Six standard operating procedure templates in four formats, including a worked HR onboarding example and a version written for a business where the owner is also the manager and the trainer. Editable Word documents, no email form in the way.
Most SOP templates you will find are a blank form with the word Purpose at the top. That is not the hard part. The hard part is knowing which format fits the procedure you are documenting, what to put in the scope section so people stop asking, and how to get the thing written at all when nobody has a spare afternoon.
So there are six templates here in four formats, and two of them are worked examples rather than blank forms: a complete HR onboarding procedure and an IT backup procedure you can adapt instead of starting from nothing. Each downloads as an editable Word document, free, with no email form. There is also a version written specifically for a business where the owner is also the manager and the trainer, which is a situation the large template libraries do not address at all.
TL;DR
An SOP is a set of written instructions for a routine activity. A good template supplies eight elements: title block, purpose, scope, roles, prerequisites, numbered steps, verification, and version history. Pick the format by the shape of the work: step-by-step for a fixed order, checklist where order does not matter, hierarchical for sub-steps. Six free DOCX templates below, no signup.
What an SOP Template Is
An SOP is a set of written instructions documenting a routine or repetitive activity followed by an organisation. That definition comes from federal guidance rather than from a software vendor, and it is worth keeping because it sets a low bar deliberately: an SOP is instructions for something you do repeatedly, not a formal quality-management artefact.
A template is the reusable structure. It supplies the sections so you fill in specifics rather than re-deciding the shape each time, and it makes a set of procedures consistent with each other, which is what turns a pile of documents into something people actually use.
There Is No One Correct Format
Federal guidance on preparing SOPs states plainly that there is no one correct format, and that internal formatting will vary with each organisation and with the type of SOP being written (U.S. EPA, Guidance for Preparing Standard Operating Procedures). The same guidance notes that the best written SOPs will fail if they are not followed, which is the more useful warning: the document is not the goal.
Which Format to Choose
Format is the first decision and it is usually made by accident. Choose it from the shape of the work rather than from what the last template you saw looked like.
Format
Use it when
Typical example
Step-by-step
Each step is a single action and the order is fixed
Processing a refund, closing the month, running payroll
Checklist
Every task must happen but the order does not matter
Opening and closing a store, event setup, equipment checks
Hierarchical
Main steps break into sub-steps, or the procedure is long
Onboarding a new hire, installing and configuring a system
Flowchart
The path genuinely branches on a condition
Handling a customer complaint, incident escalation
Most procedures are step-by-step, and most SOPs that go unread are hierarchical documents describing work that was step-by-step all along. If every item under a main step is a single action, flatten it. Length is the main reason people stop opening a procedure.
What Every SOP Includes
Eight elements, sorting into four groups. The first three groups are what every template covers. The fourth is what separates a document you can rely on from one you cannot.
The title block
SOP number and version
Owner and department
Effective and review dates
The framing
Purpose: why it exists
Scope: what it does not cover
Roles and who approves
The procedure
Prerequisites before starting
Numbered steps, one action each
How you know it worked
The control layer
Version history table
Who changed what and when
Next review date
Two elements are skipped more than any others and both cause the same kind of trouble later. The scope exclusions, saying what the procedure does not cover, is what stops people applying a refund SOP to a situation it was never written for. And the version history is what tells the next reader whether they are looking at something current or something abandoned two systems ago.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
Pick by format for a general procedure, or take one of the two worked examples if it matches what you are documenting and adapt from there.
Simple SOP
Start here
One page, eight sections, everything a procedure needs and nothing else. Title block, purpose, scope, roles, prerequisites, steps, verification, and version history. The right choice for your first SOP and for most of the ones after it.
HR SOP
New hire onboarding
A complete worked example rather than a blank form: trigger, systems, owners per step, the before-day-one through day-30 sequence, and compliance notes covering I-9 timing, new hire reporting, and record retention.
Small-Business SOP
No HR department
For a business where the owner is the manager and the trainer. No approval chain, because there is nobody to approve it. Adds two sections nobody else has: the part people get wrong, and when to ask instead of guessing.
Checklist SOP
Order does not matter
For opening and closing routines, event setup, and equipment checks, where every task must happen but not in a fixed sequence. Includes a line for what was not done and why, which is the part that gets acted on.
