Write an SOP from how the work is done

An invented example

Illustrative example with invented data. Larkmere Home is an invented 30-person online homeware retailer. Its people, systems, policy and figures are invented too. The inputs come first, exactly as the operations lead supplied them. The output is the complete reply they produced when the template was tried on them: a note on where the sources disagree, the draft procedure, and a closing list of what is still needed. The typesetting has been changed and one line of section 4 corrected, as the trial record says; nothing else.

The inputs

Input 1: the request and local settings, from the operations lead

Procedure: Handling a return of an item damaged in transit
Owner: operations lead
Who does the work: the returns coordinator. She is on leave from
1 December 2026 and the warehouse associate will cover.
Prepared by: operations lead
Date: 9 November 2026
Sources: walkthrough with the returns coordinator, 3 November 2026;
note from the customer service lead, 5 November 2026.
Limits already set: finance policy FP-4 says the returns coordinator may
refund up to $150. Above $150 the operations lead approves first.
Review: every 12 months.
System names: the help desk, the order system, the payment system, the
carrier's claims portal, the Damage log sheet.
Redaction: roles only. No customer or staff names.

Input 2: walkthrough with the returns coordinator, 3 November 2026

W1.  A damage claim starts when customer service tags a ticket "Damaged"
     in the help desk and it lands in my returns queue.
W2.  First I open the ticket and check there are photos. I need one of
     the item and one of the box with the shipping label showing.
W3.  If there are no photos I reply with the photo-request template and
     set the ticket to Waiting. Nothing else happens until they come in.
W4.  Then I look the order up in the order system and check the delivery
     date. The claim has to be within 14 days of delivery.
W5.  If it's past 14 days I don't decide that myself, it goes to the
     customer service lead.
W6.  I ask the customer whether they want a replacement or a refund.
     Most want a replacement.
W7.  For a replacement I check stock. If it's in stock I raise a
     zero-value replacement order and the warehouse ships it the next
     working day.
W8.  If it's out of stock I offer a refund instead, or they can wait if
     they want. I sort of play that by ear.
W9.  For a refund, I do it in the payment system myself if it's under
     $200. Over that it goes to the operations lead to approve first.
W10. We don't ask for the broken item back unless it's over $75, then I
     email a prepaid return label.
W11. Then the carrier claim. I file it on the carrier's claims portal
     with the photos and the order value. It has to be within 30 days
     of delivery or they reject it.
W12. I put the claim number on the ticket and add a row to the Damage
     log sheet: date, order number, item, carrier, replacement or
     refund, claim number.
W13. Then I close the ticket.
W14. Oh, and if it's the same customer's third damage claim in a year,
     I stop and tell the customer service lead before I do anything.
     And anything glass that's cut someone goes straight to the
     operations lead. I don't touch it.

Input 3: note from the customer service lead, 5 November 2026

N1. We tag a ticket Damaged only after the customer has sent photos. A
    ticket without photos should not reach the returns queue.
N2. Late claims, past 14 days: I approve them if the carrier's tracking
    shows a delivery delay. Otherwise I decline.
N3. The carrier changed its claim window in September. I think it's 21
    days now, not 30. Someone should check.

The output

Sources disagree on three points, and I have not chosen between them. Each is marked [To confirm] in the draft and is for the owner to decide:

• Refund limit: the walkthrough says $200; FP-4 says $150 (Q1).
• Carrier claim window: the walkthrough says 30 days; the customer service lead's note says possibly 21 (Q2).
• Tickets without photos: the walkthrough describes handling them; the note says they should not reach the returns queue (Q3).

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE · Handling a return of an item damaged in transit

Status: Draft for the owner's approval. Not in use until approved.

• Owner: operations lead. Prepared by: operations lead. Date: 9 November 2026.
• Written from: walkthrough with the returns coordinator, 3 November 2026 (W); note from the customer service lead, 5 November 2026 (N); request and local settings from the operations lead, 9 November 2026 (L).
• Version: Draft 1. Next review: every 12 months (L).
• Summary: 15 steps, 2 exceptions, 4 stop conditions, 18 open questions.

