SOP template
An SOP template you can copy, edit, and make your own. The example below is a refund processing SOP built from one spoken description. Copy the SOP, or describe your own task and let Wavelength write the procedure. See more SOP template examples in the gallery.
Wavelength is a voice to diagram tool that turns a spoken process or a call transcript into an editable SOP.
The generator needs no account. The free plan needs no card.
What is an SOP?
A standard operating procedure, or SOP, is a written document that describes how to do a task step by step. A good SOP has six parts: a title, a purpose statement, a list of roles and who owns each one, a list of tools and systems, a numbered procedure with an owner for each step, and any open questions that need to be answered.
Use an SOP when a task is done more than once, when more than one person does it, or when getting it wrong has consequences. An SOP is the right tool for compliance, for onboarding, and for any process that needs to be done the same way every time. A flowchart is a better fit when the process has complex branches that are easier to see visually. A checklist is simpler and works for short, linear tasks.
Common mistakes: writing the SOP as a wall of text instead of numbered steps, not assigning an owner to each step (every step needs one person who is responsible), and not including the decision branches (if the answer is "yes, do this" or "no, do that", write both paths). An SOP that skips the decision branches is incomplete, because the person following it will not know what to do when the answer is "no".
What was said
A customer requests a refund through the support form. The support agent verifies the purchase in the order system. If the purchase is within 30 days, the agent processes the refund in the payment system and issues a store credit, then sends a confirmation email. If the purchase is older than 30 days, the agent sends a denial email explaining the policy.
The diagram
The written SOP
Refund processing SOP
Roles
Customer, Support Agent
Tools and systems
Support Form, Order System, Payment System, Email
Procedure
- Customer: Submit a refund request through the support form.
- Support Agent: Verify the purchase in the order system.
- Support Agent: Check whether the purchase is within 30 days.
- If yes: Go to step 4.
- If no: Go to step 7.
- Support Agent: Process the refund in the payment system.
- Support Agent: Issue a store credit for the refund amount.
- Support Agent: Send a confirmation email to the customer. End.
- Support Agent: Send a denial email explaining the 30 day policy. End.
Open questions
What is the maximum refund amount that does not require manager approval?
Mermaid code
flowchart TD
n1("Customer Requests Refund")
n2{{"Verify Purchase"}}
n3{"Within 30 Days?"}
n4{{"Process Refund"}}
n5("Issue Store Credit")
n6("Send Confirmation")
n7("Send Denial Email")
n1 --> n2
n2 --> n3
n3 -->|Yes| n4
n3 -->|No| n7
n4 --> n5
n5 --> n6Make this by talking
Open the free SOP generator, hold the mic, and talk through your task the way you would explain it to a new hire. Wavelength writes the SOP from your words, with roles, owners, numbered steps, and decision branches. Copy as markdown or download a .doc file. No account, nothing saved.
To edit the SOP after it is generated, save it free to create your account and open the same flow in the full editor, where you can edit every step by hand, by prompt, or by voice.
More worked examples
- Employee onboarding: HR creates the employee record, IT provisions accounts, the manager assigns equipment, and the employee completes orientation. See the full flow at employee onboarding.
- Employee offboarding: The manager submits the request, IT revokes access, HR conducts the exit interview, and payroll processes the final check. See the full flow at employee offboarding.
- Returns and RMA process: A customer requests a return, the agent approves it, the warehouse receives the item, and finance issues the refund. See the full flow at returns and RMA process.
When Wavelength is the wrong tool
Wavelength is the wrong tool when you need a formal compliance document with signatures and version control. A Word template in a document management system is better for that. It is also the wrong tool when you need version-controlled procedures in a wiki, because Confluence and Notion are built for that kind of collaborative editing. And if the task is short and linear, a plain checklist is faster than an SOP. See our comparison of Wavelength and Lucidchart for where each tool is the better fit.
Related
- Resource center: process mapping resources by team
- Free flowchart maker: talk or type, get a flowchart
- Flowchart template: copy, edit, and make your own
- Process map template: copy, edit, and make your own
- Swimlane process map: worked example with roles
- Data flow diagram examples: worked pipelines
- How to document a current state process: capture an as-is process
- Refund request SOP: a customer support process example
- For operations and SOPs: walkthrough to SOP and flowchart
- Live demo: watch a diagram build itself, no account needed
Common questions
What is an SOP template?
An SOP template is a pre-built standard operating procedure that shows the structure of a common task: roles, tools, numbered steps with owners, decision branches, and open questions. You copy it, edit the steps to match your own task, and fill in the blanks. Wavelength also builds an SOP from your spoken description, so you can skip the template and start from your own words.
Can I generate an SOP by talking instead of using a template?
Yes. The free SOP generator takes a spoken or typed description of a task and turns it into a written SOP with roles, owners, numbered steps, and decision branches. No account, nothing saved. Copy as markdown or download a .doc file.
What does the SOP template contain?
The SOP has a title, a list of roles, a list of tools and systems, a numbered procedure with an owner for each step, decision branches with their outcomes, and any open questions the AI could not resolve from the description alone.
Can I download the SOP as a Word document?
Yes. The SOP generator has a Download .doc button that gives you a .doc file opening in Microsoft Word and Google Docs. The Copy SOP button copies the same content as markdown, ready to paste into Notion, Confluence, or any markdown editor.
Can I edit the SOP after it is generated?
In the free generator the SOP is read only. Save it free creates your account and opens the same flow in the full editor, where you can edit every step by hand, by prompt, or by voice.
Where can I find more SOP template examples?
The Wavelength examples page has worked SOP flows for refund processing, daily store opening, new location opening, employee onboarding, and employee offboarding. Each includes the flow diagram and the Mermaid code.
Related examples
See all flow diagram examples or the operations and SOPs role guide.
The generator needs no account. The free plan needs no card.