How to Create SOP Templates to Tame Workplace Chaos

An SOP template is a structured outline that is used to regularize processes and workflows within an organization. Teams can use this template to standardize practices, have common definitions of done, and measure their progress.

Organizational SOP templates can make workflows related to training employees, documenting processes, onboarding new team members, etc., much more streamlined.

Creating a useful SOP template makes the standardization or regularization of the aforementioned action items easier, more efficient, and more effective.

Businesses and teams can consider an SOP template as ‘useful’ if it is lean, clear, adaptive, and scalable.

In this article, let’s look at the roadblocks you might face while creating an SOP template for your internal processes and learn three to overcome them in three actionable steps.

Roadblocks While Creating Effective SOPs

You may have encountered at least one such SOP that causes more harm than good. Such SOP templates complicate the workflow and cost more resources. It is also likely that these standardization documents are affecting the revenue.

But, why do they occur? Why do teams produce how-to instructional content that misses the mark?

Well, there are several reasons:

• Lack of clear objectives. Every SOP template that you’ve ever created fulfills a goal. It can be anything between sending an email or preparing a report. When these objectives are not tangibly defined (no metrics to track) they usually become roadblocks.
• Sometimes, teams may just have limited resources. If you are a small team or a business that is just starting out, you can’t dedicate hours to creating SOPs. Whether it is textual or video, it’s difficult to prioritize that when you have a lot on your plate.
• Creating useful SOP templates is a challenge in itself. You or your team need to learn and hone the relevant skills to a certain extent. The relevant skills can include step-by-step guide writing skills, storyboarding (in case of a video SOP), etc.
• Absence of a workflow around creating and maintaining SOPs. Just like your business and the operations within, your SOPs are also a living thing. They need to be updated efficiently and on time. This makes it important for teams to build a process around it.

A lot of the roadblocks we talked about above may be out of your control. For instance, getting better at storyboarding or writing instructions may take time. As all skills do.

At the same time, there are quite a few challenges that you can tackle five minutes from now (i.e. by the time you finish reading this article).

We discovered three easy and innovative ways you can make useful SOPs within minutes, not hours or days.

How to Create a Useful SOP Template (3 Easy Tips)

1. KISS - Keep it Simple, Silly

A comprehensive SOP template usually includes several components: Title Page, Table of Contents, Purpose, Scope, Roles and Responsibilities, Procedures, Resources and Materials, Privacy and Safety Warnings, Glossary of Terms, References, Revision History, and Approval Signatures. 

Honestly, that’s too much. Way too much.

Including all these elements can make the standard operating procedure template complex and resource-intensive to create. This will result in terrible SOPs that do more harm than good (as mentioned earlier).

Consider reducing your SOPs into a list of action items. A checklist.

This will motivate you to be strict as you create these process documents. Naturally, anything that doesn’t need to be there, won’t be there. You can (and should) only write the steps in your SOP that the user needs. Adding irrelevant items will just confuse them.

Use short, actionable bullets, and include visuals (images, but GIFs are better) where necessary. 

If you prefer video SOPs, it can be efficient if you just walk the audience through the steps. There is a reason screen-recorded how-to videos are such a hit, more popular than text.

While deciding on whether you should go with text or video, you need to dive deeper into the needs and preferences of your audience.

2. Choose the Right Format

Usually, you will find SOPs in two forms: text and video.

Text-based SOPs are quick to create and easily scannable, making them a popular choice for documenting standard operating procedures. If you need a semi-formal list of action items, this can be the best way forward.

However, sometimes it may not be enough to provide instructions via text. For instance, when training new salespersons about your email marketing workflow, videos are simply better.

Employee training SOP templates in video format guide the user through the steps in real-time. This makes learning more efficient as the user can replicate the steps parallelly. As a result, team members can learn how to get things done in your processes with more clarity, and faster.

As we discussed earlier, creating and maintaining SOPs in either format requires a certain amount of resources. It is also true that many teams can’t afford hours for it.

‍Clueso helps you create SOPs in either format in minutes.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Record your screen and explain the steps.
2. Upload it to Clueso.
3. Take a quick water break.

