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How to write a standard operating procedure for an owner-run business: the nine parts of a good SOP, a worked example, and a four-week plan to roll it out. The printable template is free.
An SOP is how a job gets done the same way when you are not in the room.
In most businesses with 5 to 100 people, the process lives in two places: the owner's head and one senior employee's habits. “Har cheez ke liye team mujhse poochti hai.” When that employee is on leave, dispatches go wrong. When the owner is travelling, decisions wait.
A good SOP fixes this without a thick manual. It fits on one page, has one owner, and says exactly what “done” looks like. It is also the first step to automation: once a process is written down and followed, the reminders and records in it can run on their own. That is why SOPs sit in the Operate layer of The Self-Running Business System.
Nine parts. If any one is blank, the SOP will not hold. Writing your first one? How to write SOPs walks through it step by step, starting with the five parts that carry most of the weight.
Name the job, not the department. “Dispatch of a customer order”, not “Store SOP”.
One person responsible for the SOP being followed and kept up to date. Not “the team”.
The event that starts the process: an order marked ready, an enquiry arriving, a payment falling due.
The visible result that proves it is finished. If two people can disagree on whether it is done, rewrite it.
How fast it must happen. “Same day if ready by 3 PM” is a standard; “as soon as possible” is not.
Each step starts with a verb and names who does it and where it is recorded. More than eight steps means it is two SOPs.
Who to tell, within how long, and what to do first. This is the part teams skip and most need.
Who checks that the SOP is followed and how often, for example the owner reviews five random cases every Monday.
A version number and the next review date, so an old copy on the wall does not live forever.
A generic, illustrative SOP. Change the names and tools to match your business.
SOP · Version 1 · Review every 6 months
| # | Step | Who | Where recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check the goods against the sales order: item, quantity, packing instructions | Store keeper | Order record |
| 2 | Confirm payment received or credit approved | Dispatch in-charge | Accounting software |
| 3 | Pack, label with order number and customer name, take a photo of the packed goods | Packer | Order WhatsApp group |
| 4 | Raise the invoice and e-way bill where required | Accounts | Accounting software |
| 5 | Book transport, note the vehicle number and transport receipt number | Dispatch in-charge | Dispatch register |
| 6 | Load and count cartons against the packing list; driver signs | Store keeper | Packing list |
| 7 | Send the customer the invoice, receipt number and expected delivery date | Sales coordinator | WhatsApp + CRM |
| 8 | Mark the order dispatched | Dispatch in-charge | CRM |
If something goes wrong: Short stock or damage found while packing: stop, tell the sales coordinator within 30 minutes. The coordinator gives the customer a new date the same day.
Check: Every Monday the owner opens five random dispatches from last week and checks the photo, the receipt number and the customer message.
Writing the SOP is a day's work. Making it stick takes four weeks. Ek SOP, ek mahina.
More free tools on the free resources page. For the bigger picture, read the business automation guide.
We write them with your team and put the reminders and records into your CRM or ERP.
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