Micro-Efficiency Monday | by ALL2S Consulting LLC
Every company says they have SOPs.
But if you ask five people how something’s done, you’ll probably get five different answers — and three of them will start with,
“Well… the SOP says this, but what we actually do is…”
Sound familiar?
That’s because most SOPs fail long before they ever hit a SharePoint folder.
Here’s why — and how to build one that actually works.
1️⃣ They’re Written for Auditors, Not Users
Too many SOPs are built like compliance documents — formal, stiff, and hard to follow.
They check the “we have procedures” box, but they don’t actually guide behavior.
If an SOP doesn’t make someone’s job easier, it won’t be used.
✅ Fix:
Write for the person doing the work, not the person reviewing it.
Use screenshots, flow steps, and examples.
Make it visual. Make it scannable.
Your goal: if someone new started today, could they follow it without asking questions?
2️⃣ They Don’t Reflect Reality
SOPs fail when they describe the “ideal world,” not the real one.
Operations evolve. Systems change. People adapt.
But the SOP? It stays frozen in time.
When process and practice drift apart, your SOP becomes fiction — and that’s when errors multiply.
✅ Fix:
- Review and update quarterly.
- Assign ownership (each SOP should have a “keeper”).
- Encourage teams to flag steps that no longer match reality.
Documentation should follow your process improvements, not lag behind them.
3️⃣ They’re Built in Silos
Finance has their version.
Operations has theirs.
IT has a totally different workflow for the same task.
The result? No one’s SOP lines up with the others — and everyone wastes time reconciling.
✅ Fix:
Document cross-department dependencies.
If Finance needs an export before billing, note it.
If Ops depends on data entry from another team, make that visible.
An SOP that ignores interdependencies isn’t a process — it’s a suggestion.
4️⃣ They’re Written Once and Forgotten
An SOP is a living document — not a “final version.”
The moment it’s static, it’s already outdated.
Process documents are tricky to keep up to date because the team responsible for maintaining them is often a centralized function — embedded in training, process improvement, or engineering. These teams aren’t on the front lines, so they may not know when something changes in real time.
✅ Fix:
Make SOP ownership functional, not centralized.
Team leads or supervisors should own updates for the areas they manage — they know when the process changes.
Then, keep the documentation process simple enough that they can actually maintain it.
You want an SOP system that’s structured, but not intimidating.
Something that’s easy to search, simple to update, and doesn’t scare people away.
Many companies use SharePoint — great for storage, not great for search.
If possible, move to a web-based SOP platform that’s more user-friendly and allows quick edits and version control.
It also prevents one of the biggest pitfalls: printed SOPs.
Paper copies might feel handy for notes, but they derail your ability to ensure employees are working from the latest version.
In one of my former roles, we were ISO certified — which meant living by the “replace and destroy” rule.
Paper SOPs became our biggest risk, so we transitioned to a fully online SOP platform that controlled access and versioning.
That shift alone eliminated errors, confusion, and compliance headaches.
5️⃣ They Lack Context and Purpose
People follow what they understand.
If employees don’t know why a step matters, they’ll skip it.
✅ Fix:
Start each SOP with two lines:
Purpose: Why this process exists
Impact: What happens if it’s not followed
When people understand the “why,” consistency follows naturally.
6️⃣ They’re Not Integrated Into Training
Process documents shouldn’t sit in a shared drive collecting dust —
they should be part of the training process.
When employees are introduced to SOPs as part of training, adoption improves dramatically.
Ideally, you design your training sessions so the document flows with the training itself —
trainees follow the SOP while learning, and can easily use it afterward as a reference.
This applies to both new employees and existing staff learning new processes.
But the trickiest scenario?
Existing employees and existing processes that are documented after the fact — when an organization first gets serious about standardization.
In that case, you’ll need to create buy-in.
Your team must see the SOP as the source of truth and believe it aligns with how the process really works.
The best way to achieve this: engage the front lines.
Don’t document in isolation.
Involve the people who live the process daily — if they don’t see themselves in the document, they’ll reject it.
And then your SOP just became an expensive writing exercise.
Other barriers to adoption include:
- Too many SOPs, overwhelming in number
- Poorly organized storage (no clear central location)
- Excessive rigidity that limits judgment or flexibility
These are the flip side of good intentions — wanting structure, consistency, and control —
but without balance, they backfire.
Your SOP system must balance governance with accessibility.
The goal is clarity, not control.
Bonus Tip: Use an SOP Template That Thinks Like You Do
Most SOP templates are walls of text.
Yours shouldn’t be.
Design it with:
- A clear header (purpose, owner, version)
- A visual workflow (even a simple box diagram)
- Task steps in one column, screenshots or notes in another
- A section for related processes or systems (CargoWise, Finance, etc.)
Not only should your template “think like you do” — it should look consistent every time.
People learn better when formats feel familiar.
It might sound small, but inconsistent styles — different headers, fonts, spacing — actually distract the reader and reduce comprehension.
Humans rely on pattern recognition when learning.
Even subtle inconsistencies in layout can make a document harder to follow and less credible.
Consistency in template style builds trust, improves usability, and helps employees focus on the process, not the formatting.
When structure and consistency drive clarity, adoption follows.
Final Thought
SOPs aren’t paperwork — they’re culture.
They tell your team what “good” looks like and how to get there consistently.
When done right, they’re the simplest automation you’ll ever implement.
Ready to Streamline Your Documentation?
If your SOPs live in folders no one opens, engage ALL2S Consulting LLC — I can help you build templates that are practical, visual, and actually used.
Or, start smaller: use my SOP Health Audit Checklist on my Buy Me a Coffee page to assess where your process documentation stands today.
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