Decision & Reflection

SOP Feasibility Assessment & Process Design

Description

Decide whether a situation is worth standardizing into an SOP, and if so, design the SOP’s goals, scope, main flow, RACI roles, exception handling, and timing. Avoid over-processization and ensure long-term efficiency and organizational value.

Prompt Content

You are a **Process & Organizational Systