal procedure. It’s totally fine to have less formal or ad hoc processes. But if you don’t find the balance between the two, you won’t be able to create a collaborative or productive work culture. 

SOP Solution — Communicate With Your Teams

Get employee input on what process documents are helpful and necessary. Build a list for each department to review and approve — before documenting.

As a general rule, make your procedures specific. Remember that the person who needs an SOP isn’t an expert. Make them one! 

Incorporate SOP usefulness into your feedback loop. You can ask employees point-blank, hold a survey or use tools like Scribe to track how often people use different SOPs. Don’t be afraid to hit ‘delete’ if an SOP is redundant or irrelevant.

Long and Complicated SOPs

“Often, when companies create an SOP, they try to make it as comprehensive as possible — which is excellent! But then it becomes so long and complicated that nobody actually reads it.” — Kimberley Tyler-Smith | VP, Strategy and Growth, Resume Worded

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If your employees won’t read your SOPs, then there’s no reason to make them. How far would you have gotten in this blog if it was just a dense block of text?

At their core, SOPs are communication tools. They need to be easy to read and understand. Don’t get caught up in document length or use a confusing style and format.

The Solution — Break Your Sops Into Bite-Sized Content

Create an SOP for each task, then combine them in larger process docs or folders. 

For example, HR can break out the entire recruitment process into 3-4 SOPs. These SOPs can outline each task, making the information specific and relevant. 

Keep the SOPs themselves short and sweet. Kimberly Tyler Smith, VP, Strategy and Growth at Resume Worded, says to make them about three to four pages max — and less than that if you can.

💡 Tip: Get Scribe Pages to combine several guides in one larger process doc, then use AI to build a powerful SOP manual.

Link SOPs together or organize them by topic in your knowledge base. Now, anyone can find what they need at any point in the process. 

Business owner Matt Wilson says, 

“It's important to communicate with your team regularly about how well the SOPs are working and what you might need to tweak or update.” — Matt Wilson | Co-Founder and Content Writer, Lift Your Game

SOPs Take Time To Create & Share

“SOPs need to be easier to create. They should be intuitive and user-friendly, so even those who aren't tech-savvy can quickly build them. [And] Sharing SOPs should be straightforward. Too often, they're buried in email chains or hard to find on company intranets.” — Faizan Raza | Founder and Outreach Expert, 9Listed

Did you know almost 34 percent of businesses spend one to three hours per week just updating policies and procedures for regulatory rules?

It’s no one’s full-time job to create SOPs. So, how are you supposed to get it done?

​The Solution — Use Tools & Sop Templates

There are way too many moving parts for handwritten documentation. As your teams and businesses grow, knowledge transfer can get less and less sustainable. 

Automate the process. For example, Scribe auto-generates how-to guides that are easy to create, store, refine and update.

Scribe captures your processes to build how-to guides

SOP Templates are another great way to save time. Create one template for your entire team. Build templates for different departments or topics so each SOP serves its purpose. 

SOPs Can Be Disorganized and Hard To Find

“A lack of organization on how the SOPs are titled and stored in a shared drive or database also prevents their usability if people have to spend time digging through where to find the information and if it's not clear at first glance.” — Eboni Cotton | PMP, ESC Business Management Solutions

We’ve already talked about losing time to create SOPs. But what about when you need to find one to learn a new process?

What if you have several SOPs surrounding the same topic, but they’re all out of order and misnamed? Where do you even start? If it takes longer to find the SOP than to do the process, your target audience won't get the benefits.

The Solution — Use a Knowledge Base With a Strict Filing System

You need a knowledge database tool, drive or wiki. 

Whatever your filing system, make sure it’s digital and automated if possible. Avoid PDFs since you can’t make updates, which will make document control more difficult.

Create parent folders for each department, then break down subsections by topic.

For example, your SOP filing system might look like:

Organize your SOPs in a knowledge base tool

Industries That Use SOPs

You can write an SOP for any industry and sector, as SOPs document business processes from onboarding to safety procedures.

Here are a few industry use cases for SOPs:

• IT: Maintaining computer systems, completing routine tasks, ensuring data security and managing customer support.
• Accounting and Finance: Handling payment processing, communicating with customers and identifying applicable tax regulations.‍
• Operations: Understanding complex workflows, managing project revisions, filing expense reports and educating stakeholders on project details.‍
• Customer Support: Resolving customer complaints, handling conflict, answering inquiries and training new representatives on specific scripts.‍
• Human Resources: Hiring and onboarding new employees, developing training plans and managing employee exits.‍
• Manufacturing: Outlining production processes, sourcing suppliers, maintaining quality control and promoting safety measures.‍
• Hospitality: Delivering consistent customer service, planning events, controlling food and beverage safety and providing quality housekeeping.‍
• Healthcare: Outlining patient care, ensuring thorough sterilization, adhering to medical compliance and streamlining patient admission and discharge.‍
• Marketing: Checking content for errors and quality, creating social media posts, making lead magnets and researching keywords.

Use SOPs To Drive Business Growth

When scaling up a company, you may introduce products, offer more services or hire new employees. All these moving parts can slow down processes and confuse team members. That’s where an SOP comes in — this document clearly outlines how to complete essential tasks. Giving this information to the whole company means teams will produce consistent, accurate work.

With Scribe’s AI-assisted features, making an SOP has never been faster. Our customizable templates come preloaded with headers and text suggestions. And Scribe’s community regularly posts new guides you can add to your existing SOPs.

Sign up for Scribe and create your first SOPs in minutes.

Standard Operating Procedure FAQs

What’s the Purpose of a Standard Operating Procedure?

A standard operating procedure (SOP) explains workflows to help companies achieve consistent, high-quality results. And by creating these detailed instructions, teams can comply with regulations, prevent errors and improve employee training.

What Are the Five Parts of an SOP?

SOPs are custom-fit to your organization and tasks, so each one will look a little different. But consider adding the following foundational elements: 

• Title.
• Purpose and scope.
• Additional resources.
• Roles and responsibilities.
• Revision history.

These sections will make your document scannable, improving usability.

What’s the Difference Between a Procedure and an SOP?

These terms are similar, and many professionals use them interchangeably. Both procedures and SOPs list steps to achieve a specific task. 

However, procedures are often broad, nonstandard and informal — they may not even be written documents. On the other hand, SOPs are structured, company-wide records that help firms focus on consistency and efficiency. 

For example, a general procedure may cover greeting a customer, as this casual task doesn’t have a required outcome. But an SOP would be a better fit for handling cash at the end of a shift so cashiers can accurately account for profits every day.