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How to Write an SOP: A Practical 8-Step Method (with Example)

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a written set of steps that lets someone other than you complete a task the same way, every time. Most SOPs fail for one of two reasons: nobody gets around to writing them, or they're written so vaguely that the reader still has to ask. This guide covers a method that avoids both.

What a good SOP contains

Whatever the task, a usable SOP answers the same questions in the same order:

• Purpose: what the task achieves, in one sentence.
• Who performs it: the role, and the experience level you're writing for.
• Tools and access: software, logins, files and permissions needed before starting.
• Steps: numbered, one action per step, using the exact names of buttons and fields.
• Decision points: "if X, do Y" rules that would otherwise live only in your head.
• Completion check: how the person knows they finished correctly.
• Common mistakes: what typically goes wrong and how to fix it.

Step 1: Pick one task with a clear start and end

"Bookkeeping" is not an SOP. "Enter a vendor invoice into QuickBooks and attach the PDF" is. If you can't name the trigger (what starts the task) and the finished state, split it into smaller procedures.

Step 2: Decide who the reader is

Write for the least experienced person who will realistically do the task. That decides how much you explain. A new hire needs "Click File → Open". An experienced colleague may only need "Open the export".

Step 3: Capture the task while you do it

The biggest source of missing steps is writing from memory. Steps you've done hundreds of times become invisible. Instead, record your screen while you do the task for real and talk through what you're doing and why. The recording becomes your source of truth for the order of steps, the exact labels, and the decisions you make without noticing.

Step 4: Turn the capture into numbered steps

Play the recording back and write one step per action. Start each step with a verb and bold the interface labels:

1. Click File → Open…
2. Set File type to Text documents.
3. Select the export file and click Open.

Keep explanations out of the step itself. If the reason matters, add a short note underneath.

Step 5: Add screenshots where a step could be misread

Not every step needs an image. Add one when the screen is busy, when two buttons look alike, or when the reader needs to check a setting. Frames taken from your recording show the real interface, which beats a mock-up.

Step 6: Write down the decisions

Look for moments in the recording where you paused, checked something, or chose between options. Each is a rule: "If the invoice is over $5,000, send it for approval before entering it." These rules are the most valuable part of the SOP and the part most often left out.

Step 7: Add a completion check and common mistakes

End with a short checklist the reader can tick (e.g. "Invoice appears in Unpaid Bills with the PDF attached"). Then add a table of the two or three mistakes you've seen, what causes them, and how to fix them.

Step 8: Test it on someone else

Give the SOP to someone who hasn't done the task and watch, without helping. Every question they ask means a step is missing or unclear. Fix it, add a version date, and store the SOP where the team already works (Google Drive, Notion, or your knowledge base).

A short example

See our sample SOP: an 8-step procedure for importing a CSV into a spreadsheet, written from a 2-minute screen recording, with a header table, screenshots, a completion check and a troubleshooting table.

SOP writing checklist

• ☐ One task, clear trigger and end state
• ☐ Reader and role defined
• ☐ Prerequisites listed
• ☐ One action per step, labels in bold
• ☐ Decision rules written out
• ☐ Screenshots where steps could be misread
• ☐ Completion check and common mistakes
• ☐ Tested by someone new, version dated