SOP template, and how to write an SOP your team will follow
An SOP (standard operating procedure) is a written, step-by-step description of how one recurring task is done in your business, so anyone trained on it can do it the same way. The free template below has the eleven parts a usable SOP needs: an owner, a trigger, a scope, roles, what you need before you start, numbered steps each with a "done when", a quality check, exceptions, related SOPs, a review date and a change log. Copy it, then follow the 7-step method to fill it in.
Free, no sign-up. Last updated: October 10, 2026 · By Hunter Ezra (/authors/hunter)
The SOP template
Copy this into Google Docs, Notion, Word or your training tool. Delete the guidance in italics as you fill it in.
SOP: [Verb + object, e.g. "Send the weekly client report"]
| SOP ID | [e.g. DEL-004] |
| Owner | [The one person who keeps this SOP accurate] |
| Approved by | [Who signed it off] |
| Version | [1.0] |
| Last reviewed | [Date] |
| Next review | [Date, 6 months out or sooner] |
| Applies to | [Roles or teams that do this task] |
| Time to complete | [Typical minutes] |
1. Purpose
[One or two sentences: why this task exists and what goes wrong if it's done badly.]
2. Trigger
[The event that starts this task, e.g. "Every Monday by 10:00" or "When a deal moves to Closed won".]
3. Scope
- Covers: [What this SOP includes]
- Does not cover: [Related tasks that have their own SOP]
4. Roles
- Does the task: [Role]
- Reviews or approves: [Role, if any]
- Ask for help: [Role or person]
5. Before you start
- Access: [Accounts and permissions needed]
- Tools: [Software, templates, links]
- Inputs: [Information or files that must exist first]
6. Steps
- [Action, starting with a verb]
- Done when: [What's true once this step is finished]
- How: [Optional detail, screenshot or video timestamp]
- [Action]
- Done when: [ ]
- [Action]
- Done when: [ ]
- If [condition]: [what to do instead]
7. Quality check
- [Check 1, e.g. "Numbers match the dashboard"]
- [Check 2]
- [Check 3]
8. Exceptions and troubleshooting
| If this happens | Do this |
|---|---|
| [Problem] | [Fix or who to tell] |
| [Problem] | [Fix or who to tell] |
9. Related SOPs and resources
- [Link to the SOP that comes before or after this one]
- [Template, example or training video]
10. Training
- Video walkthrough: [Link]
- Trained and signed off: [Name, date]
11. Change log
| Version | Date | Change | By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | [Date] | First version | [Name] |
Why each section is there
| Section | What it prevents |
|---|---|
| Owner and next review | The SOP going stale because it's nobody's job to update it |
| Trigger | The task being done late, or only when someone remembers |
| Scope | One SOP growing into a manual nobody reads |
| Before you start | Someone getting halfway and discovering they don't have access |
| "Done when" on each step | Steps that are "started" but never finished, and arguments about whether they were |
| Exceptions | People improvising, or messaging the founder, when something goes off-script |
| Change log | Nobody knowing which version the team was trained on |
How to write an SOP in 7 steps
1. Pick a task worth documenting
Start with tasks that happen at least weekly, that someone other than you should be doing, or that cause problems when done wrong. Client onboarding, the weekly client report, and handling a new inquiry are common first SOPs for agencies, consultants and coaches.
2. Record yourself doing it
Do the task once while screen-recording and talking through what you're doing and why. This is faster than writing from memory, and it catches the small steps you no longer notice. The recording becomes the SOP's training video.
3. Turn the recording into numbered steps
Watch it back and write one step per action. Start each step with a verb ("Open", "Export", "Send"). If a step has more than one "and", split it.
4. Write the "done when" for each step
For every step, write what is true once it's finished. "Report sent" becomes "Report sent to the client's approver, with the three wins and next month's focus in the email body." This is the line that makes an SOP checkable.
5. Add the trigger, the owner and the exceptions
Write down what starts the task, who keeps the SOP up to date, and the two or three things that most often go wrong, with what to do about each.
6. Have someone else run it without help
Give the SOP to the person who'll actually do the task, and don't answer questions while they work. Every question they would have asked is a gap. Fix the SOP, not the person.
7. Set a review date and connect it to the work
Put a review date in the header (six months is a sensible default, sooner for anything that changes often). Then link the SOP from wherever the task is triggered: the checklist step, the calendar invite or the project task. An SOP nobody can find when they need it doesn't get used.
Example: a filled-in SOP for an agency
SOP: Send the weekly client report
| SOP ID | DEL-004 |
| Owner | Head of Delivery |
| Approved by | Founder |
| Version | 1.2 |
| Last reviewed | [Date] |
| Next review | [Date + 6 months] |
| Applies to | Account managers |
| Time to complete | 20 minutes per client |
1. Purpose
Clients judge our work week to week by this email. A late or confusing report becomes a complaint to the founder.
2. Trigger
Every Monday by 10:00 client time, for every active retainer client.
