There’s a point in every growing business where you look at your SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) and realise… they’re out of date, half-finished, or buried in a folder you haven’t opened since last year.
You know the drill:
- New tools get added, old ones disappear
- Processes change (again)
- You mean to update things, but urgent work always comes first
So what happens?
The team ignores the SOPs, new hires end up asking the same questions, and you’re back to firefighting tasks that should be routine.
But SOPs don’t need to be perfect. They just need to be usable.
How to Keep SOPs Useful (Without a Full Overhaul)
1. Focus on the 20% That Matters Most
Not every process is mission-critical. Start with the steps that are repeated most often or cause the biggest headaches when skipped (think: client onboarding, payments, or comms).
Let the rest wait. Most businesses only need a few well-written SOPs to cover 80% of the work.
2. Make Quick Edits in Real Time
Spot an outdated step while working? Add a quick note or strike-through, even if it’s messy. A live “good enough” process is miles better than one you’ll “fix someday.”
Use a system that makes it easy to tweak on the go: Google Docs, Notion, ClickUp, wherever your team works.
3. Involve Your Team
Encourage the people actually doing the work to flag errors or drop a comment when something’s off.
The fastest updates come from those in the trenches, not from top-down managers.
4. Schedule a Light-Touch Review (Not a Deep Dive)
Once a quarter, set a 30-minute calendar block to scroll through your most-used SOPs and tidy up anything glaring.
No need for perfection, just enough to keep things moving.
5. Don’t Start From Scratch Every Time
Templates are your friend.
Starting with a strong foundation means you only need to adjust the details, not reinvent the wheel for every task.
80% Done Beats 100% Perfect (and Ignored)
Most business owners get stuck because they think SOPs have to be polished and detailed before anyone can use them.
But in reality, an “almost right” simple process your team actually follows is far better than a beautifully-formatted formal document no one opens.
Progress, not perfection, is what keeps your operations running smoothly.
Ready to shortcut the process?
The 40 SOP Templates give you instantly editable docs for the most common processes so you don’t have to start from scratch (or waste time on perfectionism).
