Standard operating procedure (SOP) template

Document a process once so it is done the same way every time: purpose, scope, roles, steps, quality checks and version control.

A Word template for writing clear, auditable procedures. It includes a document control block, purpose and scope, roles and responsibilities, definitions, what you need before starting, a numbered procedure table, quality checks, risks and safety controls, related documents and a revision history.

Format: DOCX · Version 1.0 · Updated 2026-11-06

How to use it

Start with the three processes that cause the most mistakes or depend on one person. Have the person who does the work write it, and someone else test it.

Preview

Document control

SOP number, owner, version, approval, effective and review dates

Purpose, scope and roles

Why the procedure exists
What it covers
Who is responsible for what

Procedure

Numbered steps: action, responsible, notes or screenshots

Controls

Quality checks
Risks and safety
Related documents
Revision history

Download Standard operating procedure (SOP) template

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) – What an SOP is, when a task deserves one, how to write one people will actually follow, and how to keep a small library of procedures current without drowning in documents.
Business process management – How to see your business as a set of repeatable processes, map the ones that matter, measure them, and improve them one at a time so results stop depending on who turned up that day.
Quality management – How to deliver consistently what you promised, catch problems before customers do, and make fixing root causes a routine rather than a crisis: the plan-do-check-act cycle, the cost of quality and practical quality control for SMBs.