By the time you are back, Cluseo will have converted the raw screencast footage into a polished SOP article and a studio-quality instructional video. Here’s how it works:

Your article will be written in simple language, where the steps will be concise and clear. Of course, they will come with perfectly trimmed GIFs with zoom-in effects.

Similarly, the final instructional video will have a professional AI voiceover, pan and zoom effects, and subtitles. Your video will also add a branded intro and outro, ensuring consistency across all your content.

All of that will happen in minutes.

3. Define Clear Ownership for the SOPs

This tip is all about assigning tasks around the SOPs. It is essential to determine who will create, execute, and maintain the SOPs. Moreover, you have to do this for all the SOPs such as employee onboarding standard operating procedure template and marketing reporting checklist.

Teams can implement the RACI framework to streamline this process:

Teams can simply share the above infographic among themselves, or use it as a semi-formal checklist to enhance their SOP creation and maintenance processes.

SOP Template Examples to Get Inspired From

We have curated a few examples from different use cases for you so you can have a directionally tangible idea of what a useful SOP template looks like. The video SOPs below are created with Clueso.

Sales Enablement

The sales enablement SOPs tell your teams how they can nurture and convert leads into paying customers. It contains procedures related to sales reporting, ROI prediction, writing emails, etc.

You can also create video SOPs that educate your team members on how they can use certain tools as per your workflow’s needs.

Employee onboarding

A well-structured employee onboarding SOP template helps the new team member understand their role, expectations, and responsibilities.

ClickUp has created a nifty employee onboarding template that you can download for free:

Notice how the steps in the guide are quite straightforward and concise. This can make it easier for the reader to go through the action items efficiently.

Customer Education

These kinds of SOPs are crucial for increasing feature adoption and retention. They tell your customers or users how they can efficiently and effectively solicit your products or services.

If you use Slack for work, for example, you may find the following explainer video useful:

Ticket Handling

Ticket handling tokenizes your customers’ or users’ grievances, complaints, or requests so they can be converted into action items. Handling feedback from your buyers should be done meticulously as mistakes could mean loss of trust or bad reviews among your audience.

If you are using the text format for this use case, creating a simple flowchart outlining the entire process can be beneficial. A typical flowchart for handling customer support tickets for B2B SaaS companies can look like this:

This assists the support team members get acclimated with the overall process of processing complaints and handling grievances. As a result, they can provide the best resolution quickly. Additionally, this will make it easier for users to find specific things in that SOP as well.

Conclusion

Creating a useful SOP template quickly involves keeping the document simple, choosing the right format, and defining clear ownership using frameworks like RACI. Simplify your SOPs to checklists with actionable bullets and visuals. 

It is important to select the best format, whether text or video, to enhance clarity and engagement. Assign clear responsibilities to ensure your SOPs are maintained and impactful.

Clueso streamlines this process, enabling teams to create both textual and video SOPs from raw screen-recorded clips in minutes.

Book a demo now to integrate Clueso into your workflow within 15 minutes.

FAQs

How to make a standard operating procedure template?

Start by outlining the purpose, scope, roles, and procedures. Include clear, actionable steps, resources needed, safety warnings, and a glossary of terms. Use a simple format and regularly update it based on feedback.

What is the layout of a standard operating procedure?

A standard SOP layout includes a Title Page, Table of Contents, Purpose, Scope, Roles and Responsibilities, Procedures, Resources, Privacy and Safety Warnings, Glossary of Terms, References, and Revision History.

Who writes SOPs in a company?

Typically, SOPs are written by process owners or managers who oversee specific functions. They often collaborate with team members and stakeholders to ensure accuracy and comprehensiveness.

How can you write SOP on your own?

Identify the process, outline each step clearly, and use simple language. Include necessary details such as materials, safety precautions, and responsible roles. Review and revise regularly for improvements.

What are some good examples of standard operating procedures?

Good examples include employee onboarding processes, customer service ticket handling, equipment maintenance procedures, and safety protocols. These examples are detailed, clear, and ensure consistency and compliance.

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