Write a clear, step-by-step procedure that anyone on the team can follow the same way.
An SOP turns know-how in one person’s head into a process the whole team can use. It speeds up training, keeps quality steady across shifts and makes it easier to cover absences.
Good candidates are tasks that are done often, by several people, or where mistakes are costly, such as opening a store, cleaning a machine or onboarding a client.
14 items. Use it on screen, or print it and fill it in by hand.
A dental clinic writes an SOP for end-of-day sterilization. It lists equipment, eight numbered steps, the indicator check and who signs the log. A new assistant follows it on her second day and completes the process correctly, with the senior assistant only observing.
A written, versioned procedure means every new hire learns the same method and the business can show which version was in force on a given date after an injury, a product problem or an audit. For chemical steps such as caustic cleaning, the SOP is also where the protective equipment listed on the product’s safety data sheet becomes a daily habit.
| Title and ID | Keg cleaning and sanitizing, BRW-012, Fernwood Brewing, Asheville |
|---|---|
| Owner and approval | Alex, head brewer, approved Feb 20 |
| Version | 2.0, keg washer replaces spray wand |
| Scope | All half and sixth barrel kegs; casks are covered by BRW-013 |
| Protective equipment | Chemical goggles, nitrile gloves, apron |
| Quality check | Flashlight look inside, 30-second pressure hold |
| Training and review | Jo and Nick trained Feb 24; next review Aug 20 |
Version 2.0 says what changed, the new keg washer, so anyone holding a printed 1.0 knows it is outdated. The scope line sends casks to a separate SOP because they are cleaned by hand.
Enough that a trained new hire can follow it without asking.
The people who do the task, with a manager approving.
No. Digital is fine if staff can reach it.
Set a review date and update after process changes.
An SOP covers a whole process: why it exists, who does each part and when. A work instruction is the step-by-step detail for one task, often posted at a machine or station. Many businesses link the two, so the SOP points to the work instructions for its tricky steps.
Use a short area prefix and a number, such as KIT-004 or BRW-012, and a separate version number for each revision. Never reuse the number of a retired SOP, or old training records will point to the wrong procedure.
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Employees can fill in and sign forms like this in the EZTime app, and the signed copy lands in their digital employee file.