Most SOP templates are a numbered list with a header. That works until the task forks. The new hire reaches the screen where the answer depends on the account, the contract, or the carrier, and the SOP says "select the appropriate option."
This template is built around the forks. Copy it, fill it in for one task, and hand it to someone who has never done that task. If they can finish without asking you anything, the SOP works.
What sections does a good SOP template need?
Eleven, each doing one job:
| Section | What goes in it | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Verb + object + system | People search for the task, not the department |
| Purpose | One or two sentences on the outcome | Tells the reader what "done" is for |
| Trigger | The event that starts the task | Stops people guessing when to use it |
| Owner | The role that does it and the role that maintains it | Someone has to keep it current |
| Systems | Every system touched | Access problems show up before step 1, not at step 7 |
| Prerequisites | Access, documents, and information needed | Nothing to go hunting for mid-task |
| Steps | Numbered actions, grouped into phases | The path through the task |
| Decision points | A table of every fork | The part a click-by-click guide leaves out |
| Exceptions | Cases the steps do not cover and where they go | Keeps edge cases from becoming improvisation |
| Completion check | How to confirm it was done right | Catches errors before the client does |
| Revision notes | Version, who wrote it, who approved it | Tells the reader whether to trust it |
- Title
- What goes in it
- Verb + object + system
- Why it is there
- People search for the task, not the department
- Purpose
- What goes in it
- One or two sentences on the outcome
- Why it is there
- Tells the reader what "done" is for
- Trigger
- What goes in it
- The event that starts the task
- Why it is there
- Stops people guessing when to use it
- Owner
- What goes in it
- The role that does it and the role that maintains it
- Why it is there
- Someone has to keep it current
- Systems
- What goes in it
- Every system touched
- Why it is there
- Access problems show up before step 1, not at step 7
- Prerequisites
- What goes in it
- Access, documents, and information needed
- Why it is there
- Nothing to go hunting for mid-task
- Steps
- What goes in it
- Numbered actions, grouped into phases
- Why it is there
- The path through the task
- Decision points
- What goes in it
- A table of every fork
- Why it is there
- The part a click-by-click guide leaves out
- Exceptions
- What goes in it
- Cases the steps do not cover and where they go
- Why it is there
- Keeps edge cases from becoming improvisation
- Completion check
- What goes in it
- How to confirm it was done right
- Why it is there
- Catches errors before the client does
- Revision notes
- What goes in it
- Version, who wrote it, who approved it
- Why it is there
- Tells the reader whether to trust it
A note on titles. "Issue a certificate of insurance for an additional insured in the AMS" is findable. "COI procedure" is not, and "Commercial lines process 4" is worse.
Where is the template to copy?
Here. Copy the block, replace the bracketed prompts, and delete any prompt you do not need.
# [Verb] [object] in [system] ## Purpose [One or two sentences: what this task produces and why it matters.] ## Trigger [The event that starts this task. Example: "A written request arrives from..."] ## Owner - Performs the task: [role] - Maintains this SOP: [role] ## Systems - [System 1: which screens or modules] - [System 2] ## Prerequisites - [Access or permission needed] - [Documents or information needed before starting] ## Steps ### Phase 1: [name] 1. [Action, written as an instruction. Name the screen, field, or button.] 2. [Action] ### Phase 2: [name] 3. [Action] 4. [Action. If this step involves a choice, point to the decision table: "See decision D1."] ### Phase 3: [name] 5. [Action] 6. [Action] ## Decision points | ID | Decision | Options | When each option is right | Cost of a wrong choice | In the worked example | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | D1 | [What is being decided] | [Option A / Option B] | [A when...; B when...] | [What goes wrong] | [Which option, and why] | | D2 | | | | | | ## Exceptions - [Situation the steps do not cover]: [what to do, or who to route it to] - [Situation]: [what to do] ## Completion check - [ ] [Observable result 1] - [ ] [Observable result 2] - [ ] [Record saved or activity closed where it belongs] ## Revision notes - Version: [number] - Written by: [role or name] - Approved by: [role or name] - Review when: [the event that should trigger a review, such as a system change]
What does a filled-in SOP look like?
