An SOP workflow turns a standard operating procedure from a document people are supposed to follow into a sequence the system follows for them. Each written step becomes one of three things: an action the platform performs, a task assigned to a named person, or a check that must pass before the next step starts. This article answers how to convert an existing SOP into a running workflow on the levelpartner.ai platform, and how to keep the written SOP and the workflow in step afterwards, so neither drifts out of date.
Why written SOPs stop being followed
Most firms of 30 to 150 people have SOPs. They sit in a shared drive, were written by someone who has since moved on, and describe a process that has changed twice since. New staff read them once during induction. Experienced staff never open them.
The problem is not the writing. A document has no way to prompt anyone at the moment they need it. A workflow does. When a new client signs, the workflow creates the tasks in order, assigns each to the right person and checks each is done before releasing the next. The SOP stops being a reference and becomes the way work happens.
Sorting each step into action, task or check
Print the SOP and mark every step. If the step is sending a standard message, updating a field or moving a stage, mark it as an action: the platform can do it. If it needs a person's judgement or work, such as reviewing a document or calling the client, mark it as a task. If it is a condition, such as "do not proceed until the signed agreement is received", mark it as a check.
Some steps will not fit any category. Usually that means the step is vague. "Make sure the client is happy" is not a step. Rewrite it as something observable, like "send the satisfaction survey and review the reply", before building.
Before you start
- The current written SOP, checked with the person who actually does the work today.
- Each step marked as action, task or check.
- A named owner for every task, and a user on the platform for each owner.
- The trigger that starts the procedure, such as a form being submitted or a deal changing stage.
- A test contact you can run through every branch.
How to set it up
Build the workflow in the order the SOP runs: first the trigger, then each step as an action, a task, a notification or a check. The example used here is a monthly client reporting SOP at a consultancy: pull the figures, draft the report, have a senior consultant review it, and only then send it.
Create the workflow and its trigger
- Open the Workflows page and choose Create Workflow to start from scratch.
- Click Add New Trigger and choose the event that starts the SOP, such as a form submission or a date.
- Add trigger filters if the SOP applies to only some contacts, such as one service line.
- Click Add Action and choose the first step of the SOP.
- Add further triggers if the procedure can start from more than one place.
Turn people's steps into tasks
Use the Add Task action for every step that needs a person. Title it with the SOP step number, such as "Step 3: draft the monthly report", set the assignee and set Due In counted from the trigger. Tasks attach to the contact automatically and appear in the team's task list, where overdue work is easy to filter.
Tell the next person it is their turn
Tasks wait quietly in a list. When a step hands over to someone new, add an internal notification straight after the task so they know.
- In the workflow builder, click the plus button to open the list of actions.
- Select Send Internal Notification.
- Enter an Action Name that names the team and channel, such as "Notify reviewer - Email".
- Choose the Type of Notification: Email, Notification (in-app), SMS or WhatsApp.
- Complete the fields for that type, including To User Type and the message.
- Save the action and test the workflow.
Internal notifications go to your users only, never to the client. If you choose the assigned user and the contact has none, that step is skipped and the workflow carries on, so set an assignee before the notification.
Make the checks that must pass
A check in an SOP, such as "do not send until a senior consultant has approved", becomes an If/Else step. Put a Wait step before it so the condition is tested when it should be, for example once the reviewer has had two working days.
- Open your workflow.
- Click the plus icon to add a new action.
- Select If / Else from the action list.
- Choose Build My Own.
- In the first branch, select the field to evaluate, such as a "Report approved" custom field.
- Choose an operator.
- Set the comparison value.
- Click Add Segment to add more conditions, using AND or OR to group them.
- Save and publish the workflow.
The None branch is created for you and runs when no condition is met. Use it for the escalation: a task for the practice lead and a notification saying which report is waiting. That is the part of an SOP a document can never do on its own.
Writing the workflow SOP
The secondary job is the reverse: a workflow SOP, the short document that explains an automation to the people affected by it. Every live workflow should have one. It says what starts the workflow, what it does, who owns it, which tasks it creates and for whom, and what to do if something goes wrong.
Keep it to one page. Number its sections to match the step numbers on the canvas. When someone asks why a client received a message, the answer is a two-minute read rather than a hunt through the automation.
Suppose the monthly reporting SOP has 14 steps for each of 60 retained clients. Marked up, 5 might become actions such as sending the finished report, 6 tasks for analysts and reviewers, and 3 If/Else checks, including senior approval before anything is sent. Two vague steps would need rewriting. If late reports went from about one in four to one in twenty, that would be 15 a month falling to 3. Most of the gain would come from the reviewer hearing the moment a draft is ready. Illustrative figures.
Keeping the SOP and the workflow in step
Treat the workflow as the master. When the process changes, change the workflow first, test it, then update the written SOP and its version number. Changing the document alone guarantees the two drift apart within months.
Set a review date for each SOP workflow, every six months for most and every quarter for anything client-facing. The guide to business process optimisation covers how to decide what to change at each review.
What it replaces and the weekly time
It replaces the checklist people tick in their heads, the spreadsheet tracker for each new client and the manager chasing colleagues for updates. Building one SOP workflow takes half a day to a day, depending on length. Running it takes no extra time; the tasks were already being done. The saving is in the chasing.
The mistake most people make
Converting the SOP exactly as written without checking it against reality. The document says finance sends the invoice on day one; in practice the account manager does it on day three. Build the documented version and you automate a process nobody follows. Walk through the SOP with the person who does the work before you open the canvas.
When not to use it
Do not convert an SOP that describes judgement work with no fixed order, such as handling a complaint. Keep that as guidance. And do not automate an SOP that is under active debate; agree the process first. For the general building blocks of any automated process, see workflow process automation.
For a different SOP built end to end, client onboarding started from a won deal, see how to automate customer onboarding. If you are writing workflows for the first time, the workflow creator explains how to get a draft live safely.
Troubleshooting
Tasks are assigned to someone who left. The Add Task action still names them. Check every task and notification step whenever someone leaves.
Every contact goes down the None branch. The If/Else runs before anyone has updated the field. Add a Wait step before the check, and make sure the reviewer knows that setting the field releases the next step.
A notification shows as sent but nobody saw it. Check the recipient has a valid email or phone number for that channel; a channel that is not set up fails while the workflow continues.
People complete tasks outside the platform. They do the work but do not mark it done. Show the team how marking a task complete moves the client forward, which is usually enough.
The written SOP and workflow disagree. Someone edited one and not the other. Use the version number in both and check them together at each review.
Frequently asked questions
What is an SOP workflow?
It is a standard operating procedure built as an automation: the platform performs the routine steps, Add Task actions give people their steps, internal notifications hand over, and If/Else checks enforce the order.
Do we still need the written SOP?
Yes, in a shorter form. It explains the why behind each step and helps new staff understand what the workflow is doing.
Can one workflow cover several SOPs?
Avoid it. One SOP, one workflow keeps each easier to test and change.
How long should an SOP be before it becomes a workflow?
Length matters less than repetition. An SOP of eight steps that runs every week is a better candidate than one of thirty steps that runs twice a year.