If you’re looking for a way to jumpstart your SOP document creation, check out this template to help you standardize the way your team records internal processes.
"When you're in hyper-growth mode like we are, clearly defined processes help our teams stay informed amidst many moving pieces. We can now virtually share knowledge with greater speed and impact vs. emails or Slacks that get lost in the noise."
Don’t love how exhausting it is to be in so many meetings you can’t really get things done? How about those constant messages and emails that keep interrupting your actual work? What about putting out stressful fires?
There’s one thing all these sources of burnout have in common: A great standard operating procedure (SOP) prevents them.
So grab a coffee and we’ll show you everything you need to know to create a killer SOP. You’ll save time, prevent unwanted interruptions, and actually sign off feeling like you actually accomplished something worthwhile.
A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a step-by-step, repeatable process for any routine task. It’s a kind of documentation that prevents stress, mistakes, and miscommunication. SOPs ensure reliability, efficiency, and consistently hitting quality standards in regular work activities.
Combined, SOPs are often referred to as a playbook, operations manual, or operational handbook. Having clear, updated SOPs for each process can help improve a company’s valuation because companies with solid playbooks can be viewed by potential owners as passive income investments.
An SOP format is a template your organization uses to document standard operating procedures. Giving your team a template (or many SOP examples) to follow helps ensure yours is high-quality and clear.
When creating a standard operating procedure, decide which format will work best for you and your organization. The most common ones are simple or complex and depend on whether the scope of the standard operating procedure is small or large.
The SOP format you choose depends on your audience, purpose, and how much detail you need.
Best for standard operating procedures that are straightforward and low-complexity
A simple format shares key steps in an easy-to-digest overview. With a simple SOP format, you'll want to keep the document length to three to five sections and include:
Best for large, complex, or technical SOPs
Also called a complex SOP format, this is a more formal format that includes a table of contents and headings to help organize the information into bite-sized pieces.
When using a hierarchical format, you'll want to include a table of contents and organize the procedure into several sections that include:
Best for standard operating procedures that have a flexible scope
Using a flowchart SOP format can be useful to outline both simple and complex procedures. SOPs with a flowchart can vary in length. They need a few essential components that include:
An SOP should include a clear title that names the procedure, why this SOP was created, and step-by-step instructions that include who is responsible for each step. Any quality standards or turnaround timelines should be specified.
When you create your SOPs in Guru, the owner of the documentation gets an automatic reminder to update the content periodically.
When you’re creating an SOP, how do you know when you’ve made a great one? Using our proven SOP template as a starting point will help ensure yours are effective.
Teams need defined processes to get the job done, but how does your team document and share the processes you currently have so everyone’s on the same page?
With this Card template, you can standardize the way your team records your internal processes, provide the necessary context for why your team does things the way they do, and continue to utilize the knowledge management tools at your disposal.
How this template can help your team:
Don’t love how exhausting it is to be in so many meetings you can’t really get things done? How about those constant messages and emails that keep interrupting your actual work? What about putting out stressful fires?
There’s one thing all these sources of burnout have in common: A great standard operating procedure (SOP) prevents them.
So grab a coffee and we’ll show you everything you need to know to create a killer SOP. You’ll save time, prevent unwanted interruptions, and actually sign off feeling like you actually accomplished something worthwhile.
A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a step-by-step, repeatable process for any routine task. It’s a kind of documentation that prevents stress, mistakes, and miscommunication. SOPs ensure reliability, efficiency, and consistently hitting quality standards in regular work activities.
Combined, SOPs are often referred to as a playbook, operations manual, or operational handbook. Having clear, updated SOPs for each process can help improve a company’s valuation because companies with solid playbooks can be viewed by potential owners as passive income investments.
An SOP format is a template your organization uses to document standard operating procedures. Giving your team a template (or many SOP examples) to follow helps ensure yours is high-quality and clear.
When creating a standard operating procedure, decide which format will work best for you and your organization. The most common ones are simple or complex and depend on whether the scope of the standard operating procedure is small or large.
The SOP format you choose depends on your audience, purpose, and how much detail you need.
Best for standard operating procedures that are straightforward and low-complexity
A simple format shares key steps in an easy-to-digest overview. With a simple SOP format, you'll want to keep the document length to three to five sections and include:
Best for large, complex, or technical SOPs
Also called a complex SOP format, this is a more formal format that includes a table of contents and headings to help organize the information into bite-sized pieces.
When using a hierarchical format, you'll want to include a table of contents and organize the procedure into several sections that include:
Best for standard operating procedures that have a flexible scope
Using a flowchart SOP format can be useful to outline both simple and complex procedures. SOPs with a flowchart can vary in length. They need a few essential components that include:
An SOP should include a clear title that names the procedure, why this SOP was created, and step-by-step instructions that include who is responsible for each step. Any quality standards or turnaround timelines should be specified.
When you create your SOPs in Guru, the owner of the documentation gets an automatic reminder to update the content periodically.
When you’re creating an SOP, how do you know when you’ve made a great one? Using our proven SOP template as a starting point will help ensure yours are effective.
Teams need defined processes to get the job done, but how does your team document and share the processes you currently have so everyone’s on the same page?
With this Card template, you can standardize the way your team records your internal processes, provide the necessary context for why your team does things the way they do, and continue to utilize the knowledge management tools at your disposal.
How this template can help your team:
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