Ready to learn how you can document processes and SOPs in ClickUp, in a way that’s flexible enough for a small team…while actually lightening the load on the managers or owners?
Note: While I’ll be using ClickUp as an example here, this lesson could be applied to various software tools.
Need some guidance creating SOPs for your team? Download our 109 Time-Saving SOPs Every Team Needs Checklist!
How to CREATE SOPs Your Team Will Actually Use in ClickUp
Process documentation is a way to get the most valuable information for running your business out of your head and make it accessible to others. This is extraordinarily important if you want to delegate tasks or onboard a new employee, and it’s even helpful as a solopreneur.
Documenting your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) can help you feel more in control and find inefficiencies or areas that need refinement. Or who knows? One day you may want to sell your business, or an emergency might require someone to keep things running until you’re ready to return to work.
SOPs are a way to ensure that operational tasks are consistent and performed to your standards.
In this video, ProcessDriven CEO Layla Pomper offers a new digital approach to SOPs so that just about anyone can jump in and successfully take over specific tasks.
SOPs The Old Way
If you’ve ever started a new job, been given a heavy binder, and told to read it, you know the old familiar way of creating and storing SOPs. You might reference them a lot when you start, but at some point, that binder goes back to HR (or wherever it lives) and collects dust until the next new person comes along.
The binder approach to SOPs falls short of usability. Many people will skim rather than thoroughly read and retain the information. They may return to the SOPs for reference, assume they remember correctly, or decide to wing it. A binder isn’t effortless to use and is not searchable or easily updated.
Regarding interaction, your only choice is to print off a document and make notes or tick the checkboxes manually. Yikes!
SOPs, Meet Digital Transformation
There’s a better way.
You want SOPs that people can access quickly and easily so they use them daily. Instead of an overflowing, forgotten binder, we will categorize things into a reference library and daily tools.
The Reference Library
In the video, Layla uses ClickUp Docs to create a reference library of company information (timestamp 03:40). This section is for important information that doesn’t need to be accessed frequently. It’s a place to send team members when they have questions about specific business aspects.
Your reference library might contain things like:
- Brand Values
- Style Guide
- FAQs
- Brand Personas
Something people need access to but not every day.
Pro tip: Use the handy search bar to quickly find relevant information even when there are many documents.
Daily Tools for Quick Reference
For activities performed regularly, a task-based approach to SOPs is better (timestamp 08:00). Rather than a long-form document people need to read, a series of Subtasks and Checklists can guide them step-by-step on how to complete a process.
These Tasks would be something team members reference as they perform an action, like creating a social post, running a time report, or updating the website. All the required information is in one place with detailed instructions in an easy-to-follow format. Complete the steps in order, and voila! You’ve successfully completed the task!
Pro tip: Using nested content within Subtasks lets you capture every detail. Each Subtask can contain more Subtasks or Checklists, each allowing you to update the status, due date, and assignee.
Once you’ve created your first Task with all the necessary details, save it as a Template.
Now whenever that Task is started, anyone, no matter how inexperienced, can choose Load From Template and pick up part of the business without missing steps or feeling lost and confused.
There’s no worrying about different document versions, printing, or rifling through an enormous binder. Anyone can jump right in and start working.
Part of the beauty of ClickUp is that you can add more than just text. You can add screenshots or other images or use ClickUp’s Clip feature to record a short video tutorial. Embed content from different apps and software, include links, use formatting, or whatever you need to create clear instructions.
SOPs protect your knowledge, making it easier to recover from unexpected business disruptions and preventing delays and interruptions when team members need more information to complete a task.
“Where can I find …?”
“How do I …?”
“What’s the procedure for …?”
All answered in searchable and easily accessible SOPs.
Find even more ways to simplify your business and increase productivity on the ProcessDriven YouTube channel. Or give ClickUp a try yourself for free using our affiliate link.
Need some guidance creating SOPs for your team? Download our 109 Time-Saving SOPs Every Team Needs Checklist!
Related Resources
➤ How to Template Tasks in ClickUp | Use Automations to Standardize Your Process
➤ How to Build Processes for New Services in 4 Steps
ProcessDriven helps small teams turn chaos into process. The ProcessDriven Approach™ combines software expertise with practical process-first strategies that have helped 2,020+ teams build a scalable foundation of business systems.
