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How to write an SOP your team will actually follow
Updated October 10, 2026
Write it short, in numbered steps, for someone who knows the basics but hasn't done the task before. Then have someone other than the writer test it, and keep the current copy where the work happens. That's the core of the U.S. EPA's guidance on standard operating procedures. EPA wrote it for lab and field work, but the same habits fit a service business.
What an SOP is
EPA's definition: "A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is a set of written instructions that document a routine or repetitive activity followed by an organization." The point is consistency. EPA says SOPs minimize "variation and promotes quality through consistent implementation of a process or procedure within the organization, even if there are temporary or permanent personnel changes."
For a small business, good first candidates are the tasks that repeat every week and break when one person is out: intake, quoting, invoicing, onboarding a client, closing out a job.
How to write it
EPA's style guidance is short enough to quote in full: "SOPs should be written in a concise, step-by-step, easy-to-read format. The information presented should be unambiguous and not overly complicated. The active voice and present verb tense should be used."
And on length: "The document should not be wordy, redundant, or overly lengthy. Keep it simple and short."
Who it's written for
EPA sets the bar at someone new to the task: "SOPs should be written with sufficient detail so that someone with limited experience with or knowledge of the procedure, but with a basic understanding, can successfully reproduce the procedure when unsupervised."
Here's a quick test. Hand it to someone who hasn't done the task and watch where they stop to ask a question. Each question is a missing step.
Test it with someone other than the writer
"It is especially helpful if draft SOPs are actually tested by individuals other than the original writer before the SOPs are finalized." The writer knows the shortcuts and skips them without noticing. A second person doesn't.
Use checklists inside the SOP
"Many activities use checklists to ensure that steps are followed in order. Checklists are also used to document completed actions." EPA adds that any checklist "should be referenced at the points in the procedure where they are to be used and then attached to the SOP."
Keep it where the work happens
EPA puts it plainly: "the best written SOPs will fail if they are not followed." Current copies "need to be readily accessible for reference in the work areas of those individuals actually performing the activity, either in hard copy or electronic format, otherwise SOPs serve little purpose."
If your team works in a shared drive or a project tool, put a link where the task starts, not in a folder nobody opens.
What this page does not decide
This guide doesn't cover SOPs that a regulator requires in a specific format, such as for a lab, a health care setting or food safety. Those follow the regulator's rules. EPA's guidance was written for environmental data work and is used here as a general model.
Frequently asked questions
How detailed should an SOP be?
Detailed enough that "someone with limited experience with or knowledge of the procedure, but with a basic understanding, can successfully reproduce the procedure when unsupervised", per EPA QA/G-6.
What's the difference between an SOP and a checklist?
An SOP is the written procedure. A checklist is a tool inside it, used "to ensure that steps are followed in order" and "to document completed actions."
Who should review an SOP?
EPA says SOPs "should be reviewed (that is, validated) by one or more individuals with appropriate training and experience with the process."
Sources
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