The SOP Writing Prompt Pack

You are an operations writer. Turn the following Loom transcript into a clean standard operating procedure (SOP).

Transcript:
[PASTE LOOM TRANSCRIPT HERE]

Process name: [e.g. Client onboarding call setup]
Role who owns this process: [e.g. VA, operations manager]
Frequency: [e.g. every time a new client signs]

Constraints:
- Write in plain English, second person ("you"), step by step
- Number every action step
- Group steps under clear subheadings (Preparation, During, After)
- Flag any step where a decision must be made with the label [DECISION POINT]
- Do not include anything from the transcript that is commentary or filler, only the actual process
- Output length: as short as possible to cover every required step, no padding
- End with a "Time to complete" estimate based on the steps

You are an operations writer. Turn the following rough notes into a clean, numbered SOP.

Rough notes:
[PASTE YOUR ROUGH NOTES, BULLET POINTS, OR VOICE MEMO TEXT HERE]

Process name: [e.g. Weekly client report send]
Who does this: [e.g. account manager]
Tools used: [e.g. Google Sheets, Slack, HubSpot]

Constraints:
- Use numbered steps, not bullet points
- Keep each step to one action (one verb per step)
- If a step requires opening a tool or logging in, include that as its own step
- Add a "Common mistakes" note at the end listing any errors implied by the notes
- Do not invent steps that are not in the notes; flag gaps with [CLARIFY: what happens here?]
- British English spelling throughout

You are an operations writer. The following process involves more than one person or role. Separate it into individual role-specific SOPs.

Process description:
[PASTE YOUR TRANSCRIPT OR NOTES HERE]

Roles involved: [e.g. VA, account manager, client]

Constraints:
- Create one separate SOP per role
- Each SOP covers only the steps that role is responsible for
- Where one role hands off to another, add a [HANDOFF] label with the name of the receiving role and what they need to receive
- Each SOP should be self-contained so the person following it does not need to read the other roles' versions
- Keep each role SOP under two pages

You are an operations writer. The SOP below contains steps where the person following it must make a judgment call. Extract every decision point and write a clear decision tree for each one.

SOP draft:
[PASTE YOUR DRAFTED SOP HERE]

Constraints:
- List every step marked [DECISION POINT] or any step containing words like "if," "check," "depends," "unless"
- For each decision, write: Situation / If yes, do this / If no, do this
- If the correct answer is not clear from the SOP, write [ASK: who makes this call and what is the default?]
- Format as a simple table: Situation | Yes | No
- Do not add new steps that were not implied by the original SOP

You are an operations writer. Add an "Exceptions and Edge Cases" section to the SOP below.

SOP draft:
[PASTE YOUR DRAFTED SOP HERE]

Known exceptions (add any you can think of, leave blank if none):
[e.g. What if the client does not respond within 24 hours? What if the tool is down?]

Constraints:
- List a minimum of three realistic exceptions even if none are provided, based on the process type
- For each exception, write: What happens / Who handles it / What they do
- Keep each exception entry to three lines maximum
- Do not use hypothetical or unlikely edge cases; only operationally realistic ones
- Add a "Escalation path" line at the end: who does the person contact if they face something not covered here, and how

You are an operations writer. Create a troubleshooting table for the SOP below.

SOP draft:
[PASTE YOUR DRAFTED SOP HERE]

Tools involved: [e.g. Slack, Zapier, HubSpot, Google Drive]

Constraints:
- Format as a three-column table: Problem | Likely cause | Fix
- Include at least one troubleshooting row per tool listed
- Include at least two rows that are not tool-related (e.g. human error, missing information)
- Each fix must be a specific action, not "contact support" or "check settings"
- If a fix requires admin access or permissions the role may not have, flag it: [NEEDS ADMIN]
- Keep the total table to eight rows maximum

You are an operations writer. Using the SOP below, create a "Done right" checklist. This is what the person ticks off to confirm the task is complete and correct before they close it out.

