An SOP maker is any tool that turns what you know about a task into a finished procedure, and there are many, from a document template to a full subscription. Three questions sort the useful ones from the rest: does it size the procedure before it is written, does it record who approved it and when, and does it retire the old version when the new one is approved. The free standard operating procedure template on this site answers the first; RunbookDesk Pro answers the other two.
Does it size the procedure?
Steps, roles, decision points and systems in; sections, run time, reading time, training minutes and reviews per year out. A maker that shows those figures before the writing starts is one that produces procedures the team can actually follow, because the length is decided by the task rather than by the writer's afternoon.
Does it record the approval?
A procedure has authority because the person accountable signed it. A maker that publishes a document with no record of who approved which version has made a memo. The sign-off, the date and the version number are the difference.
Does it retire the old version?
Two current versions in circulation are two procedures, and the newest person will find the older one first. A maker that keeps every version but shows only the current one, and says who approved the change, is doing the one thing a shared drive cannot.
What makers cost
From the vendors' own pages on the day they were read: SweetProcess is $99 per month for a team with up to 10 members billed monthly, or $82.50 billed yearly, with each additional member at $5 per month; Scribe's Pro Team plan is $17 per seat per month and its Pro Personal plan $35; Tallyfy's Full Seat is $30 per month and its Light Seat $10. RunbookDesk Pro is $99 per month for the whole team.
Questions people ask about sop maker
Is there a free SOP maker?
The standard operating procedure template on this site sizes a procedure and prints its structure free with no account. The approvals, versions and reminders are the paid product.
Can an SOP maker write the procedure for me?
No maker knows how your business does the task. The steps come from a walkthrough with the person who does it best.
What is the difference between a maker and management software?
A maker produces the document; management software keeps the set current with owners, sign-offs and review dates. This site does the first free and the second by subscription.