Part 2: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
There’s only so much any one person on your team can remember.
Maybe you’ve got superstar team members who’ve been with you for years. They know the business inside and out, and you trust them completely. In fact, you barely check in with them these days because they’ve got it all handled.
If that’s you, congratulations. Seriously! Getting to a place where you’re not micromanaging every detail is no small feat.
But here’s the uncomfortable question: What happens when they leave?
Maybe they received another opportunity. Maybe it’s burnout. Or an illness. Or family obligations. Maybe it’s just a surprise resignation that lands in your inbox at 7:14 am with the emotional equivalent of “it’s not you, it’s me.”
Suddenly, you’re staring at a role no one fully understands. Work slows down. Mistakes happen. Deadlines slip.
And somehow you end up back in the weeds trying to recreate a process you thought was figured out years ago.
That’s not freedom. That’s dependency disguised as stability.
Your Business Shouldn’t Live in Someone Else’s Brain
Here’s the reality: if critical knowledge only exists in one person’s head, your business has a problem.
Yes, even if that person is amazing…
…Especially if that person is amazing!
Because the better someone is at their role, the more likely everyone quietly stops asking how things work and simply lets them own it until…one day, they’re unavailable.
This is exactly where Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) come in.
At its core, an SOP is simply documented instructions for how something gets done in your business. Like client onboarding, billing and invoicing, team onboarding, and customer service processes.
If your business repeats it, it’s worth a closer look as to whether it should be documented.
It’s not that your business doesn’t already have processes. The question is, are they documented OR are people just executing from memory?
Why CEOS Are Losing Money Without an SOP
Not to call you out, but I’m going to make a guess.
You know SOPs matter, but you just haven’t gotten around to them, right?
Why?
Because documenting processes feels painfully unproductive…in the moment.
You’re busy.
The team is moving fast.
There’s client work to do.
You’re putting out fires left and right.
I get it. Stopping to document a process feels about as exciting as organizing your tax receipts. Trust me, I’ve heard it many MANY times.
The problem is that the lack of SOPs eventually becomes expensive.
Without them, CEOs often run into the same problems:
- Everything depends on specific people, and that means, if one person is out, work stalls.
- Training takes forever because without an SOP, every new hire becomes a custom onboarding experience.
- You become the bottleneck. When you lose your expert, and everyone else isn’t sure how things should be done, questions flow right back to you.
- Quality becomes inconsistent.
- Without repeatable systems, scaling gets messy.
You don’t create SOPs because your business is broken.
You create SOPs because you’re building a business that can grow without everything depending on you.
That’s the difference.
How to Create SOPs Without Making You Miserable
1. Prioritize What Matters Most
Just like with systems, you want to look at the big ticket processes.
For example, processes that take too long, cause confusion, or get dropped when someone is unavailable. What would repeatedly land back on your or someone else’s plate if the person who owns it is out of office?
Focus on revenue-generating activities, client delivery processes, customer experience touchpoints, team onboarding and training, and recurring operational workflows.
THAT’S your SOP starting list.
2. Don’t Build Them Alone
Your team already knows the work.
Use them.
Ask the people closest to the process to walk you through what actually happens.
A simple screen recording or Loom walkthrough can become the foundation of a great written SOP. Perfection is not required. Documentation wins every single time.
3. Choose the Right Format
Also, keep in mind that not every SOP needs to look the same. When creating an SOP, you’ve got a few options.
- Simple Step-by-Step SOPs
This one is best for straightforward, repeatable tasks with a clear order of operations, such as submitting an invoice or onboarding a client
- Hierarchical SOPs
This style is useful for more complex processes with multiple decisions or responsibilities like launching a new client project or conducting performance reviews.
- Flowchart SOPs
This one is ideal for when decisions branch in different directions, such as customer support issues, approvals, or troubleshooting processes.
Don’t get stuck on creating a beautiful design in Canva or Adobe Creative Suite. The goal is clarity.
If someone new can follow it successfully, it works.
4. What Every SOP Should Include
Keep it simple, but make it useful. An SOP is not meant to be the corporate equivalent of a Herman Melville novel.
It’s meant to help someone successfully complete a task without Slack messages, panic, or a 45-minute meeting to explain what should have already been documented.
Every SOP should answer these questions:
1. What is this process? (Purpose)
Start with the “why.” What is this SOP designed to accomplish? Keep it simple and clear.
Example: This SOP outlines the process for onboarding new clients to ensure a consistent, professional experience from signed contract to kickoff.
Why it matters: people follow processes better when they understand the goal.
2. Who owns it? (Roles and Responsibilities)
Who is responsible for this process? Who approves it? Who gets looped in?
This is where confusion quietly turns into inefficiency.
If three people think someone else is handling it, you’ve just created an operational black hole.
Instead, clearly define ownership so there’s no guessing.
3. When is it used? (Scope)
When should someone use this SOP?
Is it for every client? Only certain clients? Only when a project exceeds a certain budget? During onboarding? Quarterly?
The clearer the boundaries, the less room there is for inconsistency.
Because “I thought this only applied sometimes” is not a solid business strategy.
4. Exactly how does it work? (Step-by-Step Process)
This is the heart of the SOP.
Spell out the process in enough detail that someone else could follow it without needing a play-by-play from your Operations Manager.
Think practical:
- Send contract through xyz platform
- Receive signed agreement
- Follow up in 48 hours if contract is not received.
- Send onboarding questionnaire within x days
- Create project folder
- Schedule kickoff meeting within x days
5. What tools or references are needed?
Don’t make people go on a scavenger hunt.
Include links to templates, email scripts, checklists, logins (where appropriate), and supporting resources in one place.
Future-you, and future team members, will thank you.
6. How do we know it’s updated? (Revision History)
Processes change, and your SOPs should too.
Include a simple note explaining when the SOP was last reviewed or updated and by whom.
After all, your SOP doesn’t do much good if you’ve got a process from five years ago explaining step-by-step instructions for something you stopped doing last year.
5. Test the SOP
Ok, great! You’ve got something written down. You’re almost there. The last step is to get it out in the world and see if it works.
It’s always a good idea to test because being an expert in a certain area doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an expert teacher. And there may be gaps that you don’t realize exist.
Ask yourself: Is it complete? Does it make sense? Can it be repeated without confusion or further training?
If the answer to these last three questions is yes, then congratulations! You’ve got a Standard Operating Procedure.
Final Takeaways
SOPs are not about wasting your time.
They’re about freedom.
They will save you countless hours in the long run. No more answering the same questions or becoming the bottleneck.
Instead you’ll have the freedom to step back regardless of who’s in the position, whether it’s someone with 10 years in the role or someone with 10 days.