3. Scope
- Covers: the weekly email update.
- Does not cover: the monthly strategy review (DEL-005).
4. Roles
- Does the task: Account manager for the client
- Reviews: Head of Delivery, for clients in their first 30 days
- Ask for help: Head of Delivery
5. Before you start
- Access: client analytics and ad accounts, reporting dashboard
- Tools: weekly report email template (link)
- Inputs: last week's report, current tasks list
6. Steps
- Open the client's reporting dashboard and set the date range to last Monday-Sunday.
- Done when: the dashboard shows last week's dates.
- Copy the three headline numbers into the email template.
- Done when: all three numbers match the dashboard.
- Write three wins and one issue from last week.
- Done when: each is one sentence a non-marketer would understand.
- If there's no issue: say what you're watching instead.
- Write next week's focus.
- Done when: it names one priority and who is doing it.
- Send to the client's approver, copy the day-to-day contact.
- Done when: sent before 10:00 client time.
- Log it as a note on the client record.
- Done when: the note is on the client's record with the date.
7. Quality check
- Numbers match the dashboard
- No internal jargon or abbreviations
- Sent to the right people
8. Exceptions and troubleshooting
| If this happens | Do this |
|---|---|
| Tracking broke and numbers look wrong | Send the report without numbers, explain, tell Head of Delivery |
| Client is on holiday | Send anyway; they'll read it when back |
| A number dropped sharply | Explain the cause, or say you're investigating and when you'll update them |
9. Related SOPs and resources
- DEL-005 Monthly strategy review
- Weekly report email template (link)
10. Training
- Video walkthrough: (Loom link, 6 min)
- Trained and signed off: (name, date)
11. Change log
| Version | Date | Change | By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | [Date] | First version | Founder |
| 1.1 | [Date] | Added the "no issue" rule to step 3 | Head of Delivery |
| 1.2 | [Date] | Added logging the report on the client record | Head of Delivery |
SOP formats: which one to use
- Step-by-step (the template above): a single task done in a fixed order. Most service-business SOPs.
- Checklist: a task where order doesn't matter much but nothing can be missed, like a pre-launch check. Use the template's Quality check section on its own.
- Hierarchical: a long process with sub-steps, like a full client onboarding. Split it into one short SOP per stage and link them, or use a checklist with an SOP behind each step. See the client onboarding checklist template.
- Flowchart: a process with real decision points. Draw it, then link a step-by-step SOP for each branch.
Rules for SOPs people actually follow
- One task per SOP. If the title needs "and", it's two SOPs.
- Write for the newest person on the team, not for yourself.
- Show, then tell. A short video plus written steps beats either one alone: the video shows what it looks like, the steps are what people come back to.
- Keep it where the work happens. A shared drive folder of SOPs gets opened once. A link inside the task gets opened every time.
- Name an owner, not a team. "Delivery" doesn't update documents. A person does.
Turn your SOPs into training in Ariyel
Ariyel is a CRM and operating system for service businesses, implemented for you by Ariyel's team. Its Courses feature is built for exactly this template:
- One SOP becomes one lesson. A lesson holds one video (a Loom, YouTube or Vimeo link), formatted notes of up to 20,000 characters for the written steps, and labeled links to files like your report template.
- SOPs for one role become one course, with lessons in order, such as "Account manager: your first two weeks". Courses are private to your workspace.
- The checklist links to the lesson. A step in a client onboarding template can point to the SOP lesson in its instructions, so the checklist says what and the lesson says how.
- The trigger can run itself. Where an SOP starts from a CRM event, like a deal reaching Closed won, a workflow can create the task or start the checklist.
During implementation, Ariyel's team helps you turn your first SOPs into courses. See how Ariyel is implemented and Ariyel pricing.
FAQ
What should an SOP include? At minimum: a title that names the task, an owner, the trigger, numbered steps that each say what "done" looks like, and a review date. The template adds scope, roles, prerequisites, a quality check, exceptions, related SOPs and a change log.
How long should an SOP be? As short as it can be while someone new can still follow it without asking. For most recurring tasks in a service business that's one to two pages. If it's much longer, it probably covers more than one task.
What's the difference between an SOP and a checklist? A checklist lists what must be done. An SOP explains how to do it, who does it, when, and what to do when something goes wrong. Many teams use both: a checklist step links to the SOP behind it.
What's the difference between an SOP and a process? A process is the bigger flow, like client onboarding from signed deal to first report. An SOP documents one task inside that process, like sending the welcome email.
How often should SOPs be reviewed? Set a review date on each one, typically every six months, and review sooner whenever the tool, the team or the service changes. The owner named on the SOP is responsible.
Should SOPs be written or recorded on video? Both. Record the task first because it's fast, then write the steps from the recording. The video helps people learn; the written steps are what they scan when they do the task again.
Can I use this SOP template for free? Yes, in your own business or for clients, with no sign-up.
