Business Improvement
Write SOPs that people actually follow
Turn what is in one person's head into clear steps, so the work stays consistent as you grow.
- ChooseMost important task
- WatchSee it done
- WriteClear short steps
- TestNew person tries
What you need
- One repeated task that causes problems when it is done differently
- The person who does it best
Start with the task that hurts most
Do not try to document everything. Choose a task that is frequent, or where mistakes are expensive, or which only one person knows how to do.
Watch the work being done
Sit with the person who does it best and write down what really happens, including the small checks they do without thinking. A document written from memory tends to miss these.
Write short steps with a clear format
Start each step with an action word. Add a screenshot or photo wherever it saves explaining. Use this format as a starting point.
Title: Issue a customer invoice Purpose: Why this task matters Owner: Accounts officer When: Within 1 day of delivery Steps: 1. Open the signed delivery note 2. Create the invoice in the accounting software 3. Check the price against the quotation 4. Email the PDF to the customer Done when: Invoice is sent and logged Version: 1.0, reviewed 2026-11Test it with someone new
Ask someone who has not done the task to follow your SOP without help. Wherever they stop or guess, the SOP needs fixing. This test finds more problems than any review meeting.
Keep it easy to find and up to date
Store SOPs in one shared place and give each one an owner and a review date. Update the SOP whenever the process changes, or people will stop trusting it.
Want this set up for your business?
We can plan, build and hand it over to your team.