How to Write SOPs a System Can Check
Most standard operating procedures are documents nobody opens. Write one where every step names the evidence that proves it's being followed, and it stops being a document. It becomes part of how the business runs.
How to write an SOP, in seven steps
- Name the outcome. One sentence: what's true when this procedure is done right.
- Name the owner. One role, not "the team".
- List the steps in order, one action each, starting with a verb.
- Give each step a check. The question a system, or a colleague, can answer to prove the step happened. "Did every new lead get a follow-up task?" is a check. "Follow up promptly" isn't.
- Mark the human steps. Decisions, sending and spending stay with a person. Say so in the SOP.
- Run the checks once, and write down today's numbers. That's your baseline.
- Set a review date for the procedure itself.
A template you can copy
| # | Step | Owner | The check (the evidence) | Human or system | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tag every new lead with its source | Marketing | New leads with no source | System | — |
| 2 | Assign the lead and create a follow-up task | Sales | Leads with no owner, or no open task | System | — |
| 3 | Contact the lead within one business day | Sales | Leads whose follow-ups are all overdue | Human | — |
| 4 | Record a reason when a lead is disqualified | Sales | Closed leads with no reason recorded | Human | — |
The example rows are illustrative. They show the shape, not anyone's data. The Today column gets real numbers when the checks are run.
From written to automated: the ladder
| Level | Meaning | Evidence needed |
|---|---|---|
| 0 · Unwritten | Done from memory | — |
| 1 · Written | It's in a document | The document |
| 2 · Measured | A live check shows whether it's followed | The check and today's count |
| 3 · Staged | The system drafts the work; a person approves | The draft and the approval |
| 4 · Automated | The system does it; something audits it | A passing audit |
A step moves up only on evidence. A step with no check is "unmeasured", not "done".
What the checks usually find
The first time you run the checks, expect a backlog, not a broken system. When we ran them on our own lead-handoff procedure, the automated steps passed and the human steps were behind: leads were tagged and assigned every time, and the follow-up calls were overdue. That's the point of writing the check. It turns "we should follow up more" into a number you can move.
Questions people ask
What should an SOP include?
The outcome, the owner, the steps, a check for each step, which steps stay human, and a review date.
How long should an SOP be?
As long as the steps. If a step needs a paragraph, it's probably two steps.
Can SOPs be automated?
Some steps can. Give each step a check first: you can't safely automate a step you can't measure.
Templates or a system?
Start with a template, like the one above or a Canva SOP template. The checks are what turn a template into a system. For how the procedures fit together, see what a second brain is for a business.
Find out which of your procedures are actually running
The Growth Systems Audit looks at the whole path from interest to action, including the handoff into sales, and leaves you with a ranked plan for what to fix first.
See the Growth Systems Audit Start with the Free Scorecard