1. Purpose

Sets out how a customer's claim for an item damaged in transit is checked, settled by replacement or refund, claimed back from the carrier and recorded.

2. Scope

• Starts when: customer service tags a ticket "Damaged" in the help desk and it lands in the returns queue (W1)
• Ends when: the ticket is closed in the help desk (W13)
• Not covered: [To confirm] (Q18)
• How often: [To confirm] (Q18)

3. Roles

• Returns coordinator: does the work in every step except step 7; refunds up to the limit (W1–W14, L)
• Warehouse associate: covers for the returns coordinator from 1 December 2026 (L). Whether the refund limit and every step apply to the cover is [To confirm] (Q4)
• [To confirm] ("the warehouse"): ships the replacement (W7) (Q5)
• Customer service lead: decides claims past 14 days; is told of a customer's third damage claim in a year (W5, W14, N2)
• Operations lead: approves refunds above the limit; takes any case where glass has cut someone; owns this procedure (W9, W14, L)

4. What you need before starting

• The ticket tagged "Damaged" in the returns queue of the help desk (W1)
• Two photos: one of the item, and one of the box with the shipping label showing (W2)
• The photo-request template (W3)
• The order's delivery date and order value, from the order system (W4, W11)
• Access to the help desk, the order system, the payment system, the carrier's claims portal and the Damage log sheet (L)
• A prepaid return label, when step 10 calls for one; where it comes from is [To confirm] (W10) (Q10)

5. Steps

1. DECISION: Does the ticket have a photo of the item and a photo of the box with the shipping label showing? Returns coordinator. [To confirm: N1 says a ticket without photos should not reach the returns queue. See Q3.]

   • How to tell: "I open the ticket and check there are photos."
   • If yes: go to step 2. If no: follow E1.
   • Source: W2, W3, N1.

2. DECISION: Is the claim within 14 days of delivery? Returns coordinator.

   • How to tell: "I look the order up in the order system and check the delivery date."
   • If yes: go to step 3. If no: stop, S1.
   • Source: W4, W5.

3. Ask the customer whether they want a replacement or a refund. Returns coordinator.

   • Done when: [To confirm] (Q6). Source: W6.

4. DECISION: Does the customer want a replacement? Returns coordinator.

   • How to tell: the customer's answer to step 3.
   • If yes: go to step 5. If no (refund): go to step 8.
   • Source: W6, W7, W9.

5. DECISION: Is the item in stock? Returns coordinator.

   • How to tell: "I check stock." Where: [To confirm] (Q7).
   • If yes: go to step 6. If no: follow E2.
   • Source: W7, W8.

6. Raise a zero-value replacement order. Returns coordinator. Which system it is raised in: [To confirm] (Q7).

   • Done when: a zero-value replacement order has been raised for the customer. Source: W7.

7. Ship the replacement the next working day. [To confirm: the walkthrough says "the warehouse"] (Q5). The replacement path then goes on to step 10.

   • Done when: [To confirm] (Q5). Source: W7.

8. DECISION: Is the refund under the limit? Returns coordinator. [To confirm: the walkthrough says $200, FP-4 says $150. See Q1.]

   • How to tell: compare the refund amount with the limit.
   • If yes: go to step 9. If no: stop, S2.
   • Source: W9, L.

9. Refund the customer in the payment system. Returns coordinator.

   • Cannot be undone. Approved by: operations lead, when the refund is above the limit (S2).
   • Done when: [To confirm] (Q6). Source: W9, L.

10. DECISION: Is the item over $75? Returns coordinator. What "it's over $75" measures: [To confirm] (Q9).

    • How to tell: [To confirm] (Q9).
    • If yes: go to step 11. If no: go to step 12.
    • Source: W10.

11. Email the customer a prepaid return label. Returns coordinator.

    • Done when: [To confirm] (Q6). Source: W10.

