Every small business runs on things one person knows. How the big customer likes to be invoiced. Which supplier to call when the usual one is out. When that person is out sick, the work waits.
Writing it down fixes that. But most SOPs (standard operating procedures, the written "how we do this") are written as reminders for someone who already knows the job. An AI agent doesn't know the job. Neither does a new hire. This post shows how to write an SOP for AI agents that a brand-new person can follow too, with a template, a filled example and prompts to do most of the writing for you.
Why most SOPs fail
Pull up any SOP in your shared drive. I'd bet it has at least one of these problems.
- It skips the decisions. "Update the customer record" doesn't say what to do when there are two records.
- It has no finish line. Nobody can tell whether the task is done or just stopped.
- It doesn't say when to stop. So people guess, and agents guess faster.
- It describes a version of the software from three years ago. The buttons moved.
A person works around a bad SOP by asking around. An agent either stops or, worse, guesses. Writing for an agent forces the rules out of people's heads.
How is an SOP for AI agents different from a prompt?
A prompt is a one-time ask. An SOP is a standing instruction for a task that happens again and again. If you want to get better at the one-time asks, the delegation prompt post covers that.
The SOP is what you point the agent to every time the task comes up. "Run the holiday hours SOP for Thanksgiving." Same steps, same rules, same finish line, every time.
The parts of an agent-ready SOP
Every SOP I write has these sections, in this order.
- Trigger. What starts this task. A date, an email, a form submission, a request from a specific person.
- Inputs. What information must exist before starting, and where it lives. If an input is missing, the task doesn't start.
- Access. Which tools are needed and at what level. The person signs in; the agent never handles passwords.
- Steps. Numbered, one action per step, with the tool named in each.
- Decision rules. The "if this, then that" calls a veteran makes without thinking. This is where most of the value lives.
- Done criteria. What exists when the task is finished, and how someone checks it.
- Escalation. When to stop and ask, who to ask, and what never happens without approval.
Decision rules and escalation are the two sections almost every SOP is missing. They're also the two that make it safe to hand to an agent.
The template
Copy this into a doc. One SOP per task.
SOP: [Task name]
Owner: [Person who signs off on changes to this SOP]
Last tested: [Date]
TRIGGER
- This task starts when: [event, date or request]
INPUTS (do not start without these)
- [Input 1] lives in [location]
- [Input 2] lives in [location]
ACCESS
- [Tool]: [role or permission level]. A person signs in; never enter passwords.
STEPS
1. In [tool], [one action].
2. In [tool], [one action].
3. ...
DECISION RULES
- If [situation], then [action].
- If [situation], then stop and escalate.
DONE CRITERIA
- [What exists when finished]
- [How a reviewer checks it: links, screenshots, a summary]
ESCALATION
- Stop and ask [person] if: [conditions]
- Never without approval: send, publish, pay, delete, or change permissions.A filled example (illustrative)
Say you run two car wash locations in St. Louis County. Every holiday, someone forgets to update the hours somewhere, and customers drive up to a closed gate. Here's what that SOP looks like filled in.
SOP: Holiday and closure hours update
Owner: General manager
Last tested: [date]
TRIGGER
- A holiday or planned closure is 14 days out on the shared "Closures" calendar.
INPUTS
- Approved hours for each location, in the "Holiday Hours" sheet, row for that date.
- If the row is blank or not marked "approved," do not start. Escalate.
ACCESS
- Google Business Profile: manager access for both locations.
- Website: editor access (not admin).
STEPS
1. In Google Business Profile, add special hours for each location for the date(s) in the sheet.
2. On the website, update the hours banner and the Locations page for both locations.
3. Draft one social post per location announcing the hours. Save as draft.
4. Take a screenshot of each change.
DECISION RULES
- If the closure is 7 days or longer, do not use special hours. Escalate.
- If the two locations have different hours, update each separately. Never copy one to the other.
- If Google shows a pending suggested edit to the hours, do not accept or reject it. Escalate.
- If the website shows hours in a place not listed here, update it and add that place to this SOP.
DONE CRITERIA
- Special hours appear on both profiles for the right dates.
