Your Guide to Standard Operating Procedures: What They Are and How to Build Them
8/18/25
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are one of the most practical tools for streamlining your business operations. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or managing a growing team, SOPs can transform how efficiently your business runs.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know from understanding what SOPs are to implementing a step-by-step development process
What are standard operating procedures (SOP)?
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are basically a guide to handling routine tasks and recurring events in business.
The SOP development process allows managers and teams to collaborate on documenting processes for everyone’s benefit. Creating SOPs requires attention to detail and research into your key business processes.
It’s important to have operational SOPs to provide customers with reliable and consistent service levels as well as to make business operations and staff more efficient and effective. Using them will help you to accomplish the task at hand in a cost-effective manner.
Do I need SOPs in my business?
The short answer is yes, you do. They benefit every size and type of business no matter what your industry is.
Here are some of the main reasons why SOPs are so beneficial:
- Onboard new staff & clients efficiently & effectively
- Become delegation-ready, transfer work easily i.e. helps with employee leave etc
- Meets legal requirements
- Increased revenue & profits due to streamlined processes
- Enhances productivity across the board
- Maintains consistency across your business & brand
- Reduces stress & errors among staff
- Establishes a chain of command
5 steps to developing powerful SOPs
1. Identify the processes that need SOPs
The best way to complete this task is to talk to each of your employees or team leads to identify potential SOP requirements. If you are a one-person band, then it is best to simply audit yourself and figure out the best ways forward for your business SOP-wise.
For example – every business needs a customer service SOP and an onboarding SOP at some point. Also differentiate between the 2 types of SOPs required for businesses: technical* and managerial**
One important note is that you do not need to create SOPs for every process in your business – things chop & change in business daily, and you do not want to be caught having to re-write SOPs to suit your business each month.
SOPs should be viewed as a generalistic & ideal way for your business to do business, and in turn, make your team/s and business more efficient.
2. Prepare a plan for developing and managing SOPs
As soon as the list of identified SOPs is ready, you should plan the process for creating your SOPS. The first step is to decide what format the SOPs should take.
Save time and effort by looking online for example templates and using these as a basis for your own. The ultimate goal of creating a template for your SOPs is to have them all read and look the same.
During the development of the SOP format and template, the review process should be outlined. Specify who will review the SOP once it has been written through a formal review process.
The final approver is responsible for ensuring that processes are deemed effective and published. Finally, determine how the SOPs will be communicated to employees.
3. Identify the content of your SOP by gathering information
The best way to collect information about your business and employees is to outline how you’ll do so before you begin. Meeting with employees, sending out a mass survey/questionnaire, or spending some time on the ground with the team are effective ways to gather this information.
The processes of a well-managed and well-organised business department are usually documented as well. Accessing the existing processes will save you a lot of time gathering information.
When it comes down to it, as a business owner, you must realise that people who actually do the work are the ones who know the processes best.
4. Your SOP should be written, reviewed, and published
Once you’ve completed the steps above, check that you are actually ready to start writing your SOPs and have all the info you need at hand.. Once the draft is written and you feel it is completed and you feel comfortable, it is then time for its review.
Keep this as manageable and achievable as possible. If an SOP is too difficult to develop, it means it is not right and is not really true to value.
When the review is complete, you’ll have to coordinate SOP publishing. If you’re a start-up company or an SME; structure this as required – it may be the responsibility of the quality assurance team and it may be yours solely.
This process, as well as the writing and development process, can be greatly influenced and implemented by outsourcing. i.e. This is where KADA Management would come into your business!
5. Consistently maintaining your SOP
You have written, formatted, developed and published the SOP; so now it’s time to set up some rules to maintain the SOP, especially as your business grows.
Document its progress and use so you can amend, change & rewrite it as required. You’ll also need an SOP for SOP writing – especially for when outsourcing SOP creation & maintenance.
The best way to make SOPs useful is to keep them updated. Maintenance of SOPs is extremely important. Without a review of SOPs on a regular basis, and without regular updates, SOPs can become out-of-date.
Final thoughts
Remember that effective Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are living documents that evolve with your business. Focus on creating clear, actionable procedures that actually help your team work more effectively.
Ready to streamline your business operations with professional SOPs?
At KADA Management we specialise in creating and implementing comprehensive SOP systems that actually work for your business needs.
Enquire with us today and discover how we can help you build SOPs that increase efficiency, reduce errors and prepare your business for sustainable growth.
Footnotes
*Technical SOPs list how to perform and complete tasks. They may be in the form of a repeating work order, a preventative maintenance work order or an inspection.
**Managerial SOPs detail how all other SOPs are created & developed, reviewed & maintained. Managerial SOPs outline the processes it takes to implement SOPs.
