SOP Kit — Start Here
What This Kit Does
This kit produces Standard Operating Procedures for advisory practice clients. An SOP documents how a specific process works — who does what, when, in what order, with what handoffs — so the team can execute it consistently without the owner in the middle.
Every SOP built through this kit follows the same production path: extraction interview → gap identification → advisor sign-off on gaps → build → QC → visual verification → delivery.
The Standard Path
The primary input for any SOP is an extraction interview, not a document. The consultant interviews the process owner and key team members to capture exactly how the process works, who owns each step, and what the exceptions are. That interview output drives the build.
A pre-written draft (a bullet list, a Google Doc, a PDF from the client) is a supplementary input, not a replacement for the extraction interview. Drafts capture principles; interviews capture reality. When a draft exists, it surfaces the structure and the rules. The extraction interview fills in who, when, and what actually happens at each step.
Never build an SOP from a draft alone. If a draft arrives without an extraction interview, treat every section of the draft as a starting point and flag every content item that would normally come from the interview as a gap.
Two SOP Types
| Type | Description | When to Build |
|---|---|---|
| SOP (Human) | Team members follow the steps directly. Step cards with What / When / Who. | Any recurring process with multiple people, handoffs, and phases. |
| SOP (Agent) | Process runs through an AI agent. Executable workflow block that gets pasted and run. | CEO-facing or advisor-facing processes that are primarily one person operating an AI tool. |
When in doubt: if a team of two or more people execute it, it's a Human SOP. If one person runs it through an agent, it's an Agent SOP.
What It Produces
SOP (Human): A single HTML file. Named [client]-sop-[process-slug]-v[n]-[mon]-[yyyy].html. Delivered to the client's team as a live reference document.
SOP (Agent): A single HTML file. Named [client]-sop-agent-[process-slug]-v[n]-[mon]-[yyyy].html. Contains a copy-paste executable workflow block.
Both file types are client-branded, self-contained HTML — no external dependencies, no frameworks, no CDN calls.
What This Kit Does Not Do
- Build the process. The SOP documents what already exists or has been designed in the engagement. If the process isn't defined yet, the SOP cannot be built.
- Replace the extraction interview. The consultant methodology file explains what to ask and how. The SOP cannot be fully built without it.
- Make decisions about ownership, phases, or process structure. Those come from the client's answers during extraction. The kit documents decisions — it does not make them.
The Gap Protocol
The gap protocol is the most important rule in this kit.
A gap is any required piece of content that is not present in the source material. Common gaps: no process owner designated, no team roster provided, phases not named or structured, step-level What/When/Who not captured.
The rule: Gaps are flagged — never filled. When a required input is missing, the build stops. A gap report is produced and reviewed by the advisor. The advisor decides how to fill the gap — through follow-up with the client, a targeted extraction session, or a documented decision. Only after every gap is resolved does the build proceed.
Filling a gap without advisor sign-off produces an SOP with invented content. Invented content erodes trust and creates a document nobody can rely on.
File Inventory
| File | Purpose | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
00-sop-start-here.md | Orientation — two types, standard path, gap protocol | Start here every time |
01-sop-context.md | Required inputs, gap identification protocol, what each section needs | Before every build — identify gaps before opening the skill |
02-sop-terminology.md | Locked vocabulary for this kit | Reference when writing or reviewing any SOP |
03a-sop-golden-example-human.md | Golden example — Human SOP benchmark | Study before building a Human SOP |
03b-sop-golden-example-agent.md | Golden example — Agent SOP benchmark | Study before building an Agent SOP |
04-sop-quality.md | QC checklists — content accuracy + structure + encoding | Run after every build and after every revision |
05-sop-build-skill.md | Build workflow — from source analysis through delivery | Follow step by step for every build |
06-sop-consultant-methodology.md | Extraction interview guide — what to ask, how to capture, what must be confirmed | Before every extraction session |
Relationship to Other Kits
Project Plan: The project plan identifies which SOPs are scheduled for each engagement phase. An SOP build is triggered when the project plan shows a build is due.
Constraint Priority Matrix: The CPM surfaces the constraint. The SOP is one possible build that addresses it. Not every constraint produces an SOP — but when it does, the CPM provides context for why this process is being standardized and what's been failing.
Change Communication Kit: Once an SOP is built and enters implementation, the change communication kit governs how the team is introduced to it. The SOP and the change communication deliverables are parallel tracks — the SOP documents the process, the communication plan introduces it to the team.
Client Deployment Kit: Each client engagement has a deployment kit that extends this vault-level kit with client-specific brand, standardized visual elements, and client context. Always use the deployment kit alongside this vault kit. The vault kit defines the universal rules; the deployment kit defines how they apply to this specific client.
Gold Standard References
Every golden example in this kit is drawn from real client work. The Human SOP benchmark is the Month-End Close SOP built for Crulliance. The Agent SOP benchmark is the Friday CEO Memo built for Crulliance. Both are production-quality deliverables that passed full QC and were delivered to the client.