Hierarchical SOP
Sub-steps and branches
For longer procedures where main steps break down further or the path changes on a condition. Adds definitions, decision points with explicit branches, failure handling, and related documents.
IT SOP
Backup and recovery
A worked technical example with a schedule table, a monthly restore test, a recovery sequence, and an escalation path. Written around the fact that an untested backup is an assumption rather than a backup.
If You Are Writing Your First One
Take the Simple SOP. It has the eight elements and nothing else, it fits on a page, and a one-page procedure that exists beats a comprehensive one that never gets finished. If you run the business yourself and there is no approval chain, take the Small-Business version instead, which drops the sign-off block and adds the two questions that actually come up: which step people get wrong, and when to stop and ask rather than improvise.
6 Free SOP Templates
Download all six together or copy an individual template. Each is an editable Word document with no email form. Fill in the brackets, delete the sections that do not apply, and change anything that does not match how you actually work.
Download All 6 SOP Templates
Simple, HR onboarding, small business, checklist, hierarchical, and IT backup. Six DOCX files in one download.
Template 1: Simple SOP (One Page)
The eight essential sections and nothing more: title block, purpose, scope, roles, prerequisites, numbered steps, verification, what to do if it goes wrong, and version history. The right starting point for most procedures.
Simple SOP Template (One Page)
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
[Company Name]
SOP title: __
SOP number: [SOP-001] Version: [1.0]
Owner: [Name, title] Department: [ ]
Effective date: [MM/DD/YYYY] Next review: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Approved by: __ Date: _
1. PURPOSE
[One or two sentences on why this procedure exists and what it is meant to
achieve. Write the reason, not the task. "So that every customer refund is
recorded the same way and nothing is missed at month end" is a purpose. "To
process refunds" is just the title again.]
2. SCOPE
Applies to: [roles, departments, locations, or situations covered]
Does not apply to: [the situations people will otherwise assume are covered]
3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
[Role] - [what this person is responsible for in this procedure]
[Role] - [what this person is responsible for in this procedure]
[Role] - [who approves, and at what point]
4. WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE YOU START
•[System access, login, or permission]
•[Equipment, form, or document]
•[Information you must have in hand]
5. PROCEDURE
1. [Action. Start with a verb. One action per step.]
2. [Action.]
3. [Action.]
4. [Action.]
5. [Action.]
6. HOW YOU KNOW IT WORKED
[The check that confirms the procedure was completed correctly: a confirmation
screen, a signed form, a number that should match, a record that should exist.]
7. IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
[The most likely failure and what to do about it. Who to contact if the person
following this procedure cannot resolve it.]
8. VERSION HISTORY
Version | Date | Changed by | What changed
1.0 | [MM/DD/YY] | [Name] | Initial version
| | |
| | |
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample template for general information only and is not
legal advice. Where a procedure touches a regulated activity, confirm the
applicable requirements before adopting it.
Template 2: HR SOP for New Hire Onboarding
A complete worked example rather than a blank form. Trigger, systems, owner per step, the sequence from before day one through day 30, and compliance notes on I-9 timing, new hire reporting, and record retention.
HR SOP Template (New Hire Onboarding)
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE: NEW HIRE ONBOARDING
[Company Name]
SOP number: [HR-001] Version: [1.0]
Process owner: [Name, title] Department: Human Resources
Effective date: [MM/DD/YYYY] Next review: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Approved by: __ Date: _
1. PURPOSE
To make sure every new hire is set up correctly, receives the same information,
and completes required paperwork on time, regardless of who runs the process.
2. SCOPE
Applies to: all new employees, including part-time and rehires.
Does not apply to: independent contractors, who follow [contractor SOP].
3. TRIGGER
This procedure starts when: [the candidate accepts the offer in writing].
4. SYSTEMS AND TOOLS
[HR platform] | [Payroll system] | [Email and IT provisioning] | [Benefits portal]
For a business where the owner is also the manager and the trainer. No approval chain, plus two sections nobody else includes: the step people get wrong, and the situations where the answer is to stop and ask.
