She had the most beautiful SOPs I had ever seen.

Every task was recorded on Loom.
Each process had a matching slide deck.
Every team member was trained to do the same.

It was thorough.
It was structured.
It was also never used.

Here is what actually happened:
Tasks changed faster than the slides.
Team members got confused and reverted to old habits.
No one had time to update anything.
The SOP process became its own full-time job.

That is when I realised,
SOPs that are perfect in theory often fail in practice.

Not because the founder did not try hard enough.
Not because the team did not care.

But because most SOPs are built for clarity.
Not for speed
Not for scale
Not for people already overwhelmed by their workload

Here is how I turn that around and help my clients document what actually works:

Step one
Record the task live
No prep
No overthinking
Just record the real process as it happens
Use Loom, Zoom or anything that captures your screen
This gives you the real flow, not the ideal version

Step two
Transcribe the process
Drop the video into Descript or ChatGPT
Pull out the actual steps and decision points
Ignore filler
Focus on actions

Step three
Turn the actions into a checklist
Use a numbered list
Keep each step short and clear
Start with a verb
Make it easy to scan
No paragraphs
Just steps

Step four
Add clarity, not complexity
If a step needs more context,
add one screenshot or one link
That is all.
More than that and people stop reading

Step five
Store the SOP where the work happens
If your team works in ClickUp or Notion (or other tools),
link the SOP directly to the task or page
No one should have to search for it.

Step six
Give ownership to the team
Let the person doing the task review it once a month.
They will know when something changes.
That keeps your SOPs accurate and alive.

Step seven
Set a recurring SOP review
Once every 90 days
Review the five SOPs your team uses most
Open them
Make small edits
Keep the system light and consistent

Step eight
Replace when needed.
If a task has changed a lot,
record a new version.
Start again.
It is faster than trying to fix a broken one.

Bonus tip
If the process changes during the week,
just make the edit immediately.
It only takes one minute.
And it saves hours of confusion later.

This is how I build SOPs that get used.
They are fast to create.
Easy to follow.
And designed for the way teams actually work.

What is one task you wish your team could follow without your help?

Send your questions to pia@piacheng.com and I will reply with a tip to make it SOP friendly.

Love,
Pia