What is a standard operating procedure (SOP)?

An SOP is a written, approved document that sets out how to do a routine task the same way every time. It gives the purpose and scope, who is responsible, the safety measures, the materials and tools and the steps in order, and it is kept under revision control so only the current version is used.

What should an SOP include?

The usual elements are a title and purpose, the scope, responsibilities, definitions and acronyms, the procedure steps, materials and equipment, safety and precautions, records to keep, references to related documents and a revision history. This template adds a header with the SOP number, effective date, owner and next review date, and an approvals block.

What are the four SOP formats?

A simple checklist (short yes or no checks), a step-by-step list (tasks in the exact order with an instruction each), hierarchical steps (main steps with sub-steps under each, for complex jobs) and a flowchart (steps and decision points as a diagram). This template uses the hierarchical format; page 3 says when to use the others.

How is an SOP different from a work instruction, a standard work sheet or a TWI job breakdown?

An SOP covers a whole routine with its purpose, scope, roles, safety, records and approvals. A manufacturing process instruction is the operator's steps for one station, an engineering process instruction defines a process and its limits for engineers, a standard work sheet holds takt time, the work sequence and standard WIP for one operator, and a TWI job breakdown is the trainer's short notes for teaching one job.

How often should an SOP be reviewed?

There is no single rule: the interval is set by your document control procedure or the regulations that apply to you. Review it sooner when the process, the equipment or a regulation changes, or after an incident. The Excel register uses 12 months and a 30-day warning as example values that you can change.

Free template

Updated October 2, 2026

Standard operating procedure (SOP) template

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a written, approved document that sets out how to do a routine task the same way every time. It usually gives the purpose and scope, who is responsible, the terms used, the safety measures and PPE, the materials and tools, the steps in order, the records to keep, related documents and a revision history. This template lays the SOP out in the hierarchical step format: main steps numbered 1, 2, 3 with their sub-steps under each (1.1, 1.2), and for each sub-step a key point and the reason for it. Page 1 has the header (title, SOP number, revision, effective date, owner, area, next review date) and sections 1 to 6. Page 2 has the procedure, records, related documents, revision history and approvals. Page 3 has the seven steps to write an SOP, the checks to make before approval, when to use the other three formats and an illustrative SOP for a daily press start-up check. The Excel version has the SOP to type, with step numbers that fill in from a level per row and a check that flags steps out of order or key points without a reason; the review checks with a yes or no for each; and an SOP register with each SOP's next review date and a status as of a date.

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Page 1 of the SOP template: header fields for title, SOP number, revision, effective date, owner, area and next review date, then boxes for purpose, scope applies to and does not apply to, responsibilities, definitions, safety and PPE with a lockout check, and materials, tools and equipment. — Header and revisionPurpose and scopeResponsibilitiesSafety and PPEHierarchical stepsKey points and reasonsRevision history and approvalsSOP register

When to use it

When to use an SOP template

When a routine task is done differently by different people or shifts, and the results or the risks vary with it.
When a task is safety-critical or audited, and the method has to be written down, approved and kept current.
When training new people, so the trainer and the trainee work from the same steps, key points and reasons.
When you find SOPs out of date or with no owner, to rewrite them in one layout and put them in a register with review dates.

How to fill it in

1
Set the purpose and scope
Write why the procedure exists in a sentence or two, what it applies to and what it does not, and who will use it.
2
Gather the facts at the job
Watch the task and talk to the people who do it. Read any document that exists and list the materials, tools and PPE.
3
Write the steps
Main steps first, then the sub-steps under each, each starting with a verb. For each sub-step that can make or break the job, write the key point (safety, quality or knack) and the reason.
4
Fill in the other sections
Responsibilities, definitions, hazards and controls from the risk assessment, records and where they are kept, and related documents. Write N/A where a section does not apply.
5
Review it at the job
Have someone who does the task follow the draft while you watch, then go through the review checks on page 3. Fix every no before approval.
6
Approve, train and keep it current
Sign it off, take the old version off the floor, train the people it applies to and set the next review date. Revise it when the process changes.

