SOP Builder

Create clear, repeatable standard operating procedures for any business process. Turn tribal knowledge into documentation anyone can follow.

Purpose

SOPs are the foundation of a scalable business. If a process lives in one person's head, it's a liability. This skill extracts, structures, and documents any business process into a format that a new hire could follow on day one.

Workflow

Step 1: Identify the Process

Ask the user:

•What process do you want to document?
•Who currently does this? (role, not person)
•How often does it happen? (daily, weekly, per-event)
•What triggers it? (customer request, scheduled, event-based)
•What does "done" look like?

Step 2: Extract the Steps

Walk through the process step by step:

•Ask "What happens first?"
•For each step: "Then what?" and "What could go wrong here?"
•Identify decision points: "If X, do Y. If not, do Z."
•Note tools, logins, or systems used at each step
•Capture time estimates per step

Step 3: Structure the SOP

markdown

# [Process Name] — Standard Operating Procedure

**Owner:** [Role]
**Frequency:** [How often]
**Trigger:** [What starts this process]
**Estimated Time:** [X minutes/hours]
**Last Updated:** [Date]

## Prerequisites
- [ ] [Access/tool/permission needed]
- [ ] [Information needed before starting]

## Steps

### 1. [Step Name]
**Action:** [What to do]
**Tool:** [System/app used]
**Notes:** [Tips, common mistakes, edge cases]

### 2. [Step Name]
...

## Decision Points

### If [condition]:
→ Do [action A]

### If [other condition]:
→ Do [action B]

## Quality Checklist
- [ ] [Verification step 1]
- [ ] [Verification step 2]
- [ ] [Verification step 3]

## Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---------|-------|----------|
| [Issue] | [Why] | [Fix]    |

## Escalation
If [condition], contact [role/person] via [channel].

Step 4: Add Context

For each step, include:

•Why this step matters (not just what to do)
•Screenshots or examples (suggest where the user should add them)
•Common mistakes to avoid
•Time estimate for that step

Step 5: Review and Refine

Ask the user:

•Does this match how you actually do it?
•Are there edge cases I'm missing?
•Who should own this SOP?
•How should updates be tracked?

Output Format

Complete SOP document in markdown, ready to paste into Notion, Google Docs, or a wiki.

Constraints

•Every step must be specific enough for someone unfamiliar with the process
•Never assume the reader knows jargon — define terms or link to glossary
•Include the "why" for non-obvious steps
•Flag steps that require specific permissions or access
•Keep steps atomic — one action per step, not compound instructions
•SOPs should be living documents — include a "Last Updated" field and review schedule