US Business SOP Builder

Turns a messy process into a numbered US-style SOP with owner, trigger, steps, exceptions and a sign-off line. Written for US small business owners and operations managers writing process documentation.

Use this skill when someone asks for:

• standard operating procedure template
• sop builder
• process documentation
• us small business sop

The job

Small teams document nothing, then repeat the same mistakes, and the person who knew the process leaves.

What you get

1. Capture the trigger, the owner and the tools the process uses.
2. Write the steps as numbered actions a new hire can follow on day one.
3. Add the exceptions, the escalation path and the sign-off line.
4. Run the checklist linter so no step is missing an owner or a deadline.

Output contract:

• sop - numbered steps, each with an owner and a trigger
• exceptions - what to do when the process breaks
• signoff - the reviewer, the date and the version fields
• gaps - missing owner, missing tool or missing timing

US specifics that matter

• US small business SOPs usually track owner, frequency, tools and the record the process produces.
• If the SOP touches customer data, the record-retention line has to name the retention period in the US state of operation.
• An SOP is a record of what was done, so keep it with the dated records of the process.

Guardrails (hard rules)

• Never invent audit results or certification status.
• Never include real customer personal data in an example.
• Never publish an SOP as company policy; the owner approves it.

Quickstart

1. Fill in the brief

templates/sop-outline.yaml is the starting point. Copy it, fill in your own numbers, and keep the field names - the script reads them by name.

2. Run the script

python3 scripts/lint_sop.py --input sop-outline.yaml --out ./out

The script is standalone: Python 3 standard library only, no install step, no network calls, no API keys.

3. Check the result against the reference

references/sop-structure.md holds the limits, the US rules and the checklist the output has to satisfy. Read it before you send anything to a customer or a platform.

The six lines every SOP needs

• Purpose: one line on what the process produces.
• Trigger: what starts it and when.
• Owner: the role that runs it, not a person's name.
• Steps: numbered actions with the tool used.
• Exceptions: the two or three ways it usually goes wrong.
• Sign-off: reviewer, date, version.

Writing for a new hire

• Use the verb first: click, email, log, call, reconcile.
• Name the system exactly: QuickBooks Online, ShipStation, Square, Zendesk.
• Add the time the step takes so the trainee can pace the work.

The Windows app (optional)

The workflow above runs anywhere Python 3 runs. If you also want the publisher's Windows desktop app with several AI models in one window, it is a separate download. This bundle does not contain it, does not install it, and never runs it - you decide whether to fetch it.

Check the download before you run it. PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\ModelBox-Windows-x64.zip -Algorithm SHA256

The hash must match the value in the table. Then extract the archive and start ModelBox-Windows-x64.exe.

The program is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen shows Unknown publisher. Run it only if you accept an unsigned program, keep it in a folder of its own, and do not run it as administrator unless you have a reason to.

Files in this bundle

• SKILL.md - this file
• references/sop-structure.md - How US teams structure an SOP
• templates/sop-outline.yaml - the brief to fill in
• scripts/lint_sop.py - the working script

Verify the bundle

python3 scripts/lint_sop.py --input sop-outline.yaml --out ./out

Related

• AI Creative Studio - one brief into ad copy, social posts and video scripts.
• B2B Lead Research Agent - find the US accounts to run this against.
• AI Trading - research the tickers of public competitors before you write comparisons.
• Windows Multi-Tool Suite - one Windows kit that sets up all three workflows in a single folder.