Small-Business SOP Template (No HR Department)
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
[Company Name]
Procedure: __
Written by: [Name] Date: [MM/DD/YYYY] Version: [1.0]
For a business where the owner is also the manager and the trainer. There is no
approval chain here because there is nobody to approve it. That does not make
the procedure less real; it makes writing it down more important, because the
only other copy is in one person's head.
WHY THIS EXISTS
[One sentence. What goes wrong when this is done inconsistently, in concrete
terms. "Last month two invoices went out with the wrong tax rate" is better than
"to ensure accuracy."]
WHO DOES THIS
Normally: [role or name]
When they are out: [role or name]
If nobody is available: [what happens. Does it wait? Does the owner do it? Say
so, because this is the question that actually comes up.]
WHAT YOU NEED
•[Access, login, key, form, or tool]
•[Where to find it]
HOW TO DO IT
1. [Action.]
2. [Action.]
3. [Action.]
4. [Action.]
5. [Action.]
THE PART PEOPLE GET WRONG
[The step that is most often skipped or done wrong, and why it matters. Every
procedure has one. Writing it down here is worth more than the rest of the
document.]
HOW TO CHECK IT WAS DONE RIGHT
[The one thing to look at afterwards to confirm.]
WHEN TO ASK INSTEAD OF GUESSING
[The situations this procedure does not cover, where the answer is to stop and
ask rather than improvise. Contact: [name, phone].]
WHEN THIS WAS LAST CHECKED
Last reviewed: [MM/DD/YYYY] by [Name]
Changed since last version: [what changed, or "nothing"]
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample template for general information only and is not
legal advice. Where a procedure touches a regulated activity, confirm the
applicable requirements before adopting it.
Template 4: Checklist SOP
For tasks that all have to happen but not in a fixed order. Includes a line for what was not done and why, and a note for anything the next person should know about, which is the part that gets acted on.
Checklist SOP Template
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE: CHECKLIST FORMAT
[Company Name]
Procedure: __
SOP number: [ ] Version: [1.0]
Owner: [Name] Effective date: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Use this format when the tasks do not have to happen in a fixed order, but all of
them have to happen. Opening and closing routines, event setup, and equipment
checks fit this shape. If order matters, use the step-by-step or hierarchical
format instead.
PURPOSE
[Why this checklist exists and when it is used.]
WHEN THIS IS USED
Frequency: [every shift / daily / weekly / per event]
Completed by: [role]
Time required: approximately [ ] minutes
BEFORE YOU START
[ ] [Prerequisite]
[ ] [Prerequisite]
THE CHECKLIST
[ ] [Task]
[ ] [Task]
[ ] [Task]
[ ] [Task]
[ ] [Task]
[ ] [Task]
[ ] [Task]
[ ] [Task]
ANYTHING NOT DONE, AND WHY
_____
_____
ANYTHING THAT NEEDS ATTENTION
[Broken equipment, low stock, safety concern, or anything the next person should
know about.]
_____
SIGN-OFF
Completed by: __ Date: _ Time: __
Reviewed by: __ Date: _
VERSION HISTORY
Version | Date | Changed by | What changed
1.0 | [MM/DD/YY] | [Name] | Initial version
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample template for general information only and is not
legal advice.
Template 5: Hierarchical SOP
For longer procedures with sub-steps and decision points. Adds definitions, explicit branches that rejoin, a failure table, and a related documents section for the forms and policies the procedure depends on.
Hierarchical SOP Template (With Sub-Steps)
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE: HIERARCHICAL FORMAT
[Company Name]
Procedure: __
SOP number: [ ] Version: [1.0]
Owner: [Name, title] Department: [ ]
Effective date: [MM/DD/YYYY] Next review: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Approved by: __ Date: _
Use this format for a longer procedure where main steps break into sub-steps, or
where the path changes depending on a condition. If every step is a single
action, the simple format is a better fit and will get read more often.
1. PURPOSE
[Why this procedure exists.]
2. SCOPE
Applies to: [ ]
Does not apply to: [ ]
3. DEFINITIONS
[Term] - [what it means here. Include anything a new person would not know, and
anything your industry uses differently from everyone else.]
4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
[Role] - [responsibility]
[Role] - [responsibility, including who approves what]
5. PROCEDURE
1. [Main step]
1a. [Sub-step]
1b. [Sub-step]
1c. [Sub-step]
2. [Main step]
2a. [Sub-step]
2b. [Sub-step]
3. [Decision point: if [condition], go to step 4. If [other condition], go to
step 5.]
