Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are the foundation of almost any business. They make sure that team members across departments and functions can:

• Conduct a process or task to a quality standard.
• Follow industry regulations on routine operations.
• Reduce error and avoid costly mistakes.
• Train employees and onboard new team members.

This comprehensive guide breaks down everything you need to know about SOPs, including:

• Why step-by-step procedures are important.
• How to write SOPs and standard work instructions.
• The most popular SOP formats.
• Tips and tricks on how to standardize your procedures to optimize productivity.

Let's get started.

TL;DR: Standard Operating Procedures

• SOPs are detailed instructions for specific tasks or processes.
• They are crucial for industries where precision is key.
• SOPs help improve operational quality, consistency, and speed.
• Different industries use SOPs for various purposes, such as operations, onboarding and customer support,
• Creating effective SOPs involves identifying goals, defining the audience, selecting the best format, using tools, publishing and distributing, and keeping them up to date.

What are standard operating procedures?

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.
• Manufacturing.
• 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 Responsibily: 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 standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Some complex standard operating procedures are lengthy and hard to explain, while others are easy to condense into brief instructions.

Thankfully, there’s no one-size-fits-all format for an SOP.

Here are a few examples of SOP types that you'll likely run into.

Step-by-step guide SOPs

This is probably the most common SOP format. It outlines each process in sequential steps, adding illustrations or screenshots to walk you through a procedure.

A step-by-step guide SOP will outline each phase in clear, concise detail. It's best to use this type of SOP to help you:

• Train employees.
• Capture process changes.
• Document and share routine tasks.

Hierarchical step format SOPs

Hierarchical step SOPs collate several smaller processes in one large standard operating procedure.

These phases are broken down into steps and substeps with a parent-child relationship using numbers, bullet points or letters.

Typically, hierarchical procedures will also include a table of contents so that the user can quickly find the process they need.

This is a good SOP format for:

• Complex technology use cases.
• A multi-step support process FAQ.
• A safety and quality control manual.
• An operational handbook.

Flowchart SOPs

Flowcharts help teams use a graphic format to understand processes, especially if they have multiple outcomes or involve decision-making with multiple people or departments.

The example below shows how companies can use flowchart formats to simplify explanations for complex processes like conducting employee background checks.

The graphic format is perfect for:

• Software documentation.
• Articulating the entire support process.
• Reviewing your entire management system.

Checklists

Checklists are a quick and easy way to share information on processes that require precise actions executed to completion.

Teams can work their way down a list to check off completed tasks — which is a pretty satisfying motivator to get things done. Here’s what that looks like for employee onboarding.

This is a good SOP format to:

• Process day-to-day tasks.
• Capture an easy, repeatable process.
• Walk through new equipment use or shut down.

How to write effective SOPs

‎Yasar Dilbaz, Founder and Head SEO at GrowthMar SEO Services, says companies “need an SOP for SOPs.” That’s to say, you need a framework before jumping into documentation.

Here are six necessary steps to help you write standard operating procedures:

1. Identify the goal and purpose.
2. Define your audience.
3. Choose a format.
4. Write your SOP and use tools.
5. Publish and implement the procedure.
6. Incorporate feedback.

Keep reading for detailed instructions on each step.

1. Identify the purpose of your SOPs

Ask yourself the following questions to help you identify what procedure or task to prioritize: 

• What regulatory standards do you need to meet? Make sure to capture processes that require you to comply with regulations or execute safe work procedures.
• What are your most high-impact processes? These could be the ones that generate the most revenue, build the most trust in customer service, or are non-negotiable to your current business goals. 
• What processes are the most error-prone? Use SOPs to reduce error and costly mistakes.
• What internal processes do you spend the most time showing others? Identify areas that are hard to understand, or where you often answer questions.
• What processes do your key stakeholders care the most about? Don’t forget to ask them!

Once you’ve identified your core processes (or worked in reverse and eliminated all non-priority processes), you’re ready to dive deeper into the goals and KPIs of your SOP program. 

2. Define your audience

Each standard operating procedure has its own target user. Identify who will read your process document, so you can use specific language that's relevant to their level of skill.

Ask yourself:

• Who is your audience?
• What do their regular work responsibilities, technology stack and priorities look like?
• What are their goals and KPIs? 
• How do they work and communicate? (Technical or non-technical? Do they work in an office or remotely? Do they use specific terminology that convey processes more accurately?) 

These answers can help you document the process in a way that's easy to understand.

