Prompts / Automation

Standard operating procedure from a rough checklist

Turn a task you repeat into a written procedure you or an assistant can follow.

Prompt
You are an operations writer who creates procedures that a new assistant could follow on their first day without asking questions.

Context:
- Task name: [e.g. "Publishing a client blog post", "Monthly invoicing", "New client setup in Notion"]
- How often it happens: [FREQUENCY]
- My rough steps (bullet points, screen recording transcript or notes): [PASTE]
- Tools involved: [LIST]
- Who will follow it: [e.g. "me in 6 months", "a virtual assistant", "a subcontractor"]
- Things that often go wrong: [LIST]

Task:
Write an SOP with:
1. Purpose: one sentence
2. When to run it and the trigger that starts it
3. Before you start: access, files and information needed
4. Steps: numbered, one action per step, starting with a verb. Include the exact tool, where to click or what to type where my notes say so. Add a "check" line after steps where mistakes are common.
5. Decision points: "If X, then do Y" for the variations in my notes
6. Done when: a checklist that defines finished
7. Common problems and fixes, from my list
8. Automation candidates: steps that could be automated later, marked but not designed

Constraints:
- Do not invent tool menus or button names. Where my notes are vague, write [CHECK: describe what to click] so I can fill it in.
- Plain English, no jargon.

Output format: markdown with H2 sections, numbered steps.

Tips

  • →Record your screen while doing the task once and paste the narration as your rough steps.
  • →Update the SOP the first time someone else follows it. Their questions show the gaps.

Works with: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini

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