# Standard operating procedure: [task name]

*Template from AI Tools Academy, "SOPs and reusable templates" (aitoolsacademy.co.uk/for-office-teams/sops-and-reusable-templates/). Replace everything in [square brackets]. Delete any section that genuinely doesn't apply.*

---

**SOP number:** [for example OFF-012]
**Version:** [1.0]
**Owner:** [role, and name if your organisation uses names]
**Approved by:** [role]
**Date approved:** [DD/MM/YYYY]
**Next review date:** [DD/MM/YYYY]
**Where this SOP is kept:** [link or folder]

---

## 1. Purpose

[One or two sentences: what this task achieves and why it matters.]

## 2. When to use this SOP

**Trigger:** [what starts the task, for example "HR confirms a new starter's start date"]
**How often:** [daily / weekly / monthly / as needed]
**Deadline:** [for example "complete at least 5 working days before the start date"]

## 3. Who does what

| Role | Responsibility |
| --- | --- |
| [Role, for example Office Manager] | [What they do] |
| [Role, for example IT] | [What they do] |
| [Role] | [What they do] |

**Not covered by this SOP:** [tasks people might assume are included but belong to someone else, for example "Payroll set-up is handled by Finance"]

## 4. What you need before you start

- [Information, for example "start date, job title, team"]
- [Access, for example "access to the building pass portal"]
- [Forms or templates, with links]

## 5. Steps

| Step | What to do | Who | When | Notes and common problems |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Action, starting with a verb] | [Role] | [Timing] | [What commonly goes wrong] |
| 2 | [Action] | [Role] | [Timing] | [Notes] |
| 3 | [Action] | [Role] | [Timing] | [Notes] |
| 4 | [Action] | [Role] | [Timing] | [Notes] |
| 5 | [Action] | [Role] | [Timing] | [Notes] |

**How you know it's done:** [the finished state, for example "starter has a desk, working laptop, pass and log-in, and has received the welcome pack"]

## 6. Exceptions

- **If [situation, for example "the start date moves"]:** [what to do]
- **If [situation, for example "equipment doesn't arrive in time"]:** [what to do]
- **If something isn't covered here:** contact [role].

## 7. Contacts

| For | Contact (role) | How |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Topic] | [Role] | [Email, extension or channel: no personal mobile numbers] |
| [Topic] | [Role] | [How] |

## 8. Related documents

- [Policy, form or other SOP, with link]
- [Policy, form or other SOP, with link]

## 9. Items still to confirm

- [TO CONFIRM: anything unresolved when this version was written. Delete this section once empty.]

## 10. Change log

| Version | Date | What changed | Changed by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [1.0] | [DD/MM/YYYY] | [First version] | [Role] |

---

### Before you publish this SOP

- Every step is one the task owner recognises (nothing added from "how it's usually done").
- Someone who didn't write it has followed it successfully.
- No passwords, security codes, alarm codes or personal contact details are included.
- It has an owner, a version number and a review date.
- If a saved AI assistant uses this SOP, the old version has been removed and the assistant re-tested.

### Prompt to fill this template with AI

Paste this, then the template headings above, into your organisation's approved AI tool:

> I want to write an SOP for [task]. I'll be the source of every step. Interview me one question at a time: start with what triggers the task and what "done" looks like, then work through the steps in order, asking who does each one, what they need and what commonly goes wrong. Ask about exceptions, contacts and deadlines. Don't suggest steps yourself. When I say "finished", fill in the template I've pasted, and mark anything I didn't answer as [TO CONFIRM].