SOP Writer Skill
Produces formal, audit-ready SOPs suitable for regulated industries, ISO certification, or operational scaling.
Required Inputs
- SOP title (e.g. "SOP-001: New Client Onboarding")
- Department / function
- Process description
- Regulatory or quality standard (ISO 9001, GMP, CQC, FCA, etc.)
- Roles involved
- Tools or equipment used
Output Structure
[COMPANY NAME] — Standard Operating Procedure
| Document ID | [SOP-XXX] |
|---|---|
| Title | [Title] |
| Department | [Department] |
| Version | 1.0 |
| Effective date | [Date] |
| Review date | [Date] |
| Status | Draft / Under review / Approved |
1. Purpose
[1-2 sentences. Why does this SOP exist?]
2. Scope
Applies to: [Roles, departments, locations] Does not apply to: [Explicit exclusions]
3. Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| [Term] | [Plain English definition] |
4. Responsibilities
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| [Role] | [Specific responsibility] |
5. Required Materials / Tools / Access
- [Item]
6. Procedure
| Step | Action | Responsible | Record/Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1.1 | [Imperative action: "Open [system] and navigate to [location]"] | [Role] | [What to record] |
NOTE: Steps must be written in imperative form. Each step must have one action only.
7. Quality Checks
| Check point | What to verify | Pass criteria | If fail |
|---|---|---|---|
| [After step X] | [What to check] | [What good looks like] | [What to do] |
8. Non-Conformance
- [Immediate action]
- [Who to notify]
- [How to document deviation]
9. References
[Related SOPs, policies, standards]
10. Document History
| Version | Date | Author | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | [Date] | [Name] | Initial release |
Quality Checks
- All steps written in imperative form ("Open...", "Navigate...", "Confirm...")
- Each step has exactly one action
- Role specified for every step
- Quality checkpoints at critical stages
- Non-conformance process defines who to notify and how to document
- Document history table and review date are included
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Write an SOP for [process]"
- "Create a standard operating procedure for [task]"
- "Write a work instruction for [process]"
Anti-Patterns
- Do not write steps that contain more than one action — each step must be a single, auditable action in imperative form
- Do not omit a role from any step — every action must be assigned to a specific role or the SOP cannot be enforced
- Do not skip the non-conformance section — an SOP without a deviation process cannot meet audit or regulatory requirements
- Do not produce an SOP without a review date and version history — undated documents cannot be relied upon for compliance
- Do not use passive voice in procedure steps — write "Open the system" not "The system should be opened"