A step-by-step procedure example is worth more than a template because it shows the discipline applied to a real task. This one is a month-end close for a small business with a bookkeeper and an owner: nine steps, two roles, three decision points, three records. It runs once a month, so its document is mostly the branches. The standard operating procedure example builder on this site prints a worked procedure in the same shape from your own task's counts, free and without an account.
The control block and scope
Procedure: month-end close. Owner: the bookkeeper. Approver: the business owner. Purpose: the accounts are reconciled and the pack is with the owner by the fifth working day. Scope: from the last working day of the month to the owner's sign-off; year-end and VAT returns are separate procedures.
Steps 1 to 5
Step 1, the bookkeeper downloads the bank statements from the banking portal. Step 2, the bookkeeper matches transactions in the accounting system. Step 3, if any transaction is unmatched after two days go to step 8, otherwise step 4. Step 4, the bookkeeper raises any missing sales invoices. Step 5, if a supplier invoice is missing go to step 9, otherwise step 6.
Steps 6 to 9 and the records
Step 6, the bookkeeper runs the reconciliation report. Step 7, the owner reviews the pack and signs the close checklist. Step 8, the unmatched branch: the bookkeeper queries the owner and returns to step 3. Step 9, the missing-invoice branch: the bookkeeper requests it from the supplier and returns to step 5. Records: the reconciliation report, the signed close checklist, the query log. Each decision is a numbered step that says where to go.
What the builder prints for it
Nine steps, two roles, three decision points, two systems: a short document with a reading time well under its run time, produced twelve times a year, three records each run. That is the size of what the paid product keeps for this one procedure. Put your own task's counts in and it prints the same figures for yours.
Questions people ask about step-by-step procedure example
Why write the decisions as steps 8 and 9 rather than inline?
So the checklist can record which branch was taken and how often. A close that hits step 8 every month is telling the owner something.
Can this example be adapted?
The shape, yes. The steps come from your own walkthrough with whoever does the close.
Is the example builder free?
Yes, without an account; keeping the finished procedure with its versions is the paid product.