How to write it

The seven steps to write an SOP, the review checks and the four formats

From the SOP guide on this site. The steps and the review checks are on page 3 of the PDF and in the Excel version, where each check gets a yes or no; this template uses the hierarchical format.

Seven steps to write an SOP

The steps the SOP guide on this site sets out

1Define the purpose and scope: what the procedure is for, what it covers and does not, and who will use it.
2Gather information: talk to the people who do the job, read the documents that exist and list the tools and materials.
3Document the procedure: break the job into steps in order, in plain words, with pictures or diagrams where they help.
4Assign responsibilities: who does each step and who makes sure the procedure is followed.
5Review and validate: walk through the draft at the job, ask the people who use it, and revise.
6Approve and implement: get it signed off, tell everyone it applies to and train them on it.
7Monitor and update: check it is followed, review it on a schedule and revise it when the process changes.

Review checks before approval

Walk the draft at the job with someone who does it

8Every step starts with a verb and asks for one action.
9The steps are in the order the job is done, and each sub-step sits under the main step it belongs to.
10Every key point says what makes or breaks the step: safety, quality or a knack, with its reason.
11Numbers have units and limits: torque, temperature, pressure, time.
12Safety and PPE match the job's risk assessment, and the lockout procedure where one applies.
13Someone who does the job followed the draft and it worked.
14The records named are the ones people fill in, and it says where they are kept.
15Owner, revision, effective date and review date are filled in, and the old version comes off the floor.

Which SOP format to use

The four formats the SOP guide describes

16Simple checklist: short yes or no checks with little detail, for inspections and checks done before starting.
17Step-by-step: tasks in the exact order, each with a clear instruction, for assembly, inspection and machine set-up.
18Hierarchical: main steps with sub-steps under each, for complex jobs such as troubleshooting. This template uses it.
19Flowchart: a diagram of the steps and decision points, for processes with choices or to show a whole workflow.

A filled-in example

Illustrative, not a benchmark

An example: SOP-PR-012, revision C, the daily start-up check on mechanical press 4 (illustrative; follow your press maker's manual and your site's rules).

Purpose: make sure press 4 is safe and ready before the first stroke. Scope: the first start of each day on press 4; die changes have their own SOP.
Three main steps: prepare the press before power on, power on and test the safety devices, and run the first stroke and record the check.
Eight sub-steps under them, such as 2.2: pass the test piece through the light curtain while inching the slide down. Key point (safety): the slide stops at once. Reason: it proves the curtain stops the press before anyone relies on it.
Record: the start-up check sheet R-1, kept at the press. Owner: the stamping team leader. Effective 2026-09-07, next review 2027-09-07 (a 12-month review is an example: set your own).

Seven of the eight sub-steps carry a key point with its reason, five for safety and two for quality, and the last one says what to do on any fail: lock out, tag the press and call the team leader. In the Excel example register, as of 2026-10-02, this SOP is current, two of the eight SOPs are past their review date and one is due within the example window of 30 days.

Common mistakes

Writing it at a desk
An SOP written without watching the job misses steps and describes how it should be done, not how it is done. Write it with the people who do the task.
Key points without reasons
People skip a step they do not see the point of. A reason next to each key point is what makes it stick.
Walls of text
Long paragraphs are not read on the floor. One action per line, main steps and sub-steps, and a picture where it helps.
No owner and no review date
Without an owner and a next review date, SOPs drift out of date and old copies stay in use. Keep them in a register and review them on a schedule.

Download the template

Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.

Run this template in LeanSuite

In LeanSuite the AI turns one video of a task, or a paper procedure, into an SOP with purpose, scope, PPE, tools and numbered steps with a picture for each, and drafts go to engineering, EHS and quality for e-signature with an audit trail and version history.

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