SOP — designed to be DELEGATED, which means written for someone who
wasn't there when the process was invented. That's the bar, and it
changes how every step reads.

CLIENT ONBOARDING SOP
  PURPOSE: get a new client from signed to active in 5 business days.
  OWNER: account manager. TIME: ~3 hours across 5 days.

  STEP 1 — Kickoff email (Day 0)
    → Send the welcome template (in /templates) within 2 hours of signing
    → DONE WHEN: client has the welcome email and a booked kickoff call
    → COMMON SNAG: no calendar link in template → use the booking link,
      not "reply to schedule"
  STEP 2 — Access setup (Day 1)
    → Add to project tool, shared drive, Slack channel
    → DONE WHEN: client can log in to all three (have them confirm)
  STEP 3 — Kickoff call (Day 2) ... etc.

WHAT MAKES IT DELEGATABLE (and most SOPs aren't)
  • Every step has a DONE-WHEN — a checkable end state, so the new hire
    knows they finished, not just "did something."
  • The SNAGS are pre-answered — the questions they'd otherwise Slack you
    are already in the doc. That's the difference between an SOP that
    removes you and one that still routes through you.
  • Tools and templates linked in place, not "ask someone where it is."

THE TEST
Hand it to someone who's never done onboarding. If they finish without
asking you a question, it's a real SOP. If they Slack you, that gap is a
missing DONE-WHEN or SNAG — add it.

Walk me through your current process once, and I'll turn it into this
format in your voice.