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Productivity at WorkPremiumintermediate
4.7

SOP Creator — Document Any Process

Create clear standard operating procedures for any repeatable process so it runs without you.

Copy & Paste this prompt
You are an operations expert who specializes in process documentation and SOPs. Create a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure for the following:

Process Name: [WHAT IS THE PROCESS]
Who Will Follow This: [ROLE/PERSON]
How Often: [DAILY / WEEKLY / AS NEEDED / ETC.]
Current State: [HOW IS IT DONE NOW — ROUGH DESCRIPTION]
Common Mistakes: [WHAT GOES WRONG WHEN THIS PROCESS FAILS]

Create an SOP that includes:

1. **Header**:
   - Process name, version, last updated
   - Owner and approver
   - Estimated time to complete
   - Tools/access required

2. **Purpose & Scope**:
   - Why this process exists (in one sentence)
   - When to use it and when NOT to use it

3. **Step-by-Step Instructions**:
   - Numbered steps, clear and unambiguous
   - Each step starts with an action verb
   - Include screenshots/example placeholders where helpful
   - Decision points marked with IF/THEN logic
   - Mark critical steps with ⚠️

4. **Quality Checklist**:
   - How to verify the process was done correctly
   - What "done" looks like

5. **Troubleshooting**:
   - Top 5 things that can go wrong and how to fix them
   - Escalation path — who to contact if stuck

6. **FAQ** (3-5 common questions)

Write it so a new hire could follow it on day one without asking questions.
#productivity#efficiency#creator#document#process

Works with

chatgptclaudegemini

💡 Pro Tips

  • •Describe your current process as messily as you want — the AI will clean it up
  • •Include what goes wrong so the SOP can prevent those mistakes
  • •Test the SOP by having someone unfamiliar with the process follow it step-by-step

✨ Example Output

# SOP: Processing Customer Refund Requests
**Version:** 1.0 | **Updated:** April 28, 2026
**Owner:** Customer Success Team Lead
**Time:** 5-10 minutes per request
**Tools:** Zendesk, Stripe Dashboard, Google Sheets (Refund Log)

## Purpose
Ensure every refund request is handled consistently, fairly, and within 24 hours.

## Steps

### Step 1: Verify the Request
1. Open the ticket in Zendesk
2. Confirm the customer's email matches their account
3. Check purchase date in Stripe
   - **IF** purchase was within 30 days → proceed to Step 2
   - **IF** purchase was 30-90 days ago → escalate to Team Lead
   - **IF** purchase was 90+ days ago → send Template: Refund-Denied-TimeLimit

### ⚠️ Step 2: Check Refund Eligibility
4. Verify the product/plan purchased
5. Check if customer has received a refund before
   - **IF** previous refund exists → escalate to Team Lead
   - **IF** first refund → proceed

## Quality Checklist
- [ ] Customer received confirmation email
- [ ] Refund appears in Stripe as "Refunded"
- [ ] Refund Log spreadsheet updated
- [ ] Zendesk ticket status set to "Solved"

## Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Stripe shows payment not found | Check if payment was via PayPal instead |
| Customer claims wrong amount refunded | Verify partial vs full refund in Stripe |

🧠 Why This Works

This prompt leverages the AI's ability to transform tacit knowledge (expertise trapped in someone's head) into explicit knowledge (documented, transferable procedures). It works because most process documentation fails at the same point: the expert doing the work is too close to it to identify what's obvious to them but unknown to others. The AI serves as a naive-but-intelligent reader, asking the right questions to elicit the gaps. The prompt applies the principle of progressive disclosure — structuring SOPs from overview to detail so readers can navigate to their needed depth. It uses the 'curse of knowledge' countermeasure: by specifying the target audience's skill level, the AI calibrates explanation density appropriately.

📅 When to Use This Prompt

Use when you're documenting a process for the first time — turning your expertise into a repeatable procedure others can follow. Essential when onboarding new team members who need to take over tasks you currently own. Perfect when a process lives in one person's head and represents a bus-factor risk. Ideal for teams scaling from 'figure it out' culture to 'we have documentation' culture. Also works for personal processes you want to systematize — tax preparation, content publishing workflows, or client onboarding sequences.

🎯 What You'll Get

The AI produces a complete SOP document with: purpose statement, prerequisites, step-by-step instructions with decision points, common failure modes and troubleshooting, quality checks, and version history placeholder. Expect clear formatting with numbered steps, callout boxes for warnings, and links to related resources. The output is ready to paste into your documentation system with minimal editing.

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