💡 Related resource: Who should write SOPs?

3. Select the best format for your SOPs

Depending on your internal process goals and target audience, you might choose a different format for your SOP. For example, describing a step-by-step process for your customer-facing teams will require a different format than if you were to visualize a decision-making process for QA engineers. 

The most common SOP formats are:

• Step-by-step process guides.
• Hierarchical step formats.
• Flowchart or diagram SOPs.
• Checklists.

💡 SOP Tip: Create templates for different SOP documents so you can easily duplicate and kick-start the writing process.

4. Write your SOP and use tools

Create your SOP document in the chosen format, Make sure to include:

• Your task's goal.
• A summary of the procedure or task.
• Work instructions broken into simple steps.
• A designation of each role and responsibility.

💡 SOP Tip: Focus on clarity. The fundamental purpose of your SOP is to provide clear instructions on how to complete a task. Use active voice and avoid too much detail.

If possible, rely on subject matter experts to provide SOP help during the writing process. You may interview the stakeholder or use tools to help you document.


Here are SOP software that you can use to help your experts capture process documents quickly.

• Scribe: Generate and share visual SOPs — complete with text, links and annotated screenshots — in minutes.
• JobRouter: Automate tasks and communication with SOP authors, editors, and approvers.
• Notion: Centralize and organize SOPs into a company wiki or database.
• Kahoot: Create games and quizzes to test SOP comprehension.

💡 SOP Tip: Use a knowledge management tool to standardize the way you document and share standard operating procedures. Combine several related procedures in an instruction manual to keep things organized.

5. Publish and implement your SOPs

SOPs should be easy to locate, access and share. Once you document the process and get approval, add it to your knowledge base and distribute to team members via communication channels.

Amp up your SOP distribution strategy with these tactics.

• Digital documentation for easy access and user permissions
• Interactive formats for better readability and engagement 
• Shareable URLs for to your knowledge base for faster communication 
• Content integrations within your technology stack for more visibility on the job.

💡 SOP Tip: Categorize the SOP documents in your knowledge base by creating folders with a clear title page.

6. Incorporate feedback & update the content

Imagine handing over a document that causes employees to follow all the right procedures….from five years ago. This ruins efficiency wastes time. It's vital that you keep your procedures up-to-date.

Nine in ten employees say faster access to the most up-to-date documents will make their jobs easier, especially if they don’t have to search across systems.

You can prioritize version control to maintain and update the content regularly by: 

• Conducting consistent audits of all processes and SOPs so no processes slip through the cracks. Set automatic reminders throughout the year.
• Incorporating a feedback loop with tools like Scribe that offer feedback features so current team members can request content updates.
• Tracking process efficiency as a KPI. If efficiency drops without warning or abnormalities, it might be because a process just isn’t cutting it anymore. 
• Assign a point of accountability for managing SOP updates. 
• Use document formats and SOP software that are easy to edit and reflect changes in real-time (like Scribe!)

SOP Examples

Overall, an SOP aims to improve operational quality, consistency and speed. But there are several different examples of SOPs depending on our goals.

You can customize these SOP guidelines to fit the needs of any company or industry. In that sense, following the SOP strategy of another company doesn’t always make things easier for you. You need to create your own SOPs to align with your unique processes.

Here are some SOP examples across different industries and use cases.

SOPs in Operations

Operations SOPs are a good practice for managing internal processes across all functions. They help businesses scale organizational operations and management systems.

This goes beyond just how to perform a task. Typically, Ops teams will build an operation manual (also called an operational handbook) that gives team members a clear picture on routine procedures and policies.

Here's an example of an operational manual, including version control and revision date information.

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Operations SOPs also include:

• Processes for knowledge transfer.
• Information on escalations.
• Document control and knowledge management.

SOPs in onboarding and training

Use standard operating procedures in your onboarding and hiring to ensure that your entire team can perform to international quality standards.

Use a skill matrix to identify what procedures need documentation and how to support individual team members. Then, write instructions at the job function and team level. This can optimize productivity and instill a growth mindset.

Every time you onboard a new team member give them process documentation as part of their 30, 60 and 90-day plan.

Here's an example of an onboarding SOP for new employees.

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💡 SOP Tip: Refer back to the standard operating procedures in quarterly performance reviews in case new employees need help in a specific area.

SOPs for IT and customer support

Client-facing teams are vital to maintaining overall satisfaction and preventing churn. We need our IT and customer support teams to make sure every interaction meets high-quality standards.

