SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)

"Do it like I do." You've said it a dozen times. The associate still doesn't get it. The problem is that how you do it lives in your head. An SOP (standard operating procedure) is documented step-by-step instructions for how to do something. It's essential for delegation and quality control: with an SOP, someone else can run the process; you do the exception handling and the bar.

Same task, with and without an SOP. Without one: every handoff is a sync, every question comes back to you, and you spend more time explaining than doing. With one: the associate has a script. "Step 1: send the intake form. Step 2: when they reply, book the call using this link. Step 3: before the call, pull their one-pager from the folder." You step in when the situation is unusual or when the work crosses the quality gate. The SOP turns your knowledge into a repeatable process.

How to write one

1. Pick one process. Start with something that repeats every week: intake, proposal draft, invoice follow-up, onboarding email. Don't try to document everything at once.

2. Do it once and capture the steps. As you do the task, write each step. "Open the template. Replace [Client name] with… Save to folder X. Send email with subject…" Include where things live (which folder, which template), what "done" looks like, and what to do when something doesn't fit (escalate to you, or use rule Y).

3. Test it. Have someone else follow the SOP. Where do they get stuck? Where do they need to ask you? Refine. The goal is fewer "how do I…?" questions over time.

What breaks

SOPs that are too vague. "Use your judgment" or "make sure it's good" isn't a step. Concrete steps: which template, which folder, what subject line. If judgment is required, say when to escalate to you.

Writing an SOP and never updating it. The process changes. When you change how you do it, update the doc. Otherwise the SOP becomes wrong and people stop using it.

Where to go next