4. [Main step, path one]
4a. [Sub-step]
4b. [Sub-step]
5. [Main step, path two]
5a. [Sub-step]
5b. [Sub-step]
6. [Main step, both paths rejoin here]
6. VERIFICATION
[How completion is confirmed and recorded.]
7. WHAT CAN GO WRONG
[Failure] - [what to do]
[Failure] - [what to do]
8. RELATED DOCUMENTS
[Other SOPs, forms, or policies this procedure depends on or refers to.]
9. VERSION HISTORY
Version | Date | Changed by | What changed
1.0 | [MM/DD/YY] | [Name] | Initial version
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample template for general information only and is not
legal advice.
Template 6: IT SOP for Data Backup and Recovery
A worked technical example with a schedule table, a monthly restore test, a recovery sequence that stages before overwriting, and an escalation rule for a failed backup.
IT SOP Template (Data Backup and Recovery)
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE: DATA BACKUP AND RECOVERY
[Company Name]
SOP number: [IT-001] Version: [1.0]
Owner: [Name, title] Effective date: [MM/DD/YYYY]
Next review: [MM/DD/YYYY] Approved by: __
1. PURPOSE
To make sure company data is backed up on a defined schedule, that backups are
verified rather than assumed, and that anyone can restore from them under
1. Confirm the scheduled job ran. Check [location] for the completion log.
2. Confirm the backup size is consistent with previous runs. A backup far
smaller than usual is a failed backup that reported success.
3. Record the result in the backup log.
4. If the job failed, follow step 7.
6. VERIFICATION (DO NOT SKIP)
Monthly, restore [one file or one folder] from the most recent backup to a test
location and confirm it opens correctly. Record the test in the log.
A backup that has never been restored is not a backup. It is an assumption.
Last verified restore: [MM/DD/YYYY] by [Name]
7. RECOVERY PROCEDURE
1. Identify what was lost and the last known good date.
2. Notify [owner] before restoring anything.
3. Restore to [a staging location first], not over live data.
4. Confirm the restored data is correct and complete.
5. Move it into place and confirm the affected people can work again.
6. Write down what happened, what was lost, and what prevented an earlier catch.
8. IF THE BACKUP FAILS
1. Check [connectivity, storage space, credentials] in that order.
2. Re-run manually.
3. If it fails twice, escalate to [name or vendor] the same day. Do not leave a
failed backup unresolved overnight.
9. VERSION HISTORY
Version | Date | Changed by | What changed
1.0 | [MM/DD/YY] | [Name] | Initial version
DISCLAIMER: This is a sample template for general information only and is not
legal advice or a security assessment. Retention periods for financial, HR, and
customer records are set by law and by contract; confirm yours before adopting
this schedule.
How to Write an SOP
The template solves the structure. The writing is a different problem, and the failure is nearly always the same one: describing the procedure as it is supposed to work rather than as it does.
Write it with the person who does it
The procedure is in their hands, not in your idea of it. Watch them do it once and write what actually happens, including the workaround they never mentioned.
Have someone else follow it
Give the draft to a person who has never done the task and watch them try. Every place they hesitate is a missing step. This takes twenty minutes and finds more than a careful re-read will.
Version it and date it
Number the version, record what changed and who changed it, and set a review date. An undated procedure gives nobody a way to know whether it is still true.
Put it where the work happens
An SOP filed in a drive nobody opens is not in use. Attach it to the role, the onboarding task, or the training assignment it belongs to.
The second step is the one worth insisting on. Handing the draft to someone who has never done the task and watching them try finds gaps that no amount of careful re-reading will, because the author cannot see the steps they perform without thinking. Twenty minutes of that is worth more than an hour of revision.
On writing style, three rules cover most of it. Start every step with a verb. One action per step, so anything containing the word and is probably two steps. And write for someone on their first week, not for the person who already knows, since that is who will be reading it.
SOP vs Policy vs Instruction
These three get used interchangeably and then someone asks where a rule lives. They sit at different levels.
