How to Write a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Template
Every company runs on procedures, whether or not anyone has written them down. Some are well defined and documented. Many are ad hoc, carried in the heads of a few experienced people and lost the moment those people move on. Ask yourself a blunt question: does a process really exist if no one has captured how it is supposed to run? Writing Standard Operating Procedures from a reliable SOP template is how you answer that question with a confident yes.
A standard operating procedure template standardizes your procedures, gets you started quickly, and gives everyone fast, easy answers to common SOP questions. It communicates the exact procedure format you want to use, provides a handy starting point so no one has to stare at a blank page, and saves the whole team the time normally lost selecting fonts, setting margins, outlining sections, and debating your company SOP structure.
What Is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Template?
A standard operating procedure template is a reusable document that defines the layout, sections, and writing style every procedure in your organization should follow. Instead of reinventing the structure each time, a writer opens the template, fills in the content, and produces a consistent standard operating procedure that looks and reads the same across departments. The template already carries the header, footer, control block, and standard section headings, so the author can focus on the actual tasks and activities rather than the formatting.
Why Write an SOP Template?
SOPs are used across a wide variety of industries. Manufacturing relies on them for ISO 9000, AS9100, ISO/TS 16949, and OSHA compliance. Health care leans on them for JCAHO and ISO 13485, while FDA-regulated work depends on ISO 22000 and GMP. Information technology has ITIL, ISO 20000, and CoBIT; accounting has Sarbanes-Oxley, GAAP, and IFRS; and human resources must account for ADA, FMLA, EOE, and FSLA. So many industries lean on standards that the list is effectively endless. The world is awash in standards, and every one of them is easier to meet when your procedures start from a common template.
Take accounting as an example. When you build from a proven set of accounting policies and procedures, you can easily add your own company’s policy on keeping records while keeping the standard policy on returned goods, or the reverse. The template holds the structure steady so your customization stays consistent. Regulators expect the same discipline. OSHA’s record-keeping requirements, for instance, assume that safety procedures are written, followed, and available for review, which is far easier when every procedure shares one format.
Procedures Are About Business Processes
Perhaps if everything always executed exactly as planned we would not need procedures at all. In the real world that is never the case. A standard operating procedure exists to make sure business processes are well thought through. Each task in a process is performed the same way every time, and important data is recorded, along with any errors or deviations, so that corrective action can be taken. When we use procedures, we allow ourselves to learn.
Procedures Are About Learning
We use procedures to plan out process expectations (Plan), collect data (Do), check the data against those expectations (Check), and then take corrective action (Act) on what we have learned. That is the learning loop, or PDCA, in action, and PDCA is the basis of process learning. Standards exist to shorten that learning curve. Why wait for someone to get hurt on the factory floor? OSHA standards foster safety learning, and OSHA SOP procedures communicate safety expectations plainly. Safety is only one example; the same principle applies to every other standard or regulation. Standards are meant to speed up process learning.
Five Steps to Writing an SOP Template
You can build a solid SOP template in five steps, using SOP accounting as a running example. If you want a deeper walkthrough of the craft itself, our guide on how to write policies and procedures covers the writing in detail.
- Create an SOP template file
- Define the SOP format
- Add common SOP elements
- Finalize the SOP styles
- Tell everyone about your new SOP template
1. Create Your SOP Template File
First, create your SOP template in Microsoft Word. Most people build a standard operating procedure template in MS Word, but OpenOffice or any other word processor works just as well. Give the file a common, obvious name such as “SOP Template” so everyone can find it. You can download our MS Word SOP template and use it as a starting point for developing your own template for policies and procedures.
2. Define the SOP Format: Control Block, Header, and Footer
Second, define your SOP format with a control block, a header, and a footer. The control block can be a simple 3 by 4 table that houses the document control information required for configuration management and compliance standards. Your header prints in the top margin and is a good place for your company name. Your footer prints in the bottom margin and is the natural spot for the name of the procedure and the page numbering.
3. Add Common SOP Elements
Third, set up a basic style guide for your SOP format or structure so that every procedure includes the same core elements:
- Policy: What is the mission or standard that this procedure must meet?
- Purpose: What is the rationale for this procedure?
- Scope: What areas of the company are affected by this procedure?
- Responsibilities: Who is named in this procedure and what are they required to do?
- Definitions: What words are used that readers may not understand?
- Procedure: What are the activities, tasks, or steps in this procedure?
- Effectiveness Criteria: What is important to measure?
- References: What references support this procedure?
- Revisions: What changes have occurred since publishing this procedure?
4. Finalize the SOP Styles
Fourth, finalize the styles and fonts you want to use, any bolding or special treatment, and the margins you want to standardize on. Lock in your heading styles so every writer applies them the same way. Consistent heading styles are what make a finished procedure instantly recognizable across the company.
5. Tell Everyone About Your New SOP Template
Finally, publish your SOP accounting template on your local server. Once it is published, let everyone know the standard operating procedure template is complete and that you want it used for every procedure written from that point on. That is it. Standards speed up learning within industry segments, just as SOP accounting templates speed up learning what to write.
Why Use SOP Templates?
Many business processes share the same characteristics. They are not all identical, but they are similar enough to learn from and to model when you write your own procedures. SOP templates give you a standard starting point, so the real question is not whether to use them but why you would not. Templates save time, give you a chance to learn from experts, and help you meet a range of standards fast. For small and midsize teams especially, the U.S. Small Business Administration stresses that documented, repeatable operations are what let a business scale without descending into chaos.
Procedure templates give you a consistent writing style across departments. Review a set of free sample policies and procedures to see how quickly you can customize a Microsoft Word template for your own business and get every procedure singing from the same page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Template?
A standard operating procedure template is a reusable document that sets the format, sections, and style every procedure follows, so writers produce consistent SOPs without rebuilding the structure each time.
What Should an SOP Template Include?
A complete SOP template includes a control block, header, and footer, plus standard elements such as Policy, Purpose, Scope, Responsibilities, Definitions, Procedure, Effectiveness Criteria, References, and Revisions.
Which Program Is Best for Building an SOP Template?
Microsoft Word is the most common choice, though OpenOffice or any word processor works. The goal is one reusable file everyone can open, complete, and save under a shared format.
How Does an SOP Template Support Compliance Standards?
A shared template keeps document control, configuration management, and formatting consistent, which makes standards such as ISO 9001, OSHA, and Sarbanes-Oxley easier to meet across every procedure.
Why Use an SOP Template Instead of Writing From Scratch?
Templates save time, provide a proven starting point, help writers learn from experts, and produce a consistent writing style across departments, so no one has to stare at a blank page.
