Standard operating procedure template
Most teams have a standard operating procedure template somewhere, and almost nobody opens it. Written as exact steps and kept current, a procedure becomes a job that runs itself.
Why a standard operating procedure template sits unused
A template gets filled in once, then the job changes and the document does not. Within months the steps describe a job nobody does anymore.
So people ask the colleague who knows. The document stays in a folder, and the know how stays in one head.
Procedures written as exact steps
We built a runbook library for a national services business. A runbook is a procedure written as numbered steps: what goes in, the exact action and the check that proves it worked.
Every recurring job got one, and a change to the job updates its runbook. The steps are plain enough for a new hire or an AI assistant to follow without anyone explaining the job.
Written steps pay off most when something breaks. Google's reliability engineers found the same. A playbook written ahead of time fixes a problem faster than working it out on the spot (Google SRE book, 2016).
How a procedure becomes a job that runs itself
Once a procedure is exact, a system can follow it as well as a person.
Three things a good runbook does
-
Steps a newcomer can follow
Each step names what goes in, what to do and the check that shows it worked.
-
Updated when the job changes
A change to the job changes its steps, so nobody works from an old version.
-
Ready to run on its own
Once the steps are exact, a system or an AI assistant can follow them on schedule.
Want every recurring job written down? Book a 30 minute call and we look at your jobs together.
What changed for the business
New hires learn a job from its steps, and nobody explains it twice.
Do it yourself or have it built
You can start with any standard operating procedure template and a few rules. Write the steps while someone does the job. Add the check that proves each step worked. Update the document the day the job changes.
To have it built and kept current for you, see our runbook automation system. We quote one price after a 30 minute call about your setup.
Operations
Get every recurring job written so anyone can do it.
One 30 minute call about the jobs your team repeats, then one price for the build. You get a runbook for each job, updated every time the job changes.
- What you get
- A written plan of what this build takes on your setup.
- How it is priced
- The call is free. We quote one price for the build after it.
- What you bring
- A short list of the tools this job runs through today.
Prefer to write? Send us a message.
Questions about operating procedures
Is a standard operating procedure template enough on its own?
It is a start. A template only helps when the steps match the job as it is done today and someone updates them when it changes.
Do the steps have to be this detailed?
Detailed enough that someone new can do it without asking. If the step needs a word from the author, it is not done yet.
Does my team have to write the procedures?
Whoever does the job, with someone new testing the steps. A procedure only its author can follow still needs work.
Can AI follow our procedures?
It can when the steps are exact. Vague steps that a person fills in from memory are the ones an AI assistant gets wrong.