Standard operating procedure examples are most useful when they show what changes between departments, because the shape stays the same and the controls do not. An operations procedure carries a checklist; a finance procedure carries a segregation of duties and an approval threshold; an IT procedure carries access and change controls; an HR procedure carries two approvals because it binds people other than the writer. The SOP example builder on this site builds a worked example for whichever department you pick, sized from your own steps.
Operations: the order fulfilment example
Purpose: ship an order correctly. Scope: every order from the web store. Roles: picker, packer, dispatcher. Steps from the pick list through the packing check to the carrier label, with a decision point where a line is out of stock. Record: the dispatch note. One approval, the operations lead. The fewest controls of any department, and the most runs.
Finance: the supplier payment example
Purpose: pay the right supplier the right amount once. Roles: the person who raises the payment and, deliberately, a different person who approves it. Steps from the invoice match through the approval threshold to the bank release, with a decision point above the threshold. Records: the matched invoice and the approval. Two approvals, and four controls, because the procedure moves money.
HR and IT: the onboarding examples
The HR example onboards a person: contract, right-to-work check, payroll, induction, with two approvals because it binds someone outside the writer's team. The IT example onboards the laptop: account, access, device policy, with access controls and a change record. The same new starter, two procedures, two owners.
Sales: the lead handling example
Purpose: every lead handled the same way. Roles: whoever is on the inbox, the rep. Steps from the enquiry through qualification to the handoff into the pipeline, with one control, the CRM record. The sales SOP template on this site prices that procedure in rep hours.
Questions people ask about standard operating procedure examples
Can I download a standard operating procedure example?
The SOP example builder on this site builds one for your department from your own steps and prints the structure free, with no account. Saving it with approvals is the paid product.
Are the controls in the examples a standard?
No. They are counts for a worked example, chosen so each department's example has the right shape; your own controls come from your risks and your auditor.
Which example should I start with?
The procedure that runs most often in your business. Put in its weekly runs and the builder prints the hours it consumes.