The SOP Template is easy to overuse. Documenting everything produces a library nobody maintains; documenting the right things frees the founder from being the only person who knows how anything works.
Repeated, consequential, and handed off
A process qualifies when it happens more than monthly, when errors cost money or trust, and when someone other than the author will run it. Invoicing, onboarding a customer, and deploying a release usually qualify; one-off research does not.
Start with the founder’s bottlenecks
List the tasks that only you can do. Each is a risk and a ceiling on growth. The first SOPs should be the ones that get those tasks off your desk.
Prioritize by pain
Rank candidates by how often they go wrong or how often someone asks you how to do them. The top three are this month’s SOPs; the rest wait.
Action Step
Write a list of every task that currently requires you personally, rank it by frequency and error cost, and choose the first three SOPs to write.
This lesson is educational content for founders and operators. It is general information, not professional advice for your specific company. Adapt every framework to your own situation and consult a qualified professional where a decision carries legal, financial, or tax consequences.