It’s no secret that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are essential to organizational success—especially in today’s constantly evolving, highly regulated business world.
Yet most SOPs are created at the last minute, written from scratch, and built with no clear or consistent format. Why is that?
For one, SOP creation is fundamentally one of the most time-consuming tasks technical writers face. Even in a perfect world, SOP writers already have plenty on their plates. Last-minute deadlines, a lack of organizational priority, and the growing complexity of modern business only add to the pressure.
Thankfully, technical writers now have AI, which is reshaping how SOPs are written. If you’re not already using AI for SOP development, this post shares some insights into why you should.
Hint: Writing SOPs is about to get easier—as you’ll see.
AI for SOPs: A powerful partner at your beck and call
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The idea that AI replaces human writers is a common misconception. AI has evolved tremendously since it was first studied in 1956 at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. However, human interaction remains crucial—and SOPs are no exception.
“You can send AI down a path nobody else has ever thought of,” says Sheperd Simmons, a nationally recognized message strategist based in Memphis, TN. “But we all know there’s a difference between AI-assisted content and AI-generated content.”
The relationship between you and AI is best described as “help me help you,” with AI ready to assist rather than merely generate. Think of AI as a powerful, highly intelligent collaborator that delivers solid, usable data in an instant. It all depends on how you “prompt” it (which we’ll get to shortly).
Automating repetitive tasks: Making the necessary less evil
Repetitive tasks are a given in SOPs, which document traditionally manual processes performed on a recurring basis. These tasks can consume valuable time, distract from proprietary content, and even dampen a writer’s enthusiasm.
AI offers tools that automate many of these tasks, helping establish consistency, reduce errors, and ensure compliance across procedures. Common repetitive tasks AI can assist with include:
Formatting and cross-referencing
AI automates formatting using predefined rules and contextual analysis to ensure consistency and compliance with established style guides. For cross-referencing, AI creates links between documents through semantic understanding and data analysis.
Standardizing terminology
AI analyzes existing documents to ensure shared vocabulary across all aspects of the SOP. It identifies inconsistencies, maps synonyms, and cross-references external regulations to maintain consistent terminology.
Identifying gaps and outdated steps that could increase risk
Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML), AI compares the SOP against a wide range of relevant information, such as external regulations, industry standards, user feedback, and internal data. The goal is to flag inconsistencies, missing information, and outdated regulatory references.
For these—and any other—repetitive tasks, human ingenuity remains the key to effective SOPs. By automating the repetitive work, writers gain more freedom to focus on what matters most: validating accuracy, context, and real-world applicability.
Prompting AI: Tell it like it is, and be specific
“Prompting” refers to what you provide AI in order to get your desired result. A web search is a form of prompting, and today’s search engines are driven by AI in one way or another.
However, prompting AI to create an SOP goes far beyond entering a few keywords or asking a single question. You must first have a clear understanding of the specific process unique to the SOP you’re creating.
Simply put, the quality of AI’s output is directly tied to the quality of your prompts. The additional effort required upfront pays off significantly in the results.
Prompt AI to draft the entire SOP (Yes, you can do that)
AI doesn’t just automate repetitive SOP tasks—it can also generate an initial SOP draft. When prompted correctly, that draft can improve structure, consistency, and efficiency; help maintain compliance; and streamline the review process. Depending on your prompt, AI can even generate visual aids to make SOPs easier to follow.
Good AI prompts versus bad AI prompts
Scenario: You’re in the construction business and need an SOP for onboarding a new supplier. You already have a proprietary list of onboarding steps that need to be organized into specific categories.
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Good prompt example:
“Using the established onboarding steps provided, format a standard operating procedure for a construction company onboarding a new supplier with the following sections: Purpose, Scope, Roles and Responsibilities, Step-by-Step Instructions, and Exceptions. Write in a clear, professional tone.”
Bad prompt example:
“Using the onboarding steps provided, write a standard operating procedure for a construction company onboarding a new supplier.”
The difference is clear. The good prompt provides specificity and structure, while the bad prompt—though not entirely wrong—is vague.
Want to take it further? Easy.
Scenario: You now want to customize that same SOP for auditors.
A strong prompt would be:
“Using the same onboarding steps provided, convert this SOP into a policy-compliant version with an emphasis on documentation and approval steps.”
Because AI already understands the SOP’s focus, you don’t need to start from scratch—as long as your new prompts stay within the original scope. In fact, AI will often follow up with clarifying questions like, “Would you like me to…?”—sometimes offering insights you hadn’t even considered.
Prompts are everything. With the right ones, AI can deliver a functional SOP without you having to build it from the ground up. The time saved can be reinvested in critical proprietary reviews—or even getting a little more sleep.
Recap and Summary
SOPs are as crucial to organizational success as they’ve ever been. Each one is unique to its purpose, industry, and the company or brand it represents. SOP development is time-consuming and requires careful thought, analysis, and collaboration—often across multiple departments.
In other words, SOP creation is rarely a one-and-done process. However, using the right AI tools effectively can make “done” happen much faster.
The ways AI is improving SOP creation efficiency are significant—and readily available. Even better, AI continues to evolve. New improvements and applications will only expand its benefits. All it takes is a little research to find the right tools.
To get you started, here are a few AI-powered platforms designed to support SOP creation:
- MOXO: An SOP builder designed for complex procedures, powered by AI and human decision-making.
- WayBook: Automates onboarding, training, and team development.
- Scribe: Automatically generates SOPs in minutes and features a ChatGPT SOP Generator.
- ClickUp: Uses AI to generate SOP documents from natural language and automatically updates them as processes change.
- Whale: Provides a complete set of documentation tools to create, edit, and share SOPs faster.
Please note: This is a small sample of available tools and is not intended as a definitive list. The Writers For Hire has no sponsorship ties to any of the platforms listed above, and all descriptions are provided by the manufacturers.
