SOP Prompt

What it does

Turns a process that lives in your head into a written standard operating procedure someone else can actually follow. The reason so much work bottlenecks on one person is that the "how" was never written down. A good SOP fixes that: clear numbered steps, who does what, what "done" looks like, and the edge cases that trip people up. This prompt takes your brain-dump of a process and structures it into a document a new hire could pick up and execute without asking you.

Turn the process I describe below into a clear standard operating procedure (SOP).

Structure it as:
- Title + purpose: what this process is and why it matters (1-2 sentences).
- When to use it / trigger: what kicks this process off.
- Who's responsible: the role(s) that own each part.
- Prerequisites: tools, access, or info needed before starting.
- Steps: numbered, in order, each starting with an action verb. One action per step. Be specific.
- Edge cases / exceptions: what to do when it doesn't go to plan.
- Definition of done: how to know the task is complete and correct.

Rules:
- Write so someone who has never done this could follow it. Don't assume context.
- One action per numbered step; break big steps into sub-steps.
- Call out anything easy to get wrong, and where to go for help.
- Plain, direct language. Verbs first ("Open the dashboard," not "The dashboard should be opened").

The process (brain-dump it however it comes out — order and detail don't have to be perfect):
[describe the process, the tools involved, who does it, and anything that commonly goes wrong]

How to use it

Just brain-dump the process — messy and out of order is fine; the prompt's job is to structure it. The most valuable part to get right is the edge cases. List every "except when..." and "if X happens, then..." you can think of, because those exceptions are exactly what a written SOP usually misses and a new person can't guess. The "definition of done" closes the loop so people know when they've actually finished, not just stopped.

Then test it the real way: have someone who doesn't know the process try to follow it cold. Wherever they get stuck or ask a question is a gap to fix. An SOP isn't done until someone else can run it without you.

Example output

An SOP titled "Processing a Customer Refund" with a purpose line, a trigger ("a customer requests a refund within the 30-day window"), the owner ("Support team"), prerequisites ("access to the billing dashboard"), numbered steps ("1. Verify the order in the dashboard using the order number..."), edge cases ("If the order is past 30 days, escalate to a manager — do not refuse outright"), and a clear definition of done ("Refund confirmed in dashboard and confirmation email sent").

Variations

Checklist format: Add "Output this as a checkable checklist rather than prose steps, for repeated daily use."

Onboarding doc: Add "This is for training new hires. Add brief context on why each step matters, not just how."

Quick reference card: Add "Also give me a condensed one-screen quick-reference version of just the core steps."

Improve an existing one: Add "Here's our current SOP: [paste]. Tighten it, fill gaps, add missing edge cases, and flag steps that are unclear."

Common pitfalls

Assuming knowledge. Steps written by an expert skip the 'obvious' parts that stop a beginner. Write for someone seeing it for the first time.

Skipping edge cases. The happy path is easy; the value is in documenting what to do when things go sideways. Capture the exceptions.

Walls of text. A paragraph describing five actions is hard to follow under pressure. One action per numbered step, verbs first.

Who uses this prompt

Small-business owners trying to stop being the single point of failure, ops and support teams standardizing how work gets done, anyone training a new hire or a virtual assistant, and founders preparing to delegate. It turns "let me just do it myself" into a document someone else can run.