Discover 15 free SOP templates and formats like step-by-step guides, checklists, flowcharts, and hierarchies to create clear, consistent procedures
SOP templates aren’t exciting on their own. But neither is fixing the same mistakes every week because no one’s following the same process. A good template locks down the exact steps for a task, so it’s done the right way every time, no matter who’s handling it. In this guide, you’ll find 15 free SOP templates and formats you can use to finally get your workflows under control without starting from scratch. ✍🏼
What are SOP Templates and Formats?
SOP templates and formats are ready-to-use documents that help you write clear step-by-step instructions for a task or process. They make it easier to record how work should be done so everyone follows the same method. You can find them in different formats like Word, Google Docs, spreadsheets, checklists, or flowcharts.
No matter the format, the goal is the same: create a user guide that’s easy to follow and keeps your processes consistent. Using free SOP templates also saves time because you can start documenting right away instead of building from scratch.
🚨 Fact Alert: In aviation, SOPs are non-negotiable. Pilots won’t move an aircraft until they’ve gone through their checklists, a practice that turned air travel into one of the safest forms of transportation in the world.
Benefits of Creating an SOP for Your Business
An SOP can transform the way your business operates by making processes easier to follow, scale, and improve over time. Other benefits include:
Gives teams a reliable reference to handle unexpected situations without delays
Makes delegation easier while maintaining quality and accuracy
Reduces the learning curve when introducing new AI tools or systems
Helps track process performance and highlight opportunities for improvement
Creates a baseline for measuring efficiency and productivity
Minimizes the risk of miscommunication between departments
Provides clarity during high-pressure or time-sensitive projects
Preserves operational knowledge when experienced employees leave
Supports scaling by making processes easier to replicate across locations or teams
➡️ Read More: Standard Operating Procedure Best Practices You Must Know
How to Choose the Right SOP Format
The right format makes your SOP templates easier to follow and more likely to be used regularly. Consider how complex your process is, what your team is comfortable with, and which tools you already work with.
Here’s a breakdown of the main types of SOP formats so you can pick the one that fits best. 🌟
1. Step-by-step SOP guide
This format walks through every step of a process in order, making it perfect for tasks that must be completed exactly the same way each time.
It works well for onboarding new employees, setting up equipment, or following safety procedures. Each step is clearly numbered, so there’s no confusion about what comes next.
If you’re working with SOP templates in Word or Google Docs, this format is easy to create and update.
➡️ Read More: How to Create Personalized Employee Onboarding Videos
2. Checklist SOP format
A checklist keeps things simple and actionable. You can tick off each item as it’s completed, which makes it ideal for recurring tasks where consistency is key.
Think of daily restaurant openings, vehicle maintenance checks, or weekly content publishing schedules. Downloadable SOP templates with checklist layouts are great for teams that prefer quick, visual confirmation that nothing’s been missed.
Hierarchical SOP format
This format organizes processes from the top down, starting with the main task and breaking it into detailed sub-steps.
It’s useful for linear processes that have multiple layers, such as manufacturing workflows or multi-stage approvals in HR or finance. The hierarchical SOP format provides a clear structure, making it easier to navigate complex procedures without losing sight of the bigger picture.
🎥 Trupeer Insight: Updating SOPs shouldn’t mean rewriting everything. Trupeer lets you edit the script or steps directly, then re-export the guide. Your documentation stays accurate without the headache of starting over.
Edit, Export, Update Seamlessly With Trupeer
Flowchart SOP format
Flowcharts map out processes visually, showing different paths depending on specific decisions or conditions. They’re ideal for situations where one choice changes what happens next, like IT troubleshooting, customer support escalations, or emergency response protocols.
Visual SOP templates work best here, especially if your team prefers diagrams over long text. Many process documentation templates come with built-in flowchart tools that make updates easy.
🚨 Fact Alert: The medical field has its own SOP breakthrough. In 2008, the WHO introduced surgical safety checklists that quickly became global standards, dramatically reducing complications during operations.
15 Free SOP Templates and Formats To Download
Let's look at 15 solid SOP templates that work across different industries so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. 🛞
1. IT SOP Template
This IT SOP Template's genius lies in its hierarchical structure. Complex procedures get broken down into digestible chunks that even your newest team member can follow.
