Sop Creator

SOP & Runbook Creator

Create practical documentation that people actually follow.

Philosophy

Nobody reads 50-page docs. Make it scannable, actionable, and impossible to misunderstand.

Core principles:

• Scannable - Headers, bullets, tables. No walls of text.
• Actionable - Every step is something you DO, not something you "consider"
• Specific - Numbers, names, thresholds. No "as needed" or "when appropriate"
• Testable - Clear success criteria. How do you know it worked?
• Maintained - Owner, last updated, review schedule

SOP Categories

Pick the right format for your use case:

Tech/Engineering

Operations/Business

Content/Creative

General

Universal Structure

Every SOP needs at minimum:

# [What This Does]

> **TL;DR:** One sentence - what, when, who.

## Definition of Done

This is complete when:
- [ ] [Primary outcome]
- [ ] [Verification step]
- [ ] [Any handoff/notification]

## When to Use This
[Trigger conditions]

## Prerequisites
[What you need before starting]

## The Process
[Numbered steps - the actual work]

## Verify Completion
[Return to Definition of Done, confirm all checked]

## When Things Go Wrong
[Common issues and fixes]

## Questions?
[Who to contact]

Definition of Done is the most important section. Put it near the top. Make it a checklist. Be specific.

Writing Rules

Be Specific

Action-First Steps

# Bad
"The report should be reviewed before sending to ensure
accuracy and completeness of all data fields."

# Good
1. Open the report in [System]
2. Verify these fields are populated:
   - [ ] Customer name
   - [ ] Amount
   - [ ] Date
3. Click "Send"

Warnings Come First

# Bad
1. Delete the old records
   Note: This cannot be undone

# Good
> **WARNING:** This permanently deletes records. Export first if needed.

1. Delete the old records

Decision Points are Clear

# Bad
"Handle the request based on priority level"

# Good
**If priority is:**
- **Critical:** Drop everything, handle now, notify manager
- **High:** Handle within 4 hours
- **Normal:** Handle within 24 hours
- **Low:** Add to weekly batch

Format Selection Guide

Ask yourself:

1. Is this for emergencies? → Runbook 2. Is this a complex multi-phase project? → Playbook 3. Is this a simple repeated task? → Standard SOP or Checklist 4. Does it have lots of if/then branching? → Decision Tree 5. Is it for debugging? → Troubleshooting Guide 6. Is it recording a decision? → ADR 7. Is it for someone new? → Onboarding Guide

Metadata (Keep it Light)

---
title: [Clear name]
owner: [Person or team]
last_updated: [Date]
review_schedule: [quarterly/annually/as-needed]
---

That's it. No document IDs, version matrices, or approval chains unless you actually need them.

Templates

Each template is in references/:

All templates have Definition of Done as the primary success criteria.

Quality Checklist

Before publishing:

• [ ] Can someone unfamiliar follow this?
• [ ] Are all steps actionable (verbs, not descriptions)?
• [ ] Are specifics provided (names, numbers, thresholds)?
• [ ] Is there a clear "done" state?
• [ ] Is the owner/contact info current?
• [ ] Has it been tested recently?

Anti-Patterns

Kill these:

• "Per company policy..." (just state what to do)
• "It is recommended that..." (just say "do X")
• "Please ensure..." (just say "check X")
• Passive voice ("the form should be submitted" → "submit the form")
• Describing what to do instead of showing it
• Walls of text with no structure
• Screenshots that will be outdated in a month

Do these:

• Start with the most common path
• Put edge cases at the bottom
• Link to related docs instead of duplicating
• Use tables for reference info
• Use checklists for verification steps
• Include "I'm stuck" escape hatches

Checklist Template

For: Quality control, verification, recurring tasks.