Document
Answers
Changes
Example
Policy
What is required, and why
Rarely
Expenses over $200 need pre-approval and must be submitted within 30 days
SOP
How the task is performed, step by step
When tools or people change
Which form to open, what to attach, who approves, how to confirm receipt
Work instruction
How one specific task is done in detail
Often
How to scan a receipt on the office printer and name the file
Small businesses routinely collapse all three into one document, which is fine as long as the requirement and the steps are visually separated. The reason to keep them distinguishable is the middle column: a policy changes rarely and the steps change every time a tool does, so mixing them means republishing the policy to fix a button name.
Without an HR Department
Every large template library writes for a company that has a process owner, a document controller, and an approval workflow. At ten people, all three are the same person, and that person is also serving customers. Three things go wrong, and they are the same three every time.
The procedure lives in one person's head
At a small company the real procedure is whatever the longest-serving person does. That works until they take a holiday, and it stops working permanently when they leave. Writing it down is not bureaucracy at this size; it is the only copy that survives a single departure.
Nobody has time to write forty SOPs
Nobody needs forty. Write the three procedures that break most often when the usual person is away, and the one that costs money when it goes wrong. Four documents covers most of the exposure at a business of ten. Writing them badly and finishing beats writing them well and stopping at two.
It was written once and never opened again
An SOP that describes a system you stopped using two years ago is worse than none, because someone will follow it. Put a review date in the title block and put the SOP where the work happens rather than in a folder nobody browses. Reviewing four documents once a year is an afternoon.
The practical answer is smaller than it looks. Four documents covering the tasks that break when someone is away, written badly and finished, beats a comprehensive library that stops at two. Start with onboarding a new hire, since it is the procedure most likely to be run by whoever is free that week.
Versions and Records
An SOP with no version control is a document with an unknown expiry date. Federal guidance on this is more specific than most employers realise, and it is worth borrowing even if you are nowhere near a regulated activity.
Only the Current Version Should Be in Use
Federal SOP guidance recommends identifying the individual responsible for ensuring only the current version is in use, and archiving outdated versions in a way that prevents their continued use while keeping them available for historical review. It also notes that electronic access can be limited to read-only, protecting against unauthorised changes. The same guidance observes that SOPs are frequently used as checklists by inspectors when auditing procedures, which is the reason the version history matters beyond tidiness.
For a small business, that translates into three habits. Number every version and record what changed, who changed it, and when. Keep one master copy that people read rather than several copies they each edit. And set a review date in the title block, because an undated procedure gives nobody a way to judge whether it is still true.
Retention is the other half. Where an SOP covers a regulated activity or produces a record, the record retention rule usually comes from elsewhere and the SOP has to match it, which is why the HR and IT templates here both carry a retention line rather than leaving it implied.
Store, Sign, and Update
The templates work on their own, printed and filled in. What tends not to work is the storage: a shared drive folder that people were told about once, containing several versions of the same procedure with names ending in final and final-v2.
Two things fix most of it. Put the SOP where the work is rather than where documents live, so the onboarding procedure is attached to the onboarding task and the safety procedure to the safety training. And capture an acknowledgment when it matters, so you can show who read which version and when.
That is what FirstHR handles: SOPs and training documents attach to the role and the onboarding workflow rather than sitting in a folder, acknowledgments come back e-signed with a dated record, and the current version is the one people see. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a document control system for regulated manufacturing and not a law firm, so it does not validate procedures, manage quality-system compliance, or advise on retention law. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
An SOP is a set of written instructions for a routine activity, and federal guidance is explicit that there is no one correct format.
Choose the format from the shape of the work: step-by-step for a fixed order, checklist where order does not matter, hierarchical for sub-steps.
Eight elements make a complete SOP, and the two most often skipped are the scope exclusions and the version history.
Write it with the person who does the task, then have someone who has never done it follow the draft; every hesitation is a missing step.
A policy states what is required and changes rarely; an SOP states how and changes whenever a tool or a person does.
Four finished SOPs covering the tasks that break when someone is away beat a comprehensive library that stalls at two.
Number every version, record what changed, and set a review date, because an undated procedure gives nobody a way to know whether it is still true.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an SOP template?