You'll find dedicated sections for screenshots (because nothing beats visual proof), code snippets, and those crucial ‘what to do when everything goes wrong’ escalation procedures.
2. Sales SOP Template
Sales reps are notorious for doing their own thing and sometimes that's exactly the problem. When your top performer leaves, their knowledge walks out the door with them. This Sales SOP Template in Google Docs captures that before it disappears. Built around the sales funnel, it covers everything from lead qualification to closing techniques. It also includes tracking elements so you can measure which processes are working.
3. HR SOP Template
This HR SOP Template helps you document moving parts across your department. The real value here is in the compliance safeguards. Every procedure includes built-in checkpoints and legal considerations, which is crucial when you're dealing with employee rights, benefits, and workplace regulations.
Users find the approval workflows and escalation procedures helpful; you'll always know who needs to sign off on what, and when to kick things upstairs.
4. Notion's AI-Powered SOP Generator
Next, Notion’s AI-Powered SOP Generator Template interviews you about your process and builds you a custom SOP template.
AI asks targeted questions about your workflow, then automatically structures everything into the most appropriate format. It also flags missing steps or suggests improvements you might not have considered. Perfect for teams who want consistency without the tedious formatting work.
💡 Pro Tip: Layer your detail. Start with a high-level ‘quick SOP’ that someone can skim in under a minute, then link to the full, detailed version for those who need step-by-step guidance. This way, both experts and beginners can use the same doc.
5. Notion's All-in-One Documentation Template
Most SOP templates live in isolation, like lonely islands of information. Notion's All-in-One Documentation Template creates an entire documentation continent. It connects your standard operating procedures with knowledge bases, project docs, and team guidelines in one unified system.
The multiple view options are amazing for different learning styles. Some team members prefer step-by-step lists, others want flowcharts. This template serves up information the way each person processes it best, making adoption much smoother.
6. Notion's Client Dashboard Template
Client work gets messy fast: internal procedures clash with client expectations, communication falls through, and suddenly everyone's confused about who's supposed to do what. The Client Dashboard Template by Notion solves that by creating transparency for both sides.
Your team gets clear internal procedures while clients see exactly how their projects flow through your system. The dual perspective ensures clients feel involved without getting buried in operational details they don't need.
7. Canva’s Business Development Partnership Procedure Template
Most SOPs look about as exciting as tax forms. People avoid reading them, which defeats the entire purpose. Canva’s Business Development Partnership Procedure Template changes that script with visually engaging SOPS.
The template transforms dry process documentation into infographic-style guides using smart color coding, icons, and visual flow indicators. Complex procedures suddenly become intuitive when you can see the workflow instead of just reading about it.
🎥 Trupeer Insight: Global teams need SOPs too. This SOP creation software can translate your video, captions, and written steps into 30+ languages so your processes are consistent across every region.
Standardize Processes Globally With Trupeer
8. Canva's Standard Operating Procedure Template
This second Canva SOP Template takes a completely different approach—think clean, Scandinavian minimalism vs. the first previous template’s infographic style. The emphasis here is on breathing room and crystal-clear section breaks that guide readers naturally through complex procedures.
It starts with a quick reference section for the basics, while the main table breaks things down into clear sections for the objective, responsible department, needed resources, how often the task should be done, and the procedural steps.
9. ClickUp’s Standard SOP Template
The ClickUp SOP Template creates actionable tasks and assignments right from your procedures. Document a process once, then set up recurring checklists that ensure it gets followed consistently.
You also get a good level of format flexibility within a single document. Quick daily tasks get simple checklist treatment, while complex procedures get the full step-by-step breakdown.
🚨 Fact Alert: Consistency in fast food owes a lot to SOPs, too. McDonald’s scaled worldwide by documenting every step of how a burger should be made, ensuring it tastes the same in Tokyo as it does in New York.
10. ClickUp’s Marketing SOP Template
ClickUp’s Marketing SOP Template systematizes the recurring work so you can focus on the creative side. It covers the complete marketing spectrum: content creation workflows, campaign launch sequences, brand guideline enforcement, and those critical approval processes that can make or break launch dates.
