What is an SOP, and which task should you document first?

A standard operating procedure, or SOP, is a written set of instructions for completing a particular process. That is the core definition used in monday.com's SOP guide. Start by naming the finished result you want someone to produce.

My suggestion is to choose a task that regularly brings questions back to you. Write down the last few questions, then select one task with a clear beginning and end. Avoid starting with a department title such as “Marketing.”

Set a boundary before writing steps

For a hypothetical marketing studio, “Publish an approved social post” is a manageable scope. Start when the client has approved the final copy and artwork. End when the published post has been checked and its link recorded.

Leave campaign planning and writing the original draft outside that document. Add them to a future documentation list if needed. For the wider responsibility discussion, use the guide to delegating tasks as a business owner.

Also separate policy from procedure. A policy sets rules; an SOP explains execution, as monday.com's comparison explains. Put general workplace rules in your employee handbook, then document the actions needed to follow them.

Who should you talk to before drafting?

Talk to the person who performs the task and the person who accepts the result. Involving the people responsible for the work is part of Process Street's preparation guidance. Arrange a walkthrough of an actual completed task.

Ask the operator to show the files, messages and decisions involved. Record what happens today separately from proposed improvements. Before publishing, agree which changes have actually been approved.

• What tells you it is time to begin?
• What must be available before the first step?
• Where do you have to ask someone for information?
• What makes you stop or seek approval?
• How do you know the output is ready?
• Who receives it next, and what do they check?

Resolve disagreements explicitly

If two people use different methods, capture both. Ask the process owner to choose the accepted approach after reviewing the differences. Do not silently turn one person's preference into a company rule.

In your notes, label unresolved items “decision needed.” Assign each question to someone who can answer it. Keep the draft unpublished until the decisions affecting execution are clear.

What sections should your SOP template include?

Give readers the task, the boundaries, the steps and a way to check completion. Title, scope, responsibilities, instructions, revision history and approval are core elements in monday.com's recommended structure.

The following SOP template is my suggested starting point for a small team. Replace every bracketed field. Remove a field only after checking that the reader will still have the information needed to act.

Choose a readable SOP format

A simple checklist is one starting option described by Process Street. Use numbered steps for your first draft when sequence matters. Where an answer changes the next action, write an explicit “if” instruction.

When writing work instructions, replace vague verbs with observable actions. Instead of “check the content,” specify “compare the caption and artwork with the approved files.” Explain any abbreviation beside its first use.

Use your existing document editor for the first draft. If you prefer a Word template, Smartsheet's guide includes Word options. Finish the instructions before spending time choosing a new documentation platform.

What does a standard operating procedure example look like?

This is a hypothetical example for a small marketing studio, not a reported client case. Adapt the approval rules to your own agreements. The task is publishing a social post after approval.

Procedure: publish approved client content

Purpose: publish the approved material to the intended account. Operator: social media coordinator. Exception contact: account manager. Start: approval is recorded for the final files.

1. Open the content record. Confirm the client, channel, planned publication time and approval status.
2. Open the exact caption and artwork referenced in the approval. If several versions are present and the approved one is unclear, stop and ask the account manager.
3. Open the publishing account. Check the displayed account name against the client named in the content record.
4. Prepare the post using the approved material. Compare the preview with the approved caption and artwork.
5. Check any destination link against the approved destination. If it is missing or leads somewhere unexpected, hold the post and report the issue.
6. Publish at the agreed time. If publication fails, inspect the account for an existing post before attempting the action again.
7. Open the published post. Check the text, artwork and destination, then record the live link in the content record.

Write the exception rule beside the work

For this example, the coordinator may correct a copying mistake before publication but may not rewrite approved wording. A requested wording change goes back to the account manager. Keep the post on hold until the new version is approved.

Define completion as a checked live post with its link recorded. A prepared draft does not meet that example's completion rule. Replace this rule if your own procedure ends at scheduling rather than publication.

For a broader review of account activity, use the guide to conducting a social media audit. Keep that wider review separate from the instructions for publishing one post.

How do you test whether someone can follow it?

Give the draft to another person and observe them using it. Testing with people at different experience levels is recommended in Smartsheet's SOP writing guide. For publishing tasks, start with sample material and stop before anything goes live.

Record every point where the reader pauses, guesses or asks for help. Explain what is needed, then add that information to the draft. Do not count your spoken explanation as part of the written procedure.

Use this SOP checklist

• Can the reader identify the correct starting information?
• Does every step describe an action they can perform?
• Are approval limits visible where decisions happen?
• Is there a clear response to missing information?
• Can the reader check the result without asking you?
• Is there a named place to record completion?
• Can they locate the current approved document?

Try an ordinary case and a deliberately incomplete sample. For the studio example, remove the approval reference from the sample. Check whether the reader stops and contacts the right person.

Keep a small test log with the step, the problem and the correction. Rewrite unclear sections and repeat the affected part. When introducing the procedure to a new colleague, include this practice in your employee onboarding plan.

Choose a practical acceptance rule before testing: all required steps completed, exceptions handled correctly and the final output checked. Use the result to decide whether the instructions are ready.

How often should you review and update an SOP?

Update the instructions when the underlying work changes, and schedule a regular review. monday.com suggests quarterly reviews for changing processes and annual reviews for stable ones. Treat those intervals as guidance, not a universal requirement.

Assign one document owner and record how colleagues should report a problem. When updating a procedure, note what changed and who approved it. Replace outdated copies wherever the team actually uses them.

Make your first week concrete

1. Choose one task and define its start and finish.
2. Walk through it with the operator and draft the steps.
3. Agree the exceptions and approval limits.
4. Run a sample task, revise the draft and get approval.
5. Share the current version and schedule its next review.

To assess usefulness, record where people still need help and which outputs require correction. For a wider measurement plan, see choosing small business performance measures. Begin with observations you can collect during normal work.