36 Essential SOP Ideas Every Business Should Create
You don’t need hundreds of systems. You need the right 36, documented once, so your team can run them without you.
Most business owners try to document everything at once, get overwhelmed, and stop. Working department by department keeps it manageable, and gives your team a clear starting point instead of a blank page.
Below is the full list, grouped by department. Each one tells you what the SOP covers and why it matters, so you can spot the gaps in your own business at a glance.
Want a copy-paste starting point for any of these? See the free SOP templates →
Jump to a department:
What is a Minimum Viable System?
David Jenyns explains Minimum Viable Systems and how to turn systemisation into a game.
A Minimum Viable System (MVS) is the smallest set of documented systems your business needs to run without you. Not everything. Not every process you could possibly write down. Just the ones that matter.
The rule of thumb: aim for around six systems per department. Get those documented and you’ve covered the 20% of your operations that drive 80% of your results – the rest can wait.
The list below is one real example of what that looks like in practice: six departments, 36 systems, organised by when they actually run – not just what they’re about. Some are triggered by an event, some run daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or once a year.
Want the deeper breakdown of the MVS framework itself? Read the full guide →
A systems map like this is what a documented MVS looks like once it’s built out.
Marketing SOP ideas
How a stranger finds you, and becomes a lead worth following up.
Start Here
🧭 The Marketing Flow
How a stranger becomes a lead, mapped before the individual systems.
Triggered
📥 Capture and Route a New Lead
What happens the moment a new lead comes in, and where it goes.
Weekly
✍️ Produce and Repurpose Content
The weekly content cycle, from first draft to repurposed formats.
Weekly
📧 Send the Email Broadcast
What goes out to the list every week, and who checks it first.
Monthly
📊 Review Marketing Results
The monthly numbers check that decides what keeps running and what stops.
Quarterly
🎯 Review the Marketing Plan and Dream Client
Keeping the plan and the ideal client definition honest every quarter.
Sales SOP ideas
How a lead gets qualified, worked, and closed, the same way every time.
Start Here
🧭 The Sales Flow
The full sales journey, mapped before the individual systems.
Triggered
📞 Respond to and Qualify a New Enquiry
How a new enquiry gets checked for fit before you spend time on it.
Triggered
💬 Run the Sales Conversation
The structure every sales call follows, so results don’t depend on who’s running it.
Daily
☀️ Run the Sales Huddle
The short daily check-in that keeps the pipeline moving.
Weekly
📅 Run the Sales Meeting
The recurring meeting that reviews the pipeline and unblocks deals.
Annual
🎯 Set the Sales Plan and Targets
How next year’s sales targets get set, and by whom.
Operations SOP ideas
How the work actually gets delivered, from first day to sign-off.
Start Here
🧭 The Delivery Flow
How a job actually gets delivered, mapped before the individual systems.
Triggered
🤝 Onboard a New Client
The exact sequence from signed contract to first delivery.
Triggered
🚨 Recover from a Service Error or Client Complaint
How a complaint gets logged, escalated if needed, and closed out.
Daily
☀️ Run the Operations Stand-Up
The short daily check that catches a blocker before it costs a day.
Monthly
❤️ Review Client Health and Retention
The monthly read on which clients are at risk, before they cancel.
Annual
✅ Set the Service Standards and Client Promise
The yearly reset on what you actually promise clients, and hold to.
Don’t want to write these from scratch?
Every systemHUB account starts pre-loaded with 130+ templates across 10 industries, plus AI tools to draft the rest in minutes.
Finance SOP ideas
How money moves in, and out, without you chasing it by memory.
Start Here
🧭 The Money Flow
How money moves through the business, mapped before the individual systems.
Triggered
🧾 Raise and Send an Invoice
What goes on every invoice, and who checks it before it’s sent.
Daily
💰 Capture Bills and Reconcile the Bank
The daily habit that keeps the books from becoming a month-end scramble.
Weekly
⏰ Chase Overdue Invoices
The exact sequence and timing for following up on a late payment.
Monthly
📈 Close the Month and Review the Reports
What gets closed off and reviewed before the next month starts.
Annual
🗓️ Close the Financial Year and Set the Budget
The once-a-year process that locks in last year and sets next year’s numbers.
HR SOP ideas
How people join, grow, and leave, without it depending on you.
Start Here
🧭 The People Flow
The full employee journey, mapped before the individual HR systems.
Triggered
👋 Onboard a New Team Member
What happens between a signed offer and a productive new hire.
Triggered
🚪 Offboard a Departing Team Member
Access revoked, handover done, nothing left to chance when someone leaves.
Weekly
🗣️ Hold One-on-Ones
The recurring check-in structure every manager runs with their team.
Monthly
📋 Review Each Team Member’s Scorecard
How performance gets tracked against role expectations every month.
Annual
🏆 Run the Annual Review
The yearly review cadence, so it isn’t reinvented by whoever’s running it.
Management SOP ideas
How the leadership team stays aligned, week to week and year to year.
Start Here
🧭 The Leadership Flow
How the leadership team’s rhythm fits together, before the individual systems.
Triggered
🧩 Capture and Solve an Issue
Where a problem gets logged and worked through, instead of just talked about.
Weekly
👥 Run the Leadership Team Meeting
The agenda structure that keeps the weekly meeting useful.
Monthly
📊 Review the Company Dashboard and Find the Bottleneck
The monthly numbers review that ends in one decision, not just a read.
Quarterly
🎯 Set the 90-Day Priorities
How the next quarter’s priorities get chosen and locked in.
Annual
🚀 Run the Annual Strategy Retreat
The once-a-year session that sets direction for the year ahead.
SOP templates by industry
Free systems for your industry, each mapped with an expert in that field. Open any of them, no login needed.
Frequently asked questions
How many SOPs does a business actually need?
Fewer than most owners think. The Minimum Viable System rule of thumb is around six per department – the 36 above are a real example across six departments. Add more only once those are documented and your team is using them.
What’s the difference between an SOP and a checklist?
A checklist is a list of steps. An SOP includes the checklist, plus the trigger (what starts the process) and the endpoint (how you know it’s done), so anyone can run it without asking you first.
Which SOPs should I document first?
Start with your Critical Client Flow: the 7–12 steps a client goes through with your business, from first contact to delivery. Those are the highest-leverage SOPs, because they touch revenue directly.
Do I need software to manage SOPs, or can I use Google Docs?
Google Docs works for a handful of SOPs. Past 10 people, documents get scattered, version control breaks down, and nobody can find the current copy. Purpose-built software like systemHUB keeps everything in one place, with ownership and review dates attached.
How do I get my team to actually follow the SOPs I write?
Involve them in writing it. When someone helps document a process they already run, they own it instead of resisting it. Assign a clear owner to each SOP and review it on a schedule, not just once and forget.
Can I use the same SOP ideas for any industry?
The categories above apply to almost any business. The detail inside each one won’t – a construction company’s onboarding SOP looks different from a clinic’s. Use these as the list of what to build, then write the steps specific to how you actually work.
Ready to put these into practice? See systemHUB plans and pricing →