The collaboration features are built for how marketing teams work; lots of moving pieces, lots of different people weighing in.
💡 Pro Tip: Treat SOPs like products. Launch them with a clear version number, changelog, and feedback loop. This builds trust and makes updates transparent, so no one wonders if they’re looking at the latest process.
11. ClickUp’s Standard Operation Procedures Template
ClickUp's Standard Operation Procedures Template adapts to virtually any type of procedure across departments. The standardized structure ensures consistency, but there's enough flexibility that your HR onboarding process won't look identical to your IT troubleshooting guide.
The built-in review and approval workflows are where this SOP template stands out. It keeps your procedures current with automated review cycles and clear update responsibilities.
12. ClickUp’s Non-Profit SOP Template
ClickUp’s Non-Profit SOP Template addresses the specific pain points that keep non-profit leaders up at night.
The volunteer management procedures are particularly thoughtful. This template recognizes that volunteers often have varying levels of commitment and experience. Procedures are written in accessible language with built-in flexibility for different skill levels and availability.
Plus, it includes structured sections for meeting funder requirements and maintaining the detailed records that auditors love to see.
💡 Pro Tip: Track task duration inside your SOP. Add a note on how long each step should typically take. This helps managers spot inefficiencies and gives employees a benchmark when they’re unsure if they’re too slow.
13. ClickUp’s Company Processes Document Template
ClickUp’s Company Processes Document Template creates a single source of truth for how your business operates.
The interconnected approach is what makes this template special. You get a web of connected processes that reference each other logically. This means your onboarding SOP can link to IT setup procedures, which connect to security protocols, creating a seamless employee experience.
Emergency protocols, policy updates, multi-department workflows—everything fits into the same organized structure without becoming overwhelming.
14. SmartSheet's Help Desk Standard Operating Procedure Template
The SmartSheet Help Desk SOP Template is built for support teams who need to resolve issues quickly while maintaining consistent quality across different agents and skill levels.
The systematic troubleshooting approach is the real value here. The template provides decision trees that methodically guide agents to solutions. Its quality assurance elements are particularly smart. Built-in checkpoints ensure customer satisfaction stays high even during busy periods when it's tempting to rush through tickets.
🚨 Fact Alert: The military is one of the biggest reasons SOPs became formalized. Armies needed consistent procedures so soldiers could act the same way under pressure, no matter who was leading them.
15. SmartSheet's Restaurant Standard Operating Procedure Template
This Restaurant Standard Operating Procedure Template by SmartSheet offers a role-specific approach to SOPs. Servers get different procedures than kitchen staff, who get different ones than managers. Everyone knows exactly what their part is without getting bogged down in responsibilities that aren't theirs.
The procedures are designed for quick reference during service when there's no time for lengthy manuals. Food safety and health department compliance are woven throughout, not tacked on as afterthoughts.
💡 Pro Tip: Write SOPs with branching paths. If a process has two or three variations depending on context (like tool version, client type, or department), show those forks clearly in the same doc rather than creating multiple separate SOPs. It prevents confusion and duplication.
How to Create an SOP With Trupeer
Most SOPs fall short because they overwhelm readers with text or miss the context that makes a process clear.
Trupeer changes that by letting you build SOPs that combine video, screenshots, and written guides in a single workflow. The goal isn’t only to make SOPs look better, but to make them more practical for daily use.
Let’s take a closer look. 👀
Turn SOPs into engaging video walkthroughs
Start by recording your screen as you go through the process with Trupeer’s AI Screen Recorder.
Record your screen with Trupeer’s AI Screen Recorder to create a guided video SOP in minutes
The AI video editor takes that raw recording and turns it into a polished tutorial, complete with a synced AI voiceover. The result feels like a colleague guiding you step by step.
For example, when an IT manager creates an SOP for resetting passwords, the video shows the actual navigation through the admin console while the narration explains each step. Employees can follow along in real time and complete the task correctly the first time.
Choose an AI-generated voice in Trupeer to explain each SOP step clearly
🎥 Trupeer Insight: Consistency is what makes SOPs reliable. Trupeer saves your brand colors, logos, and layouts so every SOP looks polished and uniform without extra formatting work.