12. File the carrier claim on the carrier's claims portal with the photos and the order value. Returns coordinator. Deadline: within [To confirm: the walkthrough says 30 days, the note says possibly 21. See Q2] of delivery, "or they reject it".

    • Cannot be undone.
    • Done when: the claim has a claim number. Source: W11, W12, N3.

13. Put the claim number on the ticket. Returns coordinator.

    • Done when: the claim number is on the ticket in the help desk. Source: W12.

14. Add a row to the Damage log sheet: date, order number, item, carrier, replacement or refund, claim number. Returns coordinator.

    • Done when: the row is in the Damage log sheet with all six entries. Source: W12.

15. Close the ticket. Returns coordinator.

    • Done when: the ticket is closed in the help desk. Source: W13.

6. Exceptions

• E1. At step 1, when the ticket has no photos: reply with the photo-request template and set the ticket to Waiting. "Nothing else happens until they come in." Returns coordinator. [To confirm: N1 says this should not occur. See Q3. What happens when the photos arrive, or never arrive, is in Q11.] Source: W3, N1.

• E2. At step 5, when the item is out of stock: offer a refund instead, "or they can wait if they want". If the customer takes the refund, go to step 8. What is done if they wait: [To confirm] (Q8). Returns coordinator. Source: W8.

• No exception was described for steps 2, 3, 4 and 6 to 15 (steps 2 and 8 lead to stop conditions). See Q17.

7. Stop conditions

• S1. Stop at step 2 when the claim is past 14 days from delivery. Ask the customer service lead.

  • Do not go on to step 3 or offer a replacement or refund until they answer. The customer service lead approves if the carrier's tracking shows a delivery delay and otherwise declines (N2). What is done after a decline: [To confirm] (Q12). Source: W5, N2.

• S2. Stop at step 8 when the refund is above the limit [To confirm: $200 in the walkthrough, $150 in FP-4. See Q1]. Ask the operations lead.

  • Do not refund in the payment system until they approve. Source: W9, L.

• S3. Stop before step 1 when this is the same customer's third damage claim in a year. Tell the customer service lead. How the count is checked: [To confirm] (Q14).

  • Do not do anything on the ticket until they answer. Source: W14.

• S4. Stop at any step when a glass item has cut someone. Pass the case straight to the operations lead. Reserved decision: the operations lead decides what happens, and no rule is written here (Q15).

  • Do not do anything further on the ticket; the returns coordinator does not handle it. Source: W14.

8. Records

• Claim number, on the ticket in the help desk. Returns coordinator (W12)
• One row per claim in the Damage log sheet: date, order number, item, carrier, replacement or refund, claim number. Returns coordinator (W12)
• Ticket status in the help desk: Waiting while photos are outstanding, closed at the end. Returns coordinator (W3, W13)
• Where the answers and approvals at S1 to S4 are recorded: [To confirm] (Q16)

9. Open questions for the owner

• Q1. Which refund limit applies? The walkthrough says "I do it in the payment system myself if it's under $200. Over that it goes to the operations lead" (W9). The local settings say "finance policy FP-4 says the returns coordinator may refund up to $150. Above $150 the operations lead approves first" (L).

  • Marked: Sources disagree. Affects steps 8, 9 and S2.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q2. What is the carrier's claim window? The walkthrough says "within 30 days of delivery or they reject it" (W11). The note says "The carrier changed its claim window in September. I think it's 21 days now, not 30. Someone should check" (N3). Who will check with the carrier?

  • Marked: Sources disagree. Affects step 12.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q3. Can a ticket without photos reach the returns queue? The walkthrough says "If there are no photos I reply with the photo-request template and set the ticket to Waiting" (W3). The note says "We tag a ticket Damaged only after the customer has sent photos. A ticket without photos should not reach the returns queue" (N1). The draft keeps the doer's account until you decide whether step 1 and E1 stay.