SOP draft:
[PASTE YOUR DRAFTED SOP HERE]

Constraints:
- Write 5 to 10 checklist items, no more
- Each item must be binary: it is either done or it is not (no subjective items like "looks good")
- Write each item starting with a past tense verb (e.g. "Sent," "Saved," "Notified," "Confirmed")
- If any step in the SOP produces an output (a file, a message, a record), include a checklist item confirming that output exists in the right place
- End with one line: "If any of the above are not ticked, do not mark the task complete"

You are an operations writer. Add a "Quality standards" section to the SOP below. This section defines what good looks like for this process, so a manager reviewing the output knows whether it was done correctly.

SOP draft:
[PASTE YOUR DRAFTED SOP HERE]

Examples of outputs this process produces: [e.g. a client email, a filed document, a CRM record, a published post]

Constraints:
- Write one quality standard per output type
- Each standard must be specific and measurable (e.g. "Email sent within 2 hours of trigger" not "Email sent promptly")
- Include a "Red flags" list: three to five signs the process was done incorrectly that a manager would spot on review
- Do not write standards that require subjective judgment; write standards that a new hire could verify on day one

You are an operations writer. Add a header block to the SOP below that covers ownership, trigger, and handoff.

SOP draft:
[PASTE YOUR DRAFTED SOP HERE]

Fill in what you know and leave blanks for what needs confirming:
Process owner: [name or role]
Backup if owner unavailable: [name or role, or UNKNOWN]
What triggers this process: [e.g. client signs contract, specific day of week, inbound email from X]
What this process feeds into next: [e.g. then VA runs onboarding sequence, or stands alone]

Constraints:
- Format as a structured header table at the top of the SOP, before Step 1
- Include these fields: Process name / Owner / Backup / Trigger / Frequency / Estimated time / Feeds into / Last reviewed date
- Leave "Last reviewed date" blank with a note: [SET WHEN SIGNED OFF]
- Do not invent names or roles not provided; write UNKNOWN where information is missing

You are an operations writer. The SOP below involves a handoff between two people or roles. Write a clear handoff protocol for the point where one person's responsibility ends and another's begins.

SOP draft:
[PASTE YOUR DRAFTED SOP HERE]

Handoff point (describe in one sentence where the transfer happens): [e.g. After the contract is countersigned and filed]
Person or role handing off: [e.g. account manager]
Person or role receiving: [e.g. VA]
Channel used for handoff: [e.g. Slack, email, task in ClickUp]

Constraints:
- Write exactly what the handoff message must include (the minimum information the receiving person needs to start their part without asking questions)
- Write a template handoff message the handing-off person can copy and fill in
- Include a line confirming what the receiving person must do to acknowledge receipt
- Flag any information that might be missing at handoff time with [CONFIRM AVAILABILITY]
- Keep the handoff message template under 100 words

You are an operations writer. Rewrite the following SOP as a first-time walkthrough for someone who has never done this process before. They are competent but new to this specific business and its tools.

SOP draft:
[PASTE YOUR DRAFTED SOP HERE]

Tools the new person will need access to: [list tools]
Any business-specific terms, acronyms, or names they need to know: [e.g. "The Hub" refers to our internal Notion dashboard]

Constraints:
- Add a brief context paragraph at the top explaining why this process matters and where it sits in the business
- Define every business-specific term the first time it appears, in brackets, e.g. "HubSpot (our CRM where all client records live)"
- Where a step requires navigating a tool, include the navigation path, e.g. "Go to HubSpot > Contacts > click the client's name"
- Add a note at any step where a new person commonly gets stuck, labelled [WATCH OUT:]
- Do not simplify the process itself; only add context that helps a new person follow it correctly
- End with: "After completing this process twice, remove these annotations and work from the standard SOP"

You are an operations trainer. Using the SOP below, write a five-question self-assessment a new hire completes after reading the SOP for the first time. The questions confirm they understood the key steps, decision points, and quality standards.

SOP draft:
[PASTE YOUR DRAFTED SOP HERE]

Constraints:
- Write exactly five questions, no more
- Mix question types: at least one multiple choice, at least one scenario-based ("What would you do if..."), at least one completion ("The first thing you do when X happens is ___")
- Include an answer key at the end, formatted separately so the manager can remove it before sending to the new hire
- Each question must be answerable from the SOP alone, not from assumed prior knowledge
- If the new hire gets any question wrong, include a note directing them to the specific step in the SOP they need to reread