SOP-COMPANY-001: Business Process Documentation

Document owner: [Process owner role]
Effective date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
Review cycle: Quarterly
Version: 1.0

1. Purpose

This SOP defines the standard way the company documents and performs a repeatable business process so work is consistent, auditable, and easy to train.

2. Scope

Applies to [business process], including triggers, inputs, responsible roles, procedure steps, quality checks, and handoffs.

Does not apply to one-time projects or tasks that do not repeat often enough to require a formal procedure.

3. Roles and responsibilities

4. Prerequisites

• Process trigger or request
• Required inputs and source documents
• System access and templates
• Approval rules
• Definition of done

5. Procedure

1. Confirm the process trigger has occurred.
2. Review the request, source document, or intake form for completeness.
3. Assign the performer, reviewer, and due date.
4. Gather required inputs, access, and templates.
5. Complete the process steps in the approved order.
6. Record key decisions, outputs, and exceptions in the system of record.
7. Send required handoffs or notifications to downstream teams.
8. Complete quality checks before marking the process done.
9. Archive or link supporting documentation.
10. Review exceptions and update the SOP if the process changes.

6. Quality checks

• Trigger and scope are correct
• Required inputs are complete
• Owner, reviewer, and due date are documented
• Required approvals are captured
• Output matches the definition of done
• Exceptions are documented with next steps

7. Exceptions and escalation

If the request is incomplete, the owner is unclear, or the procedure no longer matches reality, pause the process and escalate to the process owner.

8. Revision history