  • Marked: Sources disagree. Affects step 1 and E1.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q4. From 1 December 2026 the warehouse associate covers. FP-4 as quoted names only the returns coordinator. May the cover refund, and up to what amount? Does the cover do every step, and do they have their own access to each system? If the role in step 7 turns out to be the warehouse associate, the cover would both raise and ship zero-value replacement orders; is that acceptable?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects all steps, S2.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q5. Which role ships the replacement? The walkthrough says "the warehouse ships it the next working day". What shows it has shipped, and does the returns coordinator wait for that before going on to step 10?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects step 7.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q6. What can another person see that shows each of these is done: the customer has been asked and has answered (step 3, and how they are asked); the refund has gone through (step 9); the return label has been sent (step 11)?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects steps 3, 9, 11.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q7. Where is stock checked, and in which system is the zero-value replacement order raised?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects steps 5, 6.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q8. For out-of-stock items the doer says "I sort of play that by ear". What decides between offering a refund and letting the customer wait? If they wait, what status does the ticket get, who follows up, and is the carrier claim filed in the meantime?

  • Marked: Unclear wording. Affects E2, step 12.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q9. "We don't ask for the broken item back unless it's over $75." Is that the item's price, the order value or the refund amount, and where is it looked up?

  • Marked: Unclear wording. Affects step 10.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q10. Where does the prepaid return label come from? Does the replacement or refund wait for the item to come back? What is done if it is not returned?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects step 11.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q11. After the photo request, how does the doer know photos have come in, and where does the work resume? What is done if they never arrive?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects E1.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q12. "The claim has to be within 14 days of delivery": counted to which date (the customer's first contact, or the tagging)? When the customer service lead declines a late claim, who tells the customer, who closes the ticket, and is anything logged?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects step 2, S1.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q13. What is done when the carrier's claim window has already passed by step 12, or the carrier rejects the claim? The material names no one to ask.

  • Marked: Missing. Affects step 12.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q14. "The same customer's third damage claim in a year": a calendar year or the last 12 months? Where does the doer look to count? Does she wait for the customer service lead's answer before continuing, and what are the possible answers?

  • Marked: Unclear wording. Affects S3.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q15. "Anything glass that's cut someone goes straight to the operations lead. I don't touch it." Please confirm that the operations lead decides these cases, how they are handed over, whether this applies only to glass, and whether it applies whenever the injury becomes known.

  • Marked: Reserved decision. Affects S4.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q16. Where are the customer service lead's answers (S1, S3) and the operations lead's approvals (S2, S4) recorded?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects section 8, S1 to S4.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q17. No exception was described for steps 2, 3, 4 and 6 to 15. What goes wrong most often in these steps, and what is done (for example, the customer does not answer step 3, or a refund or claim filing fails)?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects steps 2 to 4, 6 to 15.
  • Owner's answer:

• Q18. What is not covered by this procedure, and how often does this work come up?

  • Marked: Missing. Affects section 2.
  • Owner's answer:

10. Revision history

• Draft 1 · 9 November 2026 · operations lead · First draft from the walkthrough, the note and the local settings
• Approval: operations lead Date:

Status: Draft for the owner's approval. Nothing has been published, sent or changed in any system.

What I could not complete and what I need

• Three disagreements (Q1 to Q3): the owner decides these. Q2 also needs someone to check the window with the carrier.
• Cover from 1 December (Q4): the draft is written for the returns coordinator. The owner needs to say whether the refund limit and every step apply to the warehouse associate.
• One role is missing: step 7 has no role, because "the warehouse" is a department (Q5).
• Four steps lack a visible check: steps 3, 7, 9 and 11 (Q5, Q6).
• FP-4: I saw only the one-line quote in the request, not the policy itself.

The returns coordinator reads the draft first. She can answer the questions marked Missing or Unclear wording about her own practice: Q5 to Q14 and Q16 to Q18. The rest are the owner's: Q1 to Q4 and Q15, plus any limit or authority that comes up in her answers.