An SOP template is a reusable document structure for writing a standard operating procedure, which the federal environmental agency defines as a set of written instructions documenting a routine or repetitive activity followed by an organisation. The template supplies the sections every procedure needs so you fill in the specifics rather than deciding the structure each time: a title block with an SOP number, owner, version, and effective date; a purpose explaining why the procedure exists; a scope stating what it covers and does not; roles and responsibilities; the numbered steps themselves; a verification step; and a version history. Using the same template across procedures matters more than the template being perfect, because consistency is what makes a set of SOPs usable rather than a pile of documents.
What are the four types of SOP format?
Four formats cover almost every procedure. Step-by-step is a simple numbered list, right when each step is a single action and the order is fixed, and it is the format most SOPs should use. Checklist format uses tick boxes for tasks that all have to happen but not in a set order, which fits opening and closing routines and equipment checks. Hierarchical format breaks main steps into sub-steps such as 1a and 1b, and suits longer procedures with detail under each stage. Flowchart format maps decision points visually and is the right choice when the path genuinely branches on conditions. Federal guidance is explicit that there is no one correct format and that it will vary by organisation and by the type of SOP being written.
What should an SOP include?
Eight elements. A title block carrying the SOP number, version, owner, department, effective date, and review date. A purpose stating why the procedure exists, written as a reason rather than a restatement of the title. A scope naming what it applies to and, importantly, what it does not. Roles and responsibilities, including who approves. Prerequisites: the access, equipment, or information needed before starting. The numbered procedure steps, each beginning with a verb and covering one action. A verification step describing how you know it worked. And a version history table recording what changed, when, and by whom. The two most often skipped are the scope exclusions and the version history, and both are the ones that cause problems later.
How do you write an SOP for a small business?
Start with the procedure that breaks most often when the usual person is away. Write it with the person who actually does the task rather than from your idea of how it works, because the real procedure includes the workaround nobody mentioned. Keep it to one page. Then give the draft to someone who has never done the task and watch them follow it: every place they hesitate is a missing step, and this twenty-minute test finds more than any amount of careful re-reading. Number the version, date it, and put it where the work happens rather than in a folder nobody opens. You do not need forty SOPs. Four good ones covering the tasks that cost money when they go wrong covers most of the exposure at a business of ten people.
What is the difference between an SOP and a policy?
A policy states what the organisation requires and why; an SOP states how a specific task is performed, step by step. A policy on expenses says that expenses must be pre-approved above a threshold and submitted within thirty days. The SOP tells you which form to open, what to attach, who to send it to, and how to know it was received. A work instruction sits one level below the SOP, covering a single task in fine detail, often for one role or one piece of equipment. In practice small businesses collapse all three into one document, which is workable as long as the requirement and the steps are visually separated, because the requirement changes rarely and the steps change whenever a tool does.
Are SOP templates free to download?
The six on this page are, as editable Word documents, with no email form and no account. That is worth checking elsewhere, because several widely-linked SOP template pages route the download through a lead capture form, and some template libraries offer a free tier alongside a paid one where the more complete versions sit behind the upgrade. Free also does not mean finished: any template is a structure, and the value is in the specifics you add, which is why the templates here include worked examples for HR onboarding and IT backup rather than only blank forms. Download the format that matches your procedure, fill in the brackets, and change anything that does not fit how you actually work.
How often should SOPs be reviewed?
Annually as a default, and immediately whenever the underlying process changes. The trigger that matters more than the calendar is a change in the tools, the people, or the rules: a new system, a new person owning the task, or a regulatory change all make the existing document wrong in a way nobody notices until someone follows it. Federal guidance goes further on control, recommending that an organisation identify who is responsible for ensuring only the current version is in use and that outdated versions be archived in a way that prevents their continued use. Putting a review date in the title block is the cheapest version of this, because an undated procedure gives nobody a way to judge whether it is still true.
Do I need an SOP for every process?
No, and trying to write one for everything is the most common reason small businesses abandon the effort entirely. Write an SOP where at least one of three things is true: the task is done by more than one person and needs to come out the same way each time; the task is done rarely enough that nobody remembers the steps; or getting it wrong costs real money, breaks a rule, or upsets a customer. Onboarding a new hire, closing the month, handling a refund, and responding to a complaint usually qualify. Tasks that one person does daily and never gets wrong usually do not, at least until that person is the only one who can do them, at which point they qualify for a different reason.
