It’s your company’s busiest time of the year, and deadlines are piling up. Every department is hustling to get things done, but without a defined Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), you struggle to keep all your teams aligned. Marketing is using one approach, sales is doing something else, and operations is entirely out of sync.
The result is missed deadlines, frustrated employees, and costly mistakes that could have easily been avoided.
Now, picture a different scenario where an SOP was previously established. Every team is aligned, following the same clear, detailed process. There’s no confusion, no wasted effort—just smooth, consistent execution.
Learn how to write an SOP that aligns your teams, streamlines your company operations, and eliminates potential chances of errors.
How to write an SOP: Best practices and core components of an SOP
A high-quality SOP is a detailed set of instructions that outlines the exact steps and instructions for completing a specific task or process. It serves as a guide for employees, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and regulation compliance. It’s especially applicable for new employees who join your team and need both detailed steps and actionable guidance.
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to write an effective SOP to make your company operations more consistent and training more efficient:
1. Give your SOP a clear purpose and choose a descriptive title
The title of your SOP is the first point of clarity and sets the tone for the entire document. A vague title can lead to confusion, misunderstandings, and wasted time figuring out if it’s even the one you’re looking for. Think of it as the headline of an article—it needs to tell your audience exactly what they’re about to read.
For example, if you’re writing an SOP for inventory management, the title “How to Perform Monthly Inventory Audits to Minimize Stock Errors” provides more context than saying “Inventory Control Process.” It’s more actionable and immediately tells the user what this SOP will help them do.
On the other hand, the purpose is the “why” behind the procedure. It’s not enough to say, “This SOP is for X process.” You need to explain what makes the process important, what it aims to accomplish, and how it contributes to the company’s goals.
Here are some additional tips to help you craft a great SOP title and purpose:
- Make the title actionable. Instead of “Expense Reports,” go for “How to Submit Monthly Expense Reports for Quick Reimbursement.”
- Tie the purpose to business goals. Don’t just say, “This SOP covers expense reports.” Instead, try “This SOP ensures that employees are reimbursed accurately and promptly, reducing errors and boosting financial accountability.”
- Avoid jargon. Keep the language simple. Instead of “End-of-Month Financial Closures,” use “How to Close Monthly Financial Accounts to Ensure Accurate Reporting.”
- Align with the company’s mission. If your company focuses on customer satisfaction, the purpose of the SOP should be tied back to how it will help deliver better service.
Pro tip: Use historical context—review past mistakes in your organization or industry and frame the SOP to prevent those errors.
2. Select a complementary SOP format
Let’s say you’re trying to teach someone to cook a complex dish. Your handwritten recipe includes ingredients lost in a series of paragraphs and steps that are challenging to track. It’s difficult to make sense of what is needed to produce the dish, or even how long it might take.
That same sense of confusion can arise when you choose the wrong format for your new SOP.
Pick a structured SOP format with simple steps that fit the process to make your team faster, more efficient, and reduce costly mistakes.
Here are the most common SOP formats to choose from:
- Step-by-step format: This format is for high-volume, low-complexity tasks that are done routinely. For example, maybe you’re running down how to restock inventory, clean up your restaurant in preparation for the next day’s service, or sending a weekly report of social media metrics.
- Hierarchical steps format: This format is more suitable for complex tasks that have multiple levels or subtasks. It breaks down big tasks into main steps and substeps. For example, a product development team might use this format when designing a new app feature. They can break down main tasks like “Conduct User Research” into subtasks like “Prepare Survey,” “Interview Users,” and “Analyze Feedback.”
- Flowchart format: Flowcharts use diagrams and arrows to visually represent the flow of a process. They are great for situations where you try to explain a process, and your email explanation starts sounding like a choose your own adventure novel. Take advantage of visual communication to communicate complex ideas easily.
- Checklist format: Checklists are simple and easy to follow, making them ideal for processes that involve compliance or must meet strict regulations.
How will you choose the best format for your SOP? When deciding on a format, consider these three factors:
- Complexity of the task: The more complex the procedure, the more detailed your format needs to be. For simple, repetitive tasks, a step-by-step approach works well. For tasks with many outcomes, opt for flowcharts or hierarchical steps.
- Who will be using it: Your chosen format should match the user’s familiarity with the task. Experts may need just a checklist, while new employees might need a step-by-step guide.
- Industry standards and regulations: Highly regulated industries such as aviation or health care may require checklists to meet legal standards.
Pro tip: Always test your SOP with your end-users—the people who will use it. Their feedback will help ensure that it’s clear and practical.
3. Define the SOP’s scope of application
Toyota’s lean manufacturing system, which revolutionized auto production, is famous for its clearly defined scope. Workers know precisely what they’re responsible for, where their role starts and ends, and how their work connects with the next step in the production line for quality assurance.
When the scope and boundaries are clear, operations are more likely to run smoothly—whether it’s a car assembly line or a complex corporate process.
