How to Write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

I’ve seen this format at the website of the company called Trainual. I’ve reworked it to fit People Department needs better, but I encourage everyone to take a look at Trainual, and maybe test their process software. I didn’t get a chance to use it, so I can’t say anything about it.

  • Choose anything that you do routinely, like benefits enrollment. Time yourself and ask yourself if you do it the fastest and error proof way possible.

    Write down every step you made in details. Remember those movies when people land the plane following instructions from the land? This is the movie you need to make about your routine task. Don’t ignore meaningful details.

    When you are done, ask yourself:

    • Did the way that I just use get desired outcome?

    • Do I perform it the same way every time? And if I do it differently, is it warranted, or am I just trying to spice things up?

      If you answered “No” to any of this questions, try and figure out where things could go astray, and improve the procedure. Then go through this step again to double check.

  • Write how someone should do the task, without missing a single detail (remember the plane!), and that should be exactly how you did it.

    The goal is to create a set of Super-Simple Steps so anyone on your team can use it to perform the task in question. This includes the WHO, WHERE, and WHY - on top of just the how-to. Otherwise, you might leave space for interpretation, which could change the outcome.

    Any jargon that can’t be quickly googled should be explained. If your SOP is a part of a bigger picture - focus on the part you own.

    You don’t have to write everything down all the time. You can videotape how you do it, or you can add pictures. Don’t limit your creativity!

    Explicitly describe the desired outcome or outcomes.

  • Choose someone who has never done this task before and ask them to perform it based on your description. Don’t provide any additional directions and just observe. Whenever they stumble, ask a question, or make a mistake, take a note and fix the document.

    When they ask you a question - don’t answer it right away, instead try to understand what is unclear. It will help you to improve the description.

    The go back to the writing board, do it, document it, and delegate it again, until your test subject can perform the task without a single issue.

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