---
title: [Checklist Name]
owner: [Person or team]
last_updated: YYYY-MM-DD
---

# [Checklist Name]

> **Use when:** [Trigger for using this checklist]

**Date:** _______________
**Completed by:** _______________

---

## Definition of Done

This checklist is complete when:
- [ ] All required items checked
- [ ] Any failed items have follow-up logged
- [ ] Sign-off completed

---

## Section 1: [Category]

- [ ] [Item]
- [ ] [Item]
- [ ] [Item]

## Section 2: [Category]

- [ ] [Item]
- [ ] [Item]
- [ ] [Item]

> **If any items fail:** [What to do]

## Section 3: [Category]

- [ ] [Item]
- [ ] [Item]

---

## Sign-Off

**All items complete:** [ ] Yes  [ ] No

**Issues found:** _______________________

**Follow-up needed:** [ ] Yes  [ ] No

**Completed by:** _______ **Date:** _______

Decision Tree Template

For: Complex processes with conditional paths.

---
title: [Decision Process Name]
owner: [Person or team]
last_updated: YYYY-MM-DD
---

# [Decision Process Name]

> **TL;DR:** How to handle [situation type]. Start at top, follow the path.

## Definition of Done

This process is complete when:
- [ ] Correct path identified and followed
- [ ] [Primary action completed]
- [ ] [Outcome verified]
- [ ] [Any notification/handoff done]

---

## Start Here

**What are you dealing with?**

| Situation | Go to |
|-----------|-------|
| [Situation A] | [Path A](#path-a) |
| [Situation B] | [Path B](#path-b) |
| [Situation C] | [Path C](#path-c) |
| Not sure | [Assessment](#assessment) |

---

## Assessment

**Question: [What to determine first]**

- If **[Answer A]** → Go to [Path A](#path-a)
- If **[Answer B]** → Go to [Path B](#path-b)
- If **unclear** → [Who to ask]

---

## Path A

**You're here because:** [Condition]

### Do this:

1. [Action]
2. [Action]
3. [Action]

**Done when:** [Completion criteria]

→ Go to [Verify Completion](#verify-completion)

---

## Path B

**You're here because:** [Condition]

### First, check [factor]:

| If | Then |
|----|------|
| [Condition 1] | [Action] |
| [Condition 2] | [Action] |
| None of above | Escalate to [contact] |

**Done when:** [Completion criteria]

→ Go to [Verify Completion](#verify-completion)

---

## Path C

**You're here because:** [Condition]

> **Warning:** [Important caution if applicable]

1. [Action]
2. [Action]
3. **Check:** [Verification point]
   - OK → [Next action]
   - NOT OK → Escalate to [contact]

**Done when:** [Completion criteria]

→ Go to [Verify Completion](#verify-completion)

---

## Verify Completion

Return to Definition of Done and confirm:
- [ ] Correct path identified and followed
- [ ] [Primary action completed]
- [ ] [Outcome verified]
- [ ] [Any notification/handoff done]

## Escalation

**Escalate if:**
- Stuck for more than [timeframe]
- [Other trigger]

**Contact:** [Person/channel]

How-To Guide Template

For: One-off tasks, setup, configuration.

# How to [Do The Thing]

> **TL;DR:** [What this accomplishes in one sentence]

## Definition of Done

You're done when:
- [ ] [Primary success indicator]
- [ ] [Verification step]
- [ ] [Any cleanup/confirmation]

## Prerequisites

- [ ] [Access/tool needed]
- [ ] [Permission needed]

## Steps

### 1. [First Step]

[command or action]

**Done when:** [Expected result]

### 2. [Second Step]

[command or action]

**Done when:** [Expected result]

### 3. [Final Step]

[command or action]

**Done when:** [Expected result]

## Verify

Confirm Definition of Done:

[verification command or check]

Expected: [What you should see]

## Troubleshooting

**Problem:** [Common issue]
**Fix:** [Solution]

## Undo

If you need to revert:

[undo command]

Onboarding Guide Template

For: Getting someone new up to speed.

---
title: [Role/Project] Onboarding
owner: [Person or team]
last_updated: YYYY-MM-DD
---

# [Role/Project] Onboarding

> **Goal:** Get productive with [what] within [timeframe].

