What a standard operating procedure includes
A standard operating procedure is a short written document that lets someone do a task the way your business does it, without asking you. The consensus structure is simple, and the template below follows it:
| Section | What it covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Why the procedure exists | One or two sentences |
| Scope | When it applies, and when it does not | Stops the SOP being stretched to jobs it was never for |
| Responsibilities | Which role owns what | Roles, not names, so it survives staff changes |
| Procedure | Numbered steps, one action each | Name the tool or file used at each step |
| Exceptions | What to do when the normal path fails | And who to ask; this is what makes it trustworthy |
| Review | How often it gets checked | A stale SOP is worse than none |
How to write an SOP in five steps
The blank page is the hard part. The method that works:
- Do the task once, narrating. Record yourself doing it, or talk a colleague through it on a call. That recording is your raw material.
- Write the steps as you actually do them. Not the ideal process. The real one, including the workaround everyone uses.
- One action per step, tools named. “Open the client folder in Notion” beats “prepare the workspace”.
- Add the exceptions. The two or three ways it usually goes wrong, and what to do then. This is the part a new person actually needs.
- Set a review date. Quarterly is plenty. When the process changes, the SOP changes the same week.
Which SOPs a small business needs first
You do not need a manual for everything. Most small businesses are well covered with five to ten SOPs, written for the tasks that are repeated, delegated, or dangerous to get wrong. The usual first five:
- Client or customer onboarding
- Invoicing and payment chasing
- The weekly report or status update
- Handling a complaint or refund
- New starter setup: accounts, tools, access
If you said “ask me how to do it” twice this month, it wants an SOP.
Free SOP template (plain text, Google Docs, Notion)
Three ways to a written SOP, from most hands-on to fully drafted for you. Copy the plain text straight into Google Docs or Notion if that’s where your procedures live.
The plain-text template
The standard structure, ready to fill in yourself.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE · [Task name] SOP ref: [number] · Version: [x.x] · Last updated: [date] Owner: [name] · Applies to: [team / role] 1. PURPOSE Why this procedure exists, in one or two sentences. 2. SCOPE When this SOP applies, and when it does not. 3. RESPONSIBILITIES [Role] → [what they own in this procedure] 4. PROCEDURE Step 1: [action, in plain language] Step 2: … Step 3: … (One action per step. Note tools, links and files where used.) 5. EXCEPTIONS & ESCALATION If [situation], then [what to do / who to ask]. 6. REVIEW Reviewed every [interval]. Next review: [date].
The AI prompt
Prefer to use your own AI? Copy this into Claude or ChatGPT with a description or recording of how you do the task, and it writes the SOP.
--- title: SOP Generator description: A prompt that turns how you already do a task (notes, a walkthrough, a thread) into a written standard operating procedure. author: readywhen source: https://readywhen.ai/sop-template homepage: https://readywhen.ai license: CC BY 4.0 (free to use and share with attribution to readywhen) version: 1.0 updated: 2026-07-17 keywords: [sop template, standard operating procedure, how to write an sop, process documentation] --- # SOP Generator _By readywhen. Full guide + free template: https://readywhen.ai/sop-template_ You are turning how someone already does a task into a written standard operating procedure that a new person could follow without asking questions. ## Principles - Plain language. Short sentences. One action per step. - Write what actually happens, not the ideal version. - Name the tool, link or file used at each step. - Note the exceptions: what to do when the normal path fails, and who to ask. - Keep it to one or two pages. A long SOP is an unused SOP. ## Structure 1. Purpose: why this procedure exists. 2. Scope: when it applies, and when it does not. 3. Responsibilities: which role owns what. 4. Procedure: numbered steps, one action each. 5. Exceptions and escalation. 6. Review: how often, and who reviews. ## What I need from you A description or recording of how the task is done today (notes, a transcript, a walkthrough, or the email/chat thread where it happens) · who does it · how often. Ask me for anything missing before you write. --- _Made by readywhen. readywhen writes SOPs from how you already work, captured in your own meetings, notes and threads. https://readywhen.ai/sop-template_
Let readywhen do itRecommended
The template and the prompt still leave you writing the steps from memory. readywhen already heard how you do the task, in your meetings, threads and walkthroughs, so it hands you a written SOP to correct, not compose.
Because readywhen already heard how you do the task, it writes the SOP in ~45 seconds, not the afternoon you’d spend reconstructing the steps from memory.
Let readywhen write SOPs from how you already work
The template and the prompt still leave you staring at a blank procedure section. readywhen skips that: it takes the walkthrough your notetaker captured, the steps you described in Slack, and the emails the task actually runs through, and hands you a written SOP to correct, not compose. Your tools stay the system of record; the SOP just finally gets written.
Works with your existing tools
SOP template FAQs
What is an SOP?
A standard operating procedure: a short written document that explains how your business does a specific task, step by step, so someone can do it correctly without asking. Purpose, scope, responsibilities, numbered steps, exceptions.
What is the difference between an SOP and a process document?
In practice, very little. An SOP is usually the more formal, numbered version of a process document: one task, one owner, one set of steps. If your team would follow it without you in the room, it counts.
How long should an SOP be?
One or two pages. If it needs more, it is probably two procedures. A long SOP does not get read, and an unread SOP does not exist.
How many SOPs does a small business need?
Five to ten covers most small businesses: onboarding, invoicing, the weekly report, complaints, and new starter setup. Write them for the tasks that are repeated, delegated, or dangerous to get wrong.
Is there an SOP template for Google Docs or Word?
Yes. Copy the plain-text template on this page into Google Docs, Word or Notion, or download it as a file. All formats are free.
Can’t I just use ChatGPT or Claude to write my SOPs?
Yes. Paste a description of the task and the prompt above, and you get a solid draft. readywhen is the version that already heard how you do the task, in your meetings, threads and walkthroughs, so the SOP arrives written and you correct it instead of composing it.
More templates for plans and processes
Meeting minutes
The formal record: decisions, motions and actions, drafted from the transcript.
SWOT analysis
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, drafted from your own context.
Employee handbook
The policies a new starter needs, drafted from how you already run things.
Stop writing procedures from memory. Correct them instead.
Write your SOP free with readywhen
About the author and editorial standards
About the author. Sançar Şahin is co-founder and CMO of readywhen. readywhen catches everything you say you’ll do and helps you move it forward: drafted, chased or flagged, ready when you are. He builds readywhen in public on LinkedIn.
Editorial standards. No paid placements. Conventions on SOP structure (purpose, scope, responsibilities, numbered steps) reflect common operations practice rather than a single authority. How this page was made: Sançar built the multi-agent research and drafting system behind it, checks its work at several phases, and approves the final page himself. To flag an error, email hello@readywhen.ai.
Last updated: 19 July 2026.