- Website banner and Locations page match the sheet.
- Two social posts saved as drafts.
- One message to the manager with links and screenshots.
ESCALATION
- Ask the general manager about anything not covered above.
- Never without approval: publish website changes, publish social posts, or change regular hours.
- The phone greeting is updated by the manager. It is not part of this task.Two details worth noticing. The 7-day rule comes straight from Google: >special hours cover closures of up to six days in a row, and longer closures use "Temporarily closed" instead. And the last decision rule makes the SOP improve itself every time it runs.
How do I turn tribal knowledge into an SOP?
Don't start by writing. Start by recording.
Have the person who does the task do it once while sharing their screen and talking out loud: what they click, why, and what they'd do if something looked off. Most meeting and screen recording tools can produce a transcript. Grab that, plus a few screenshots of the key screens. Claude accepts common >document and image files, so the transcript and screenshots are enough.
Then let AI do the first draft.
Prompt: Turn a recording transcript into an SOP
Attached is a transcript of [name] doing [task] while narrating, plus screenshots of the main screens.
Write an SOP using this exact structure: Trigger, Inputs, Access, Steps, Decision Rules, Done Criteria, Escalation.
Rules:
- One action per step, and name the tool in each step.
- Every time the transcript mentions a judgment call ("usually," "unless," "if it's one of the big customers"), turn it into a Decision Rule.
- Do not invent steps or rules that aren't in the transcript. If something is unclear, add it to a "Questions for [name]" list at the end.
- Never include passwords or login details. Write "a person signs in" instead.
Done looks like: a complete SOP draft plus the questions list.Prompt: Turn rough notes into an SOP
Below are my rough notes on how we handle [task]. I'm the owner of a [type of business] with [number] people.
Rewrite them as an SOP with these sections: Trigger, Inputs, Access, Steps, Decision Rules, Done Criteria, Escalation.
Write it so a new hire on their first day, or an AI agent working in our software, could follow it without asking me anything. Where my notes skip a decision, ask me about it in a list at the end instead of guessing.
Notes:
[paste your notes]Prompt: Find the gaps before you rely on it
Read the SOP below as if you were a new employee who has never done this task and can't ask anyone.
Walk through it step by step. List every point where you would:
- Not know which button, field or file to use
- Face a decision the SOP doesn't cover
- Not be sure whether you're finished
Do not rewrite the SOP. Just give me the list, in order, with the step number for each gap.
SOP:
[paste the SOP]Test it, then keep it alive
An SOP isn't done when it's written. It's done when someone who has never done the task finishes it without asking a question.
Run it once with an agent in draft mode, where nothing publishes or sends, and once with your newest employee. Every question either one asks is a missing line. Add it and update the "Last tested" date.
Keep them in one shared folder, named by trigger ("When a holiday is 14 days out"), so anyone can find the right one fast. This is exactly the kind of process gap I covered in 7 mistakes you're making with manual business processes.
Frequently asked questions
What is an SOP for AI agents?
It's a standard operating procedure written clearly enough that an AI agent can follow it without guessing. It names what starts the task, what information is needed, the exact steps, the rules for common decisions, what done looks like and when to stop and ask a person. A good one works just as well for a new hire.
Can the same SOP work for people and AI agents?
Yes, and it should. The things that trip up an agent, like vague steps, unstated rules and no clear finish line, are the same things that trip up a new employee. Write it once, plainly, and both can use it. Keep one version so they never drift apart.
How detailed should an SOP be?
Detailed enough that someone who has never done the task can finish it without asking you a question. Test it by handing it to an agent or a new person. Every question they ask is a missing line. Add it, and test again.
Can AI write my SOPs for me?
AI can write the first draft fast, from a narrated screen recording transcript, rough notes or a voice memo. It can't know your unwritten rules unless you say them out loud. Use AI to draft and to find gaps, then have the person who does the job review it before anyone relies on it.
Hand me the task only one person knows
Every business has one. If you'd rather not write the SOP yourself, writing SOPs and training material is part of what my agents do every week, and I review every one before your team sees it. Start with the $99 first month, and bring the task that keeps you up at night.