SOPS give these internal and external-facing teams a solid playbook on how to respond to tickets, give users more information or the expected turnaround timeline.

This IT SOP example helps teams standardize the way they execute IT and help desk support.

Other SOPs for IT and help desk customer support might focus on:

• Tickets and resolutions.
• How to use a ticket management system like Jira.
• How to navigate the knowledge base software.
• Information on escalation of queries or tickets.

SOPs in software development

Engineering managers can use SOPs to define coding standards and outline procedures for incident management, quality assurance, and bug tracking. These standard work instructions keep software development and issue resolution consistent so engineers can work more efficiently.

Here's an example of a troubleshooting SOP that outlines the problem and potential solutions.

Other common ‎software development SOP examples are:

• A reference guide for common applications.
• A breakdown of data compliance standards.
• A flowchart or diagram for complex choice steps.

SOPs in project management

Whether you're a senior manager or direct report, all business functions use SOPs to codify standards and processes for:

• Initiating.
• Executing.
• Documenting.
• Reporting.

... and other project management functions.

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Here's an example of a project management SOP that outlines the project scope, team members to collaborate with and task breakdown of the actual work.

With SOPs, team members can quickly use a solid playbook to help the team engage with, plan, launch, and measure projects. Other common project SOPs or project plan examples include:

• A statement of purpose.
• A work method statement.
• A project handover document or template.

SOPs in regulated industries

SOPs in compliance help businesses in regulated industries (like finance, accounting or healthcare) maintain organizational operations and compliance to regulatory bodies.

For example, healthcare organizations can use SOPs across all areas of healthcare operations to mitigate risk — from patient care to billing, software usage, data privacy and medical administration.

‎Common SOPs in these industries might include:

• Emergency evacuation procedures.
• Safety guidelines.
• Company policies.

SOPs in manufacturing

In manufacturing facilities, an SOP is an essential part of ensuring the safety of all personnel, equipment, and products.

‎You can use manufacturing SOPs to define standards for operating and servicing machinery, conducting quality control checks, managing inventory, and more. This might include a(n):

• Instruction manual.
• Quick reference guide.
• Operation Maintenance Manual.

SOPs in laboratories

Laboratory personnel use SOPs to define protocols for conducting experiments, managing substances and minimizing risk.

Without SOPs, it becomes difficult to keep track of emergency procedures and best practices for managing different scenarios — which is crucial in a laboratory environment where hazardous materials and chemicals are present. 

💡 Related Resource: Laboratory Procedure Examples

SOPs in procurement

Procurement teams often deal with many moving parts and very strict deadlines.

The processes of selecting vendors, approving purchases, and keeping track of inventory are very specific.

One small error can throw entire production timelines off.

A procurement SOP helps every team member adhere to the right protocol to minimize hidden delays and surprises. You might create SOPs on:

• How to prepare and approve new equipment.
• How to process day-to-day shipments.
• How to maintain continuity of delivery.

Why standard operating procedures are important

The average American worker spends 2.9 hours a week on unnecessary meetings and duplicate work. It’s a major cause of lost productivity and miscommunication. 

How often do you hop on a “quick call” to answer a question on an undefined process? How often have you had to do the work again because you didn’t do it right the first time?

You'll see benefits in these core areas if you correctly shape your SOPs (and SOP program). 

Here are the biggest benefits of SOPs.

1. SOPs promote consistently high-quality work

According to McKinsey, employees waste nearly 100 minutes (or 20 percent) of each workday looking for basic data to do their job. On the other end of the spectrum: email and other internal collaboration take up 42 percent of the average knowledge worker’s time. 

Without standard operating procedures, there’s no easy solution for someone who just wants to get things done — outside of interrupting busy teammates.  

SOPs and knowledge base software give employees a quality manual to do their jobs properly. 

Ronald Miller, Business Owner and Recruiter at MyCoffeeCity, says that SOPS can be essential for streamlining processes and ensuring quality control — when done correctly.

“Every business is different and will have unique needs when it comes to SOPs. However, in my company, we use them for everything from the sales team to customer service to onboarding… I’ve discovered that if you create the right SOPs with the right mindset and the right tools, they can be extremely valuable.” — Ronald Miller | Owner & Recruiter, MyCoffeeCity

2. SOPs enable thorough onboarding & training

SOPs are onboarding assets — both for HR and the new hire. 