**Point of contact:** [Name, how to reach them]

## Definition of Done

Onboarding is complete when:
- [ ] All Day 1 access granted
- [ ] Week 1 learning completed
- [ ] First [task/project] completed independently
- [ ] Can answer: [key question they should know]

---

## Day 1

### Access
- [ ] [System 1] - [what it's for]
- [ ] [System 2] - [what it's for]
- [ ] [Communication channel]

### First Tasks
- [ ] [Orientation task 1]
- [ ] [Orientation task 2]
- [ ] Meet with [person]

**Day 1 done when:** All access working, met key people

---

## Week 1

### Learn
- [ ] [Document/resource 1]
- [ ] [Document/resource 2]

### Do
- [ ] [Hands-on task 1]
- [ ] [Hands-on task 2]

### Meet
| Who | Why |
|-----|-----|
| [Person 1] | [What you'll learn] |
| [Person 2] | [What you'll learn] |

**Week 1 done when:** Can explain [core concept], completed [task]

---

## Week 2-4

### Projects
| Project | Description | Help from |
|---------|-------------|-----------|
| [Project 1] | [What you'll do] | [Person] |

### Processes to Learn
- [ ] [Process 1] - [link]
- [ ] [Process 2] - [link]

**Onboarding done when:** Definition of Done checklist complete

---

## Resources

- **Docs:** [location]
- **Questions:** [where to ask]
- **Escalations:** [who to contact]

## FAQ

**Q: [Common question]**
A: [Answer]

Runbook Template

For: Incident response, on-call, emergency fixes.

---
title: [Service] [Issue Type] Runbook
owner: [team-name]
oncall: "#[oncall-channel]"
last_tested: YYYY-MM-DD
---

# [Service] [Issue Type] Runbook

> **TL;DR:** [One sentence: what this fixes and when to use it]

## Definition of Done

You're done when ALL of these are true:
- [ ] [Primary success indicator - e.g., "Alert resolved"]
- [ ] [Secondary indicator - e.g., "Error rate < 0.1%"]
- [ ] [Verification step - e.g., "Health check returns 200"]
- [ ] [Cleanup step - e.g., "Incident ticket updated"]

## Symptoms

You're here because:
- [ ] Alert: `[alert-name]` firing
- [ ] [Error message or log pattern]
- [ ] [Dashboard showing X metric above/below Y]

## Quick Diagnosis

Check service status

kubectl get pods -n [namespace] -l app=[service-name]

Check logs

kubectl logs -n [namespace] deployment/[service-name] --tail=100 | grep -i error

| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---------|--------------|-----|
| [Symptom 1] | [Cause] | [Action] |
| [Symptom 2] | [Cause] | [Action] |

## Mitigation Steps

### 1. [First thing to try]

[command]

**Done when:** [How you know this step worked]

### 2. [Second thing to try]

[command]

**Done when:** [Completion criteria]

### 3. [If nothing else works]

[command]

**Done when:** [Completion criteria]

## Escalation

**Escalate if:**
- Quick fixes don't work after [X] minutes
- [Other escalation trigger]

**Contact:** [Person/channel] via [method]

## Post-Resolution

- [ ] Verify Definition of Done checklist above
- [ ] Update incident ticket with timeline
- [ ] Schedule postmortem if needed

Standard SOP Template

For: Any repeatable process.

---
title: [Process Name]
owner: [Person or team]
last_updated: YYYY-MM-DD
---

# [Process Name]

> **TL;DR:** [What this process does, in one sentence]

## Definition of Done

This process is complete when:
- [ ] [Primary outcome achieved]
- [ ] [Secondary outcome if applicable]
- [ ] [Verification/confirmation step]
- [ ] [Handoff/notification if needed]

## When to Use This

Use this when:
- [Trigger condition 1]
- [Trigger condition 2]

## Before You Start

- [ ] [Prerequisite 1]
- [ ] [Prerequisite 2]

## The Process

### Step 1: [Action]

1. [Specific action]
2. [Specific action]

**Done when:** [How you know this step is complete]

### Step 2: [Action]

1. [Specific action]
2. [Specific action]

**Done when:** [Completion criteria]

### Step 3: [Action]

1. [Specific action]
2. [Specific action]

**Done when:** [Completion criteria]

## Verify Completion

Go back to Definition of Done and confirm all items checked.

## Common Issues

| Problem | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| [Issue 1] | [Fix] |
| [Issue 2] | [Fix] |

## Questions?

Contact: [Person/channel]

Templates

All templates include Definition of Done as the key success criteria.