Standard operating procedures written to one template
When a customer or auditor asks for written procedures: five to twelve SOPs on one template, with a register and change control.
$1,200 to $2,500, fixed before we start. First draft in 12 working days.
Updated
PD-SOP; specimen page
SOP library
Contents
- 1Header
- 2Purpose and scope
- 3Roles
- 4Inputs
- 5Steps
- 6Decision points
- 7Records
- 8Related documents
1Purpose
1.1An SOP library is a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) written to one template, listed in one register and changed under one change-control procedure.
What it is
An SOP library is a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) written to one template, listed in one register and changed under one change-control procedure. A standard operating procedure is a written, numbered set of steps for one process, naming for each step the role that performs it and the record it leaves.
Who it is for
A company whose processes live in the heads of three people, a firm whose auditor or customer has asked for written procedures, or an operations lead tired of five documents in five formats. The request usually comes when a process that lives in a few heads has to be shown to a customer or an auditor, or taught to a new hire, and turns out to exist nowhere on paper.
Each procedure is written so that a trained person can carry out the task the same way each time and show that it was done. The library is drafted for the person doing the task, not the person signing it off.
What you get
4 deliverables, in Word (.docx) and PDF, with one round of revisions.
- SOP template
- Five to twelve SOPs written to the template
- SOP register
- Change-control procedure for the library
What one SOP contains
| Part | What it settles |
|---|---|
| Header | Document ID, version, owner, approver, effective and review dates |
| Purpose and scope | What the procedure is for and where it stops |
| Roles | Who performs each step and who signs it off |
| Inputs | What must be in hand before step one |
| Steps | Numbered actions in the order they happen, one action per step |
| Decision points | Where judgement is needed, the options, and who decides |
| Records | What is written down, where it is kept and for how long |
| Related documents | The policy it sits under and the forms it uses |
Most procedures fall apart at the step where judgement is needed, written as if there were none. Ours names each decision point, the options and the person who decides.
What it costs
$1,200to $2,500
The SOP library is $1,200 to $2,500. The quote is fixed before we start and does not change. Maintenance is a separate plan, $29 to $99 a month, that keeps the SOP library current when a process it describes changes.
How the document is made, from intake to delivery, is set out in how it works.
- Band
- Themed suite
- First draft
- 12 working days
- Revisions
- One round included
- Review
- Our legal team, before delivery
- Format
- Word (.docx) and PDF
- Maintenance
- $29 to $99 a month
What we need from you
The intake is where the process gets captured. For each procedure it asks what triggers the task, who performs it, what they need to start, the steps in order, where judgement is needed and who decides, what is recorded and where, and what counts as done. Name anything that already exists and send it once we reply: checklists, screenshots, old procedures, a recording of someone talking through the task. We agree the scope with you before quoting.
How it is drafted and reviewed
We write one SOP template first and agree it with you. Then we draft every procedure to it, so a reader who has learned one knows the layout of all.
The template and the register are structured to ISO 9001:2015 clause 7.5 on documented information. Each SOP header carries a title, an identifier, an owner and an approval line. These give the identification and the review and approval that clause 7.5.2 asks for. The version number, the register and the change-control procedure control changes to the library, as clause 7.5.3 describes.
Our legal team reviews the set before it reaches you, and the review is recorded in the revision block. You mark what you want changed, we revise once, and the library arrives in Word and PDF.
An SOP library is $1,200 to $2,500, depending on the number of procedures and how many are already written down. The quote is fixed before we start and does not change. See pricing and how it works.
Drafted against
- Your own process, as captured in the intake
- ISO 9001:2015 clause 7.5.2 (creating and updating documented information) for each SOP's header
- ISO 9001:2015 clause 7.5.3 (control of documented information) for the register and change control
What maintenance covers
When the process changes, your document changes. Under the maintenance plan we hold the SOP register, run the change-control procedure when you tell us a step has moved, issue the revised SOP with the changes marked, and keep each review date moving. Without the plan, the library is still yours to use and to edit; it simply stops being tracked.
$29to $99a month, optional
Questions about the SOP library
- How many SOPs are in an SOP library?
- A PolicyDrafters SOP library is five to twelve standard operating procedures, with the number agreed with you before the quote. A library of more than twelve procedures is scoped in the intake and quoted before we start.
- Does PolicyDrafters write clinical SOPs?
- PolicyDrafters does not write clinical SOPs. It writes administrative and operational procedures; clinical procedures and clinical SOPs are out of scope.
- Can PolicyDrafters write SOPs to our existing template?
- PolicyDrafters writes SOPs to your existing template where the template already carries what ISO 9001:2015 clause 7.5.2 asks of documented information: identification, such as a title, date, author or reference number, and a record of review and approval. Where it does not, we add those fields and show you what changed.
- How long does an SOP library take?
- The first draft of an SOP library arrives twelve working days after a complete intake. Your review and the one included revision round add whatever time you need.
Guides that go deeper
What is an SOP, and how do you write one people actually follow?
A standard operating procedure is a numbered set of steps for one process, with an owner and a record for each step. How to capture, write, test and review one.
Updated
What is the difference between a policy and a procedure?
A policy states the rule and who it applies to; a procedure states the steps, owners and records. Most documentation fails by mixing the two. How to keep them apart.
Updated
What goes in an AML/KYC manual for a small financial services firm?
The ten sections an examiner expects in an AML/KYC manual, in order, from business-wide risk assessment to independent review, with the rule and record behind each.
Updated
Policy templates vs drafted policies: when is a template enough?
A template is enough when the rule is generic, nobody will audit it and you will edit it honestly. It stops being enough when a reader compares it to what you do.
Updated
When does a growing business need an employee handbook?
No US federal law requires a handbook. The need is practical: a first manager who is not a founder, a first remote hire, a first leave request or an investor's request.
Published