Sop Writing

SOP Writing

Purpose

Establish guidelines for writing Standard Operating Procedures that support governance processes.

Scope

This skill applies to SOPs within analytics governance, including:

• report build procedures
• data validation procedures
• issue escalation procedures
• maintenance procedures

Before drafting governance documentation, check and apply: .github/skills/finance-documentation-lifecycle

Use it as the source of truth for ISO 9001-inspired terminology, process/procedure/SOP distinctions, documentation lifecycle, and evidence/record expectations.

Writing rules

• State the objective clearly.
• List steps in the exact order they should be executed.
• Identify responsible roles for each step.
• Specify evidence generated by each step.
• Keep steps actionable and repeatable.

Structure

1. Objective
2. Scope
3. Roles
4. Prerequisites
5. Procedure steps
6. Artifacts / evidence
7. Exceptions

Output expectations

• Each step must produce evidence.
• Steps must map to control points and processes.
• Use numbering and clear directives (e.g., "Run", "Verify", "Record").
• Avoid ambiguity and optional language in core steps.