How to write a standard operating procedure

Moments at work where you simply don’t know what to do or how to proceed should be few and far between. One of the ways organizations accomplish that is by establishing, documenting, and sharing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for every aspect of the work they do, from onboarding new hires to deploying new software to coping with a security breach.

In this piece, we’ll define what a standard operating procedure is and explain why SOPs are important for productivity at an individual, team, and organizational level. We’ll outline how standard operating procedures help streamline business processes, increase efficiency, and maintain business continuity as individual subject matter experts (SMEs) move on to new roles and new team members are brought up to speed. We’ll also run through the key components of a standard operating procedure template and give you a free SOP template you can use to create one for your organization.

SOPs and knowledge management

SOPs play a crucial role in optimizing internal processes by ensuring that critical information is properly captured, preserved, organized, and up-to-date, as well as easily accessible to anyone searching for that information. They ensure a systematic approach that fosters consistency and enhances overall organizational efficiency, and they are key to capturing vital institutional knowledge to ensure business continuity over time. As such, they’re central to any effective knowledge management and/or knowledge sharing strategy.

What does SOP stand for?

A standard operating procedure is simply a piece of documentation that describes a business process or function with the goal of standardizing it and making it repeatable. Different organizations might call them user guides, employee handbooks, manuals, or playbooks, but they’re all in service of the same goal: to preserve institutional knowledge and make it accessible for the next person who finds themselves in that situation.

SOPs should be in place for every business process. Human resources might have an SOP for how medical leave is approved. Marketing teams have SOPs that guide how they publish blog posts and create social media content. Sales teams have SOPs for responding to prospects’ questions and objections. Engineering teams have SOPs for requesting code reviews and deploying new software.

The value of institutional knowledge

Capturing and sharing institutional knowledge—from general best practices to specific company policies to details about your tech stack—is vital to a thriving knowledge management/knowledge sharing practice. As we’ve written, organizations need a knowledge management strategy that allows employees to capture, discover, and share institutional knowledge organically, without interrupting their existing workflows. The alternative is wasted time spent searching for answers others have already provided, knowledge loss when employees move on or forget context and details, and a grinding halt to productivity and efficiency throughout the organization.

An important note: As more organizations adopt generative AI (GenAI)-powered tools, an effective knowledge management strategy becomes even more critical in ensuring the consistency and accuracy of AI output.

How an SOP contributes to organizational success

SOPs are essential to organizational success: they improve efficiency on an individual and a team level, make knowledge-sharing and retention possible and repeatable, and hugely expedite and enhance the training and onboarding of new employees.

They contribute organizational efficiency by streamlining workflows and establishing repeatable workflows to ensure consistency. As we noted, they play a major role in a successful knowledge management and knowledge-sharing strategy. And they give new employees a clear structure for understanding how to perform their essential job functions. SOPs, as part of a well-organized knowledge base, allow users to self-serve the knowledge they need without interrupting their own or others’ workflows.

Increased efficiency

SOPs help streamline workflows and processes by ensuring that tasks are performed consistently and correctly. By providing clear instructions, SOPs reduce the likelihood of errors and rework, thereby saving time and resources (not to mention headaches). They eliminate the need to (re)create procedures from scratch, freeing up employees to focus on higher-order tasks. Finally, by documenting the best ways to perform certain tasks or respond in certain situations, SOPs serve as a record of an organization’s best practices.

Improved knowledge sharing and retention

In a knowledge-sharing ecosystem, SOPs are a primary means by which employees can share information, experience, and insight. Good SOPs enable greater efficiency, more effective collaboration across teams, and continuous improvement. They can be particularly helpful in large organizations, where knowledge silos and other barriers can keep teams from communicating as effectively as everyone would like.

By documenting essential information, SOP templates help capture and retain organizational knowledge, allowing the organization to avoid knowledge loss when employees leave. This business continuity is crucial for maintaining organizational stability over time.

Accelerated onboarding and training for new employees

Training and onboarding new employees can be a challenging and time-consuming process, and many organizations are looking for ways to shorten the time-to-value of new hires. SOPs are valuable resources here. With standard operating procedures in place, training/onboarding materials are kept up-to-date and easily accessible, empowering employees to learn at their own pace and refer back to training materials as needed.

SOPs also provide a clear workflow for new hires, helping them to become productive team members more quickly. This structured approach reduces the learning curve and ensures that new employees can contribute to the organization's success from the outset. A documented set of standardized procedures also helps ensure that all new employees receive the same level of training across the same areas.

Creating and writing an SOP

By this point, we hope we’ve communicated the importance of standard operating procedures within a business, especially how they enable effective knowledge management and information-sharing across teams. Now, we’ll talk about the steps involved in creating an SOP.

Identifying the purpose and scope

We’ve explained the general purpose of a standard operating procedure: a piece of documentation that clearly describes a business process or task in order to ensure that the process is carried out correctly and consistently. Obviously, SOPs vary hugely in length, scope, and complexity, depending on the process being described, the industry, the level of technical knowledge required, and many other variables. So the process of creating an SOP begins with unambiguously establishing what it will cover and, just as importantly, what it will not.

