# How to Create Standard Operating Procedures That Work

> Source: [https://botensten.com/articles/how-to-create-standard-operating-procedures](https://botensten.com/articles/how-to-create-standard-operating-procedures) (canonical)
> Author: Botensten — Botensten, https://botensten.com
> Published: 2026-08-07

## TL;DR

To create a standard operating procedure, pick one repeatable task, record it while you do it, and write each step as a single action starting with a verb. Add a top checklist, name the exact tool for every step, then test the draft by having someone who has never done the task follow it cold. Give each SOP an owner and a version date, store them in one place, and update them the moment a tool changes.

Create a standard operating procedure in five steps: pick one repeatable task, watch someone do it once, write each step as a single action, add a checklist and a screenshot, then test it by having a different person follow it cold. A good SOP fits on one page, names the tool for each step, and gets version-dated. We ship SOPs this way at Botensten every week.

## What Is a Standard Operating Procedure?

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a written document that shows one person exactly how to finish one recurring task the same way every time. It converts knowledge stuck in someone's head into steps anyone on your team can follow without asking.

SOPs matter most for solo operators and small teams, because you are the bottleneck. Michael Gerber's *The E-Myth Revisited* calls this working *on* the business instead of *in* it. Every task you document once is a task you stop re-explaining and re-deciding. The goal is not bureaucracy. The goal is that the business can run one step without you touching it.

## How Do You Create an SOP Step by Step?

Create an SOP by recording a task once, then writing each action as its own line. Do not write from memory — capture the real steps while the work happens, because your memory skips the parts you do on autopilot.

Here is the exact process we use:

1. **Pick one narrow task.** "Publish a blog post," not "run marketing." One SOP, one outcome.
2. **Record it live.** Screen-record or narrate the task the next time you do it. Loom, QuickTime, or a shared doc all work.
3. **Write one action per step.** Start each line with a verb: "Open," "Click," "Paste," "Check." Name the exact tool and button.
4. **Add a checklist at the top.** The doer scans the checklist; the detailed steps are the reference below it.
5. **Test it cold.** Hand it to someone who has never done the task. Every question they ask is a gap you fix.
6. **Date and store it.** Put a version date and owner at the top, and keep every SOP in one findable place.

Steps 5 and 6 are the ones people skip, and they are the ones that make an SOP real.

## What Should Every SOP Include?

Every SOP needs a title, an owner, a last-updated date, and steps written as single actions. Miss any of these and the document rots or gets ignored.

A complete SOP includes:

- **A plain title** that names the task and the outcome.
- **The trigger** — what starts this process (a new signup, a Monday, a customer email).
- **The tools** needed, named exactly, with links.
- **Numbered steps**, one action each, in order.
- **A definition of done** so the doer knows when to stop.
- **A version date and owner**, so people trust it is current.

Version control is not optional. The ISO 9001 quality standard, published by the [International Organization for Standardization](https://www.iso.org/iso-9001-quality-management.html), requires documented procedures to be controlled and kept current — because an outdated procedure is more dangerous than none. People follow it, and it is wrong.

## How We Build SOPs at Botensten

We build SOPs the same way we ship software: small, tested, and version-controlled. At Botensten we ship production features with AI every day, and our deploy process lives in a one-page SOP that any of us can run at 2 a.m.

That SOP exists because we broke production without it. Early on, a deploy skipped a database-restart step that lived only in one person's head, and the site served stale code for an hour. We wrote the step down, added a "restart, then check the process count and curl the endpoint" checklist, and the same mistake has not happened since. The fix was not more discipline. The fix was a written checklist that made the safe path the easy path.

Our rule: if a task breaks something once, it earns an SOP that day. We keep them short — one page, plain verbs, a screenshot per tricky step — and we treat them as code. When the tool changes, we update the SOP in the same session, or it lies to the next person.

## Which SOP Format Should You Use?

Match the format to the task. Simple, high-stakes tasks want a checklist; complex tasks with decisions want a flowchart or a video. Using the wrong format is why SOPs go unread.

| Format | Best for | Time to build | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checklist | Repeated, high-stakes tasks | Minutes | No detail for beginners |
| Step-by-step doc | Most operational tasks | ~30 min | Can get long |
| Flowchart | Tasks with decision branches | ~1 hour | Hard to edit |
| Screen-recording video | Software walkthroughs | Minutes | Not skimmable, ages fast |

For most tasks, pair a short checklist with a step-by-step doc. Add a video only when the software is visual and hard to describe in text.

## Why Do Most SOPs Fail?

Most SOPs fail because nobody tests them or updates them. A document written from memory, saved in a folder no one opens, and never revised is worse than tribal knowledge — it gives false confidence.

Checklists work when they are used, and the evidence is strong. A 2009 study by Haynes and colleagues in the [New England Journal of Medicine](https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa0810119) found that a 19-item surgical checklist, part of the [World Health Organization's Safe Surgery program](https://www.who.int/teams/integrated-health-services/patient-safety/research/safe-surgery), cut inpatient deaths from 1.5% to 0.8% and major complications from 11% to 7% across eight hospitals. The checklist did not add skill. It stopped skilled people from skipping steps.

Keep your SOPs alive with three habits: assign every SOP an owner, review it on a fixed schedule, and update it the moment the underlying tool changes. Gino Wickman's *Traction* and Sam Carpenter's *Work the System* both make the same point — documented systems only pay off when they are maintained, not filed and forgotten.

## Related reading

- [How to Integrate AI With Existing Business Systems](/articles/how-to-integrate-ai-with-existing-business-systems)
- [Best Practices for Business Automation: The Operator's Guide](/articles/best-practices-implementing-business-automation)
- [How to Organize Business Tasks Effectively: A Real Playbook](/articles/how-to-organize-business-tasks-effectively)

## Frequently asked questions

**How do you create standard operating procedures?**

Pick one repeatable task, record it while you do it, and write each step as a single action starting with a verb. Add a top checklist, test the draft with someone who has never done the task, then give it an owner and a version date.

**What is a standard operating procedure?**

An SOP is a written document that tells one person exactly how to complete one recurring task the same way every time, turning knowledge in someone's head into repeatable steps.

**What should an SOP include?**

A title, an owner, a last-updated date, the trigger that starts it, the tools needed, numbered single-action steps, and a clear definition of done.

**How long should an SOP be?**

Most operational SOPs fit on one page. Keep steps to one action each and add a screenshot only where a step is hard to describe in words.

**What is the best format for an SOP?**

Use a checklist for repeated high-stakes tasks, a step-by-step doc for most work, a flowchart for tasks with decisions, and a video only for visual software walkthroughs.

**Why do SOPs fail?**

They fail when nobody tests them cold or updates them after the tool changes. An outdated procedure is more dangerous than none because people trust it and follow it wrong.

**How often should you update an SOP?**

Update an SOP the moment the underlying tool or step changes, and review every SOP on a fixed schedule with a named owner responsible for it.