Maintain Visual Consistency Easily With Trupeer
Create written documentation from your video
A single recording can also generate a complete written SOP.
Trupeer captures screenshots of each key step and pairs them with concise instructions, giving you a structured document without extra effort.
Generate detailed written SOPs from your process videos in Trupeer
Take the example of a restaurant manager documenting the end-of-day register close. The recording automatically produces a written checklist that includes screenshots of counting the drawer, reconciling receipts, and locking the terminal.
Staff working late can skim the document, while new hires still have the full video for extra support.
🚨 Fact Alert: Even the hospitality industry runs on SOPs. Luxury hotels document everything down to how a bed should be made or how a guest should be greeted, so the experience feels seamless every time.
Embed videos in SOP documents or knowledge bases
Video and text become even more useful when they live in the same place.
Embed Trupeer’s videos into your SOP templates for faster adoption
Trupeer lets you embed recordings directly into SOP templates, knowledge bases, or internal wikis so employees have everything they need in one view.
For example, an HR team preparing an onboarding SOP can place a Trupeer video on setting up payroll accounts right alongside the written checklist. New employees can watch the process, pause it at each step, and confirm their progress using the text guide.
This combination speeds up onboarding and reduces the number of repeated support requests.
🎥 Trupeer Insight: Knowing how people use your SOPs helps you improve them. Trupeer’s analytics show where viewers stop watching, rewatch certain steps, or skip ahead. That way, you can spot confusing parts and make your process clearer next time.
Track SOP Engagement Easily With Trupeer
Clarity Meets Action in Trupeer
Processes only work if people actually follow them. A ten-page SOP template in a shared folder won’t do much if no one wants to read it. The goal is clarity: give your team instructions they can understand quickly and use without second-guessing.
Trupeer makes it easier to hit that sweet spot.
Record a process once, and you walk away with a professional video walkthrough, a written SOP full of screenshots, and a resource that fits neatly into your team’s knowledge base.
If you want your SOPs to feel clear, useful, and scalable, try Trupeer for free today! ✅
FAQs
1. What’s the difference between an SOP and a policy document?
An SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is a step-by-step guide that explains how to complete a task. A policy document, on the other hand, sets the rules or principles behind those tasks.
For example, a company’s HR policy might say employees must complete compliance training, while an SOP template in Word or Google Docs would show the exact process for enrolling in and completing that training. Both are important, but SOP examples and templates make the execution practical.
2. What are the best practices for creating an SOP?
The best SOPs are clear, actionable, and easy to follow. Use a format that matches the task, such as step-by-step, checklist, flowchart, or hierarchical structures. Starting with free SOP templates can save time and help with consistency across teams.
When writing, use simple language, keep steps in order, and add visuals where needed. Reviewing SOP examples + templates before creating your own can help you choose the right structure.
3. How often should SOPs be reviewed or updated?
Standard operating procedure templates should be reviewed at least once a year or whenever there’s a major change in processes, tools, or regulations. Outdated procedures can cause errors and compliance risks, so regular updates are key.
Many companies keep downloadable SOP templates organized in Word or Google Docs so edits can be made quickly and shared instantly.
4. Can AI tools like Trupeer help create SOPs?
Yes. AI onboarding and documentation tools like Trupeer can turn complex workflows into step-by-step instructional content in minutes. You can capture a process once, and the AI creates both SOP templates and training resources from it. This makes it easier to scale SOP creation across different teams, saving time while keeping consistency.
5. How do you make sure employees actually follow SOPs?
Even the best SOP templates only work if people use them. Keep documents short and practical, choose the right types of SOP formats (like checklists for quick tasks or flowcharts for decision-heavy processes), and make them easily accessible.
Using downloadable SOP templates stored in a shared drive or intranet helps. Regular training and product walkthroughs also reinforce usage, especially for new employees.
6. Are there legal requirements for SOPs in certain industries?
Yes. In highly regulated industries like healthcare, food service, finance, and manufacturing, SOPs are legally required. For example, a restaurant may rely on SOP templates for food safety, while a pharmaceutical company must document processes to comply with FDA standards.
In these cases, using the best SOP templates 2025 designed for your industry saves time and ensures compliance.