Clearly defining the purpose and scope of an SOP is crucial for ensuring it remains valuable and effective. Doing so also sets reasonable expectations and objectives to guide the work going forward, helping different stakeholders communicate and collaborate more effectively.

Identifying the key stakeholders and their roles

Key stakeholders in the creation of a statement of purpose naturally include individuals or teams with a vested interest in the process at stake. Identifying the key stakeholders is essential for ensuring that the SOP is comprehensive and meets the needs of everybody involved.

To ensure accuracy and practical applicability, it’s crucial to involve stakeholders in the process of drafting and defining an SOP. Each stakeholder has specific roles and responsibilities in the SOP creation process. For example, managers may be responsible for approving the SOP, while subject matter experts may provide technical input. Employees who will be using the SOP should also be involved in the process to provide practical insights and feedback.

Stakeholder involvement also promotes buy-in and community ownership of the SOP. When stakeholders are involved in the creation process, they’re more likely to understand why the SOP is important and more likely to follow the process it outlines. More stakeholder involvement also means more opportunities to identify potential challenges and pinpoint areas in need of updates or improvements. This helps keep the SOP robust and relevant. Regular check-ins, feedback sessions, and reviews also help ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page and that the SOP meets the organization's needs.

Key components

An effective SOP should include the following key components:

1. Title and purpose: Clearly state the title and purpose of the SOP. The title should be concise and descriptive, while the purpose should explain why the SOP is necessary and what it aims to achieve.
2. Scope: Define the boundaries of the procedure, including any limitations or exclusions. This section should clearly outline what the SOP covers and what it does not.
3. Responsibilities: Identify the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in the procedure. This section should specify who is responsible for each task so that everyone can easily understand the part they’re required to play.
4. Procedure: Provide step-by-step instructions for performing the tasks or processes. This section should be detailed and clear, using simple language and visual aids, such as diagrams or flowcharts, where they’re helpful for getting information across.
5. References: Include any relevant references, such as related SOPs, guidelines, or regulations. This section should provide additional resources that team members can refer to for more information.
6. Revision history: Document any changes or updates to the SOP. This section should include the date of each revision, a summary of the changes, and the name of the person who made the changes. This captures the evolution of organizational best practices and preserves some of the context around previous decisions.

Use cases

Standard operating procedures are used across industries, from healthcare and hospitality to manufacturing and medicine. Here are a few example use cases:

Change management

SOPs play a central role in change management within an organization. When changes are underway, whether they’re software updates, process improvements, or organizational restructuring, SOPs provide a structure that ensures smooth transitions, consistency, continuity, and the preservation of institutional knowledge. By documenting best practices and essential workflows, SOPs serve as the backbone of an organization’s knowledge base, and are more critical than ever in times of organizational evolution or business upheaval.

Effective change management relies on clear communication and collaboration among team members. SOPs facilitate this by outlining the steps involved in the change process, assigning responsibilities, and setting timelines. This structured approach enhances team productivity and efficiency, as everyone knows their role and the expected outcomes.

Knowledge management is, of course, a critical aspect of change management. SOPs also promote knowledge sharing by capturing the context around decisions, recording lessons learned, and incorporating real-time feedback from stakeholders to refine future change initiatives.

Onboarding and training new employees

We’ve already touched on how important SOPs are for onboarding new employees and training them on the processes they need to understand to do their jobs. A well-documented SOP provides a clear roadmap for new hires, helping them understand their roles and responsibilities within the context of the organization’s workflows. SOPs provide step-by-step instructions on how to perform specific tasks, use software tools, and adhere to company policies. This reduces the learning curve and ensures that new employees are aligned with organizational best practices from the start.

From a management perspective, SOPs help accelerate the time-to-value of new hires. From an employee experience perspective, as we’ve mentioned, they help people self-serve the knowledge they need to get up to speed and functioning independently as quickly as possible—a win for everyone.

SOPs promote knowledge sharing by making critical information readily accessible, which fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Collaboration is essential for effective onboarding; SOPs facilitate this by providing a common reference point for both new hires and their mentors. By following the same procedures, team members can work together more efficiently, reducing the likelihood of errors and miscommunications. This collaborative approach enhances team productivity and helps new employees integrate seamlessly into the organization.

Downloadable free SOP template

Here is a downloadable standard operating procedure template example for deploying a new software release, providing a clear, structured approach to the process involved.

How can Stack Overflow for Teams help

Stack Overflow for Teams can help ensure that your organization’s SOP templates are comprehensive, up-to-date, and accessible. The platform makes institutional knowledge available, searchable, and reusable, so your employees can find the information they need whenever they need it. It provides a centralized knowledge base that includes both a searchable repository of institutional knowledge and an asynchronous collaboration hub where users can easily tag subject matter experts to share their knowledge. Stack Overflow for Teams also supports voting and reputation, so users can rank the most helpful, relevant, and up-to-date answers, making them easier for everyone to discover.