How to Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with AI

Before asking AI for anything, you need to get everything you know about the process out of your head. It doesn’t have to be perfect or ordered. Just complete.

1. Open Claude (claude.ai) or ChatGPT (chatgpt.com).
2. Write this prompt, replacing the process with yours:

I'm going to document this process from my business: [process name, e.g. "onboarding new clients"].

I'll describe how I currently do it, unordered, as it flows:
[describe the process in your own words, including details, tools you use, decisions you make, things you check, frequent exceptions]

With this information, help me:
1. Identify any missing or incomplete steps.
2. Confirm the logical order of the steps.
3. Point out the main decision points (when to do A vs B).

3. AI will ask questions or flag gaps. Answer until the process is complete.

Don’t worry about format yet. At this step you just want the information to be complete and ordered.

With the complete information from Step 1, you now ask AI to turn it into a well-structured SOP.

1. In the same conversation, write:

Now draft the complete SOP in this format:

---
TITLE: [process name]
OBJECTIVE: [what result this process produces, in 1 or 2 sentences]
SCOPE: [who executes it, when it applies]
OWNER: [role, not person]
TOOLS: [list the apps or resources needed]
LAST REVIEW: [today's date]

STEPS:
1. [Step with clear action + how to verify it's done]
2. ...

DECISION POINTS:
- If [situation], then [action].
- If not, then [alternative action].

FREQUENT EXCEPTIONS:
- [Atypical situation] → [what to do]

QUALITY METRICS:
- How do I know the process went well? (concrete indicator)
---

Use clear, direct language. Each step should start with an action verb.

2. Review the draft it generates. Adjust anything that doesn’t reflect your real process.

An SOP that no one understands is useless. AI can adapt the level of technicality and tone based on who will read it.

1. Once the content is correct, request the adaptation:

I have this SOP ready. The team that will use it is [description: e.g. "people with no technical experience", "new freelancers", "experienced sales team"].

Adapt the language so it's clear for them. If there are technical terms, explain them in parentheses the first time they appear. Don't change the steps, only the tone and clarity.

2. If there are steps that might cause confusion, ask it to expand them:

Step 3 could be confusing for someone new. Add an explanatory note below the step that clarifies the "why" of this step and the most common mistake.

The best SOP is the one people find when they need it. Choose a single platform to centralize all your processes.

Recommended options:

• Notion (free): create a page for each process inside an “Operations” space. Use a template with the sections from Step 2. Enable role-based access if you have a team.
• Google Docs: create an “SOPs” folder in Google Drive with subfolders by area (sales, operations, content). Use the document index to navigate quickly.
• Confluence or Coda: if you already use these tools in your company, centralize there to avoid fragmentation.

Suggested naming convention:

SOP-[AREA]-[PROCESS NAME]-v[version]
Ex: SOP-SALES-Client-Onboarding-v1

If you use Notion AI, you can ask it to improve the text directly from the SOP page without leaving Notion. For more details on getting the most out of Notion with AI, check the tutorial How to Use AI in Notion.

The best test of an SOP is giving it to someone who doesn’t know how the process works and asking them to execute it alone. What they don’t understand or where they get stuck is what needs to be improved.

1. Choose a team member (or a trusted colleague) who didn’t participate in creating the SOP.
2. Give them only the document. No additional verbal explanations.
3. Observe or ask afterward: Where did they have doubts? Which step seemed confusing? Was any detail missing?
4. Go back to AI with the feedback:

I tested the SOP with someone. They told me:
- Step [X] wasn't clear because [reason].
- They needed to know what to do when [exception].

Adjust the SOP to resolve these points.

5. When the SOP passes the test with a new person, it’s ready for the team.

An SOP that no one tested before publishing always has gaps. This step saves you real problems.

The biggest problem with SOPs isn’t creating them: it’s that they become outdated as soon as something changes. With AI you can keep them fresh in minutes.

Lightweight maintenance system:

• Add a “Change Log” section at the end of each SOP with the date and what changed.
• Every time a process changes, paste the current SOP into Claude and write:

This is the current SOP for [process]. This change occurred: [describe what changed: new tool, new step, something was removed].

Update the SOP to reflect the change. Keep the format and only modify what's necessary. Add the entry to the Change Log.

• Schedule a review reminder every 6 months for all SOPs. Over time, your process library becomes a real business asset.

To connect this with technical documentation for projects and teams, check the tutorial How to Create Technical Documentation with AI.

Problem	Fix
The SOP AI generates has incorrect steps	Always review it yourself or with someone who knows the process; AI organizes what you give it, it doesn’t invent it
The document was too long and nobody reads it	Break the SOP into smaller SOPs (a big process = several connected SOPs) or add a one-page summary at the start
The team doesn’t use the SOPs even though they’re written	Put them where people already work (Notion, ClickUp, Confluence) and link them from projects; if they’re not in the flow, they don’t exist
I don’t know which process to start with	Ask Claude: “What are the 5 processes most worth documenting first in a [type] business?”