Here is the template filled in for a common insurance agency task, using a generic agency management system (AMS). It is written for this page as an example; your agency's wording, screens, and rules will differ.
# Issue a certificate of insurance for an additional insured in the AMS
## Purpose
Produce an accurate certificate of liability insurance that shows the
certificate holder as additional insured only where the policy supports it,
and file it on the client record.
## Trigger
A written request (email or service ticket) asks for a certificate naming a
holder as additional insured, usually because a contract requires it.
## Owner
- Performs the task: Commercial lines CSR
- Maintains this SOP: Commercial lines manager
## Systems
- AMS: client record, policy forms list, certificates module
- Email: to receive the request and send the certificate
## Prerequisites
- Permission to issue certificates in the AMS
- The written request, with the holder's exact legal name and mailing address
- The contract requirement, if the requester provided it
- The agency's approved description-of-operations wording
## Steps
### Phase 1: Confirm the request
1. Open the request. Confirm it names the holder, the holder's address, the
coverage lines required, and whether additional insured, waiver of
subrogation, or primary and non-contributory status is requested.
2. In the AMS, search for the insured by client name and open the client
record.
3. Open the Policies tab. Confirm each requested line is active and the
expiration date has not passed.
### Phase 2: Check the policy supports the request
4. Open the general liability policy and go to its forms list. Look for an
additional insured endorsement. See decision D1.
5. If a waiver of subrogation is requested, check the forms list on each
requested line for a waiver endorsement. See decision D3.
6. Compare the limits the request asks for with the policy limits. See
decision D4.
### Phase 3: Build the certificate
7. Open the Certificates module from the client record and click New
Certificate. Choose the liability certificate template.
8. In the Certificate Holder field, search the holder list. See decision D2.
9. Select the policies to show. Check the additional insured box only on
lines with a supporting endorsement. Check the waiver box only on lines
with a waiver endorsement.
10. In Description of Operations, paste the approved wording, for example:
"Certificate holder is included as additional insured with respect to
general liability where required by written contract, per the attached
policy endorsement."
11. Click Preview. Check the holder name, address, policy numbers, dates,
limits, and every checked box against the request.
### Phase 4: Issue and file
12. Click Issue. The AMS saves the certificate to the client record.
13. Email the certificate to the requester from the client record.
14. Attach the original request to the same activity and close it.
## Decision points
| ID | Decision | Options | When each option is right | Cost of a wrong choice | In the worked example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | Can the holder be shown as additional insured? | Yes / No, route to account manager | Yes only if a blanket or scheduled additional insured endorsement covers this holder. Otherwise route to the account manager to request the endorsement. | A certificate that shows coverage the policy does not provide. An E&O exposure for the agency. | Yes. Blanket endorsement, "where required by written contract". |
| D2 | Use an existing holder or create a new one? | Existing / New | Existing if name and address match the request exactly. New if either differs. | Certificate sent to an outdated address or wrong legal entity. | Existing holder, address matched. |
| D3 | Check the waiver of subrogation box? | Yes / No | Yes only on lines with a waiver endorsement. | Same as D1: the certificate overstates coverage. | Not requested. |
| D4 | Requested limits higher than policy limits? | Issue showing actual limits and notify the producer / Hold | Always show actual limits. Notify the producer so the client can discuss higher limits. Never edit limits on the certificate. | A certificate that does not match the policy. | Limits met the request. |
## Exceptions
- No additional insured endorsement on the policy: do not issue with the box
checked. Route to the account manager to request an endorsement from the
carrier, and tell the requester when to expect the certificate.
- Primary and non-contributory status requested: show it only if the policy
has an endorsement that provides it. Otherwise route to the account manager.
- Policy expires before the contract start date and the renewal is not
bound: route to the account manager.
- The request asks the certificate to change or extend coverage: a
certificate does not amend the policy. Route to the account manager.
- Request comes from the holder, not the insured, and there is no contract
on file: confirm with the insured before issuing.