The scope of your SOP also helps everyone understand the limits of its application, including the following aspects:
- What specific tasks are covered
- Which departments or teams need to follow the process
- Where the process applies—in which facility or department
- When the process should be used
Pro tip: Be specific about inclusion and exclusion. A well-crafted scope should state what the SOP covers and clarify what it does not cover. For example, you might outline how to handle customer complaints in a customer service SOP, but it’s equally important to specify that the SOP excludes billing or troubleshooting technical support issues.
4. Specify roles and responsibilities of key personnel
The infamous failed launch of the Healthcare.gov website in 2013 shows how unclear roles and responsibilities can lead to major issues.
During the rollout, multiple government agencies and contractors were involved, but there was no clear leadership or division of responsibilities. For example, the login system couldn’t handle the high demand, partly because the changes were made without adjusting the capacity.
A clear definition of roles could have avoided costly delays in response.
Here are some actionable steps to help you define roles when creating a successful SOP:
- Identify all key players involved. List everyone participating, from managers to operators. Be specific about who owns each part of the process.
- Assign tasks to each role. For each step, assign a specific role and explain what the role is responsible for. For example, the content manager writes copy in a marketing SOP, while the graphic designer oversees brand consistency.
- Distinguish between responsibility and accountability: Use the RACI Matrix (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) to clarify roles. Many may be responsible for tasks, but only one should be accountable for the outcome.
- Use job titles, not names: Assign tasks to roles, like “inventory manager,” to avoid confusion when personnel changes occur.
- Include cross-functional roles when applicable: Define how departments collaborate, especially when assembling effective cross-functional teams. This can include the chain of custody for specific tasks and deliverables as they move through a workflow, or the criteria that guide alignment between organizational goals and project outcomes.
Clearly defining roles and responsibilities in your SOP doesn’t just prevent confusion, it leads to better accountability, performance, and ensures your team operates like a well-oiled machine. So, get specific, be clear, and watch your processes thrive.
5. Write a step-by-step procedure with detailed instructions
A well-written SOP reduces errors and increases employee confidence, as workers don’t need to second-guess themselves at any stage. Break down the procedure into sequential, easy-to-follow, actionable steps to do that.
For instance:
“Step 1: Log into the HR portal and select ‘New Employee Form.’ Step 2: Complete all required fields and submit.”
Write in an active voice, and if the process is complex, include diagrams, screenshots, or flowcharts to explain things visually.
Pro tip: No matter your chosen format, you can make instructional videos to enhance your SOPs and make complex work instructions easier to follow. Screen recording tools like Loom allow your team to see processes in action, making it easier for them to understand and follow your SOPs.
Let’s say an engineer needs to explain how to diagnose and fix a memory leak in a software application. Instead of just writing out the steps in an SOP, they can create an instructional video to clarify the process.
6. Implement training
Your SOP is ready to go, but how do you ensure it’s actually being followed? The answer lies in practical training.
So, once the SOP is drafted, focus on practical training. Here’s how:
- Develop training materials. Create detailed training guides, presentations, or videos covering the SOP.
- Conduct training sessions. Organize sessions for employees to learn about the SOP, ask questions, and practice the procedure. You can record interactive training sessions using Loom, where employees can watch, ask questions or provide feedback in comments, and revisit the videos at their own pace.
- Ensure continuous learning. Incorporate SOP training into regular onboarding and refresher courses.
Pro tip: After training, get feedback to spot areas where both the SOP and the training might need improvement. This ongoing loop of feedback and adjustments will help you improve your SOP and your team’s adoption of it over time.
How to communicate SOPs across teams
Proper employee communication is the backbone of any successful SOP rollout. Here’s how to ensure that SOPs are understood and applied correctly across all teams:
- Get everyone on the same page. Start by clearly defining who needs to know the SOP and why it matters to their work. Provide context to relay the purpose and importance of the procedure.
- Use multiple distribution channels. Depending on your company’s preferences, choose appropriate channels—email, internal portals, a shared drive, or physical copies—to do so. Tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams are also great for posting and discussing SOPs in dedicated channels.
- Incorporate visual aids and examples. Use visuals like flowcharts, diagrams, or videos to make the SOP more engaging and easier to understand. Collaboration software tools like Loom are particularly helpful here. Loom allows you to record short videos explaining the SOP visually and in greater detail. Loom’s built-in AI workflows also automatically transcribe the video into text, turning it into a written document.
Beyond this, make sure to regularly revisit the SOP with your team to ensure it’s being followed correctly and to address any challenges your team might face.
Master SOPs for seamless team alignment
From writing a clear, descriptive title to selecting the right format and ensuring alignment via proper communication, a well-crafted SOP will help you reduce errors, improve productivity, and maintain consistency.
But writing SOPs isn’t enough. SOPs are only effective when all stakeholders clearly understand and follow them. That’s where proper employee communication, engaging visual aids, and training come into play.
With video communication tools like Loom, you can make your SOPs more accessible and easy to follow for everyone on your team. Use Loom videos to demonstrate a specific process step-by-step and highlight key points, which can clarify detailed processes. Your team can refer to these videos anytime they want to clear up any misunderstandings they might face along the way.
Ready to cut the noise, keep everyone in sync, and eliminate confusion? Stay aligned with your team more seamlessly with Loom.
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