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Using AI to Draft Clear SOPs for Business Workflows

03/25/2026

Transforming unstructured, verbal processes into clear, repeatable SOPs using AI. 

Problem: Most small businesses don’t document their processes, have inconsistent workflows, and struggle with onboarding. For this case study, I created a small window installment company called Shining Stars Windows. SSW has less than 50 employees and has been in service for over 50 years. The company has always been run by hands-on training, and the owners never documented any of their business processes. The company now wants to utilize AI instead of outsourcing a company or contractor to document their business processes, saving them an estimated $10,000 – $20,000 on a 3 month project that can now be completed in 1-2 weeks internally. 

Approach: I used AI to convert raw, conversational input into a structured SOP. 

  • Process: Client Onboarding
  • Tool: ChatGPT (Generative AI)
  • Input: Verbatim note from internal team member. 

Before (Raw Input):  “So first, we’ll get a call or an email from a client who wants to work with us. Then I’ll go over to Louie’s office, our CEO, knock on the door or walk in, and tell him who called and give him their contact information. Once he has it, he’ll then call Sarah, our marketing and sales representative, and he’ll assign that client to her. Sarah then will reach out to the client, give them our pricing, lock down a set price, create the contract and then walk it over to Louie’s office for approval. Once it’s approved, he’ll let Sarah know that she has the go-ahead to lock that price and to fax over the signed contract and wait for the returned signed contract either by fax, snail mail, or email. Once Sarah has that contract back, she’ll start sending the client the welcome packet. The welcome packet contains things like copies of the signed contract, initial invoices for the first month, a brochure about our company and the extra services we offer, the 10-year guarantee for satisfaction, onboarding checklists or surveys we created for them, and communication channel logins-we use Google Chat for example. We also include a scheduling questionnaire and that usually gets back to us via email, sometimes fax depending on the client. Once the client has all of that and Sarah receives the scheduling questionnaire, then she’ll go downstairs to the factory and talk to Russel. Russel is our scheduler for installments, he’ll then work with one of our window installers, like Arnold or Jimmy.”

After: The result was a structured, easy to follow SOP. 

SOP: Client Onboarding

Department: Operations

Author: Marge 

Last Update: March 2026

Purpose: Standardize onboarding to ensure consistency and efficiency.

Step 1: Client Intake & Assignment

  • Receive inquiry
  • Gather client info
  • Assign to Sales

Step 2: Pricing & Contract

  • Confirm pricing
  • Draft contract
  • CEO approval
  • Send to client

Step 3: Welcome Packet

  • Send onboarding materials
  • Provide communication access
  • Share scheduling questionnaire 

Step 4: Scheduling

  • Review questionnaire
  • Coordinate with scheduler
  • Assign installation team

I created a flowchart as a visual-based representation for this SOP to make it actionable and easy to follow.

Fig. 1: Shining Stars Windows Flowchart

Reusable AI Prompt Template: (Copy and paste this into a GenAI prompt)

You are an operations specialist helping document business processes. I will provide you with rough, unstructured notes describing a workflow. Your task is to convert this into a clear, professional Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Please structure the SOP with the following sections:

  1. SOP Title
  2. Purpose (brief explanation of why this process exists)
  3. Roles & Responsibilities (who is involved)
  4. Step-by-Step Process (clear, numbered steps)
  5. Tools Used (if applicable)
  6. Notes / Tips / Best Practices

Ensure the instructions are:

  • Clear and easy to follow
  • Written in a professional tone
  • Organized logically from start to finish

Here are the notes:
[PASTE RAW NOTES HERE]

Before vs After:

  • Before: Verbal, inconsistent, undocumented
  • After: Structured, repeatable, scalable 

Impact

•Reduced documentation time by ~80% (from weeks → hours)

•Saved $10K–$20K in outsourcing

•Created scalable onboarding system

Biggest Takeaway: AI can transform messy, verbal workflows into structured systems quickly and efficiently. This process highlighted how important clear context and input quality were when generating useful outputs. 

Tools Used: ChatGPT (AI) and internal notes

Skills: Process Documentation • SOP Development • Workflow Design • AI Prompt Engineering • Operational Efficiency • Systems Thinking • Process Improvement • Generative AI Application