## Completion check
- [ ] Holder name and address match the request exactly
- [ ] Additional insured and waiver boxes checked only where endorsements exist
- [ ] Policy dates and limits match the policy
- [ ] Certificate saved to the client record and sent to the requester
- [ ] Request attached and activity closed
## Revision notes
- Version: 1
- Written by: Commercial lines CSR, from a recorded run of the task
- Approved by: Commercial lines manager
- Review when: the agency changes AMS, carriers, or approved wordingNotice where the value is. Steps 7 through 14 are the clicks. The decision table and the exceptions are what keep a new CSR from issuing a certificate the policy does not support.
How do you use the template in Word, Google Docs, or a wiki?
The template is plain Markdown, so it travels.
- Word. Paste the block into a new document. Turn the
#lines into Heading 1 and the##lines into Heading 2, so the navigation pane lists every section. Rebuild the decision table as a Word table so the columns line up. Save it as a Word template so every new SOP starts from the same structure. - Google Docs. Paste as plain text, then apply the heading styles. Keep one master copy and make a copy for each new SOP.
- A wiki or knowledge base. Many wikis read Markdown directly. Paste it into a new page and it renders with headings, lists, and the table intact. Markdown is also a format AI assistants and copilots read cleanly.
Whatever the tool, keep the section order the same across every SOP. People learn where to look.
For a full walkthrough of writing one from scratch, including how to interview the person who knows the task, read the step-by-step guide to writing an SOP.
Why does the template have a decision points table?
Because a procedure is a branching thing written down as a line.
When someone records or writes out a task, they capture one path: the options they chose that day. The next person gets a different account and hits the same screen with different facts. Without the decision table, they have your answer but not your reasoning.
Each row forces four answers: what is being decided, what the options are, when each option is right, and what goes wrong if you pick badly. The last column, the worked example, ties it back to a real run so the rule has a concrete case attached.
If a task has no decisions at all, it may not need an SOP. A checklist will do.
Does the template work outside insurance?
Yes. The sections are the same in any back office. Here is the skeleton for a month-end bank reconciliation at a bookkeeping firm:
- Title: Reconcile the operating bank account in the accounting system
- Trigger: The month-end bank statement is available
- Decision D1: A difference between bank and book. Timing item (outstanding check, deposit in transit) or error? Timing items are listed and carried; errors get a correcting entry after reviewer sign-off.
- Exception: A transaction that neither the client nor the bookkeeper recognizes goes to the client before month close.
- Completion check: Reconciled balance matches the statement; reconciliation report saved to the client's month-end folder.
The same shape fits a medical front desk verifying eligibility, a law firm opening a new matter, or a freight office setting up a new carrier. More examples by role are in the catalog of SOP use cases.
Can SopWow fill in the template for you?
Much of it, from one run of the task. SopWow records the task in Chrome or Edge while you do it, asks about the decisions the recording cannot explain, and writes a procedure of this shape: steps grouped into phases, and decision points with your recorded choice as the worked example. Anything it adds that it did not observe stays flagged until you keep or remove it, and nothing is final until a person approves it. The details are on how SopWow turns a recording into an SOP.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this SOP template free to use?
Yes. Copy it, adapt it, and use it for as many procedures as you like inside your organization. No signup is needed to copy it.
Can I use the template in Microsoft Word?
Yes. Paste the Markdown into a Word document, apply heading styles to the # and ## lines, and convert the decision table to a Word table. Then save it as a template so every new SOP starts the same way.
What is the difference between steps and decision points?
Steps say what to do. Decision points say how to choose when the task forks: which option is right in which situation, and what a wrong choice costs. A click-by-click guide usually has the first and leaves out the second.
How detailed should each step be?
Detailed enough that someone who has never done the task can finish it without asking. Name the screen, the field, and the button. Put the reasoning in the decision table, not in the step, so the steps stay short.
Who should approve an SOP written from this template?
The person who owns the process, ideally not the person who wrote it. They check that the steps are current, the decisions are right, and no client data is in the document.
Ready to skip the blank template?
Record the task once and review the SOP SopWow writes from it. Your first 3 SOPs are free, with no card required.