You can combine SOPs to build an employee handbook or guide recruits through their first 30, 60 and 90 days. Give them a bullet list of SOPs that familiarize them with:

• Your company and its policies.
• Their role and responsibility.
• Routine tasks.

This enables smoother training and keeps everyone on the same page.

‎SOPs can also guide internal teams through onboarding.

Here’s a quick use case for SOPs in HR. When hiring new staff, an overall SOP might be:

1. Determine a new hire’s legal eligibility for employment.
2. Interview potential hire.
3. If proceeding with their candidacy, set up interviews with other relevant departments.
4. Call references. 
5. Collect identification documents.
6. Reach out to the candidate with an offer, including salary and start dates.
7. Collect their name and signature on all relevant documentation.

Note that these steps should come with their own bite-sized piece step-by-step guides. Keep this in mind when organizing your content.

3. SOPs support risk management

SOPs are often used in highly regulated industries to reduce variability.

If you create SOPs for compliance, or even just with compliance in mind, you can save your organization from infractions, penalties or even lawsuits. Use SOPs to:

• Identify and mitigate risk.
• Minimize potential liabilities.
• Follow regulations and ensure safety.
• Maintain a high-quality standard of performance.

The U.S. government’s CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) even calls out SOPs as standardized documents that it uses to comply with regulations.

One for drug trials, for instance, states that:

“There shall be written procedures for production and process control designed to assure that the drug products have the identity, strength, quality, and purity they purport or are represented to possess.”

You need an SOP immediately to help prevent violation damages that could result in lost productivity, hefty fines or legal action. 

There’s a high cost to non-compliance. In 2022, JP Morgan Chase paid a $200 million fine for letting employees use company email addresses to conduct personal business. This violated both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission compliance rules.

In addition to that fine, JP Morgan Chase agreed to hire a compliance consultant, pay a $125 million penalty, and an additional $75 million fine for its brokers and bankers.

And that’s the largest record-keeping fine in SEC history. 

4. SOPs maintain organizational knowledge

If all your processes live in one person’s head, they’ll go out the door with them. 

Offboarding SOPs let you smoothly transition from one colleague or administration to another. 

According to the business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, Inc., 219 CEOs left their posts in January 2020, the highest total on record in a single month. And these losses can happen at every end of a company. 

Use a thorough knowledge base software that boasts detailed instructions to promote a growth mindset across all employees. This increases overall reliability and enhanced everyone's level of skill.

5. SOPs enable continuous improvement

Process change is inevitable. Use SOPs as a starting point for process improvement initiatives.

Encourage an employee feedback loop for identifying process inefficiencies and bottlenecks by using a knowledge base tool that includes collaboration features.

Continuous improvement is an iterative process, and SOPs should be updated and revised as you evolve.

‎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

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.

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 useability 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:

Free SOP Template

Want to kickstart your standard operating procedures? Our free SOP template is an excellent way to save time and resources while keeping your SOP documentation consistent.

• A table of contents.
• SOP identification number for document control.
• The task's goal and purpose.
• The scope of the SOP
• A simple step format with bullet points.
• Revision history.
• Section for approval signature.

Standard operating procedure FAQs

1. What is the difference between SOPs and guidelines?

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines are both used to help companies efficiently execute processes, but there are key differences between the two.

• SOPs are detailed step-by-step instructions used in industries where precision and accuracy are crucial, like finance, healthcare or manufacturing.
• Guidelines are more general and flexible, providing recommendations or suggestions on how to approach a task or process.

In short, SOPs leave little room for interpretation, while guidelines allow for some flexibility. Both are useful depending on the industry, department and context.

Learn more in our article that breaks down the differences between instructions, guidelines and rules.

2. What are the five parts of an SOP?

Standard operating procedures can vary, but most will include the following elements:

1. A title page (or section).
2. Table of Contents.
3. Purpose.
4. Procedures (one step at a time).
5. Quality assurance/Quality Control.
6. References.

Conclusion: The ultimate guide to standard operating procedures

Standard operating procedures drive our processes. They can have a huge positive impact across your company — including establishing best practices, onboarding new employees, compliance and maintaining organizational knowledge.

Success isn’t about creating a single SOP. It’s about establishing a(n):

• SOP strategy and framework.
• Distribution, approval and updates.
• Supporting tools.

It’s a process that never ends. So connect with your teams, ask questions and work to build a foundation that empowers employees to do their best work.

Want to create, edit and share SOPs in way less time? Generate visual standard operating procedures for free.