Write an SOP Someone Else Can Follow

“Handle new inquiries promptly” is an intention. It does not tell a colleague which inbox to open, what to check, or what to do when the email address is missing. A standard operating procedure—an SOP—turns that intention into instructions someone can use without you standing beside them.

Choose one small process Start with the workflow map for a task that already makes sense manually. Do not document the whole business in one sitting. For reviewing a new inquiry, the procedure might cover opening the request, checking contact details, assigning an owner, and recording the next action. Use the tracker fields rather than vague notes such as “follow up.”

Use this seven-part outline Purpose: what the procedure accomplishes. Trigger: when to start. Access: what records or tools are needed. Steps: the actions, in order. Decision points: what changes the next step. Done: the evidence that the task is complete. Exceptions: when to stop and who helps. For access, use the permissions checklist. If instructions live in Drive, check file-sharing settings so the intended colleague can actually open them.

Make the exception concrete Normal step: “Open the original inquiry and confirm a usable contact method.” Exception: “If no contact method is present, keep the record, mark Missing contact, and send it to the intake owner. Do not guess an address.” Name that owner through the handoff process. Use the approval guide for decisions the operator is not authorized to make.

Let AI organize rough notes “Turn these notes into a procedure. Keep explicit steps separate from missing decisions. Do not invent company policy. List questions we must answer before another person can follow it.” Consult OpenAI’s prompting documentation for refinements. Screenshots can help, but explain the intended outcome as well as the button to press.

Run the colleague test Ask someone unfamiliar with the task to follow it using fictional records. Observe hesitation without coaching over every gap. Use our test-record format to capture where the instructions failed. Assign a review owner and date. For Google documents, use version history to inspect changes, and make the current approved procedure easy to identify. Your finished SOP is not the longest document. It is the shortest complete set of instructions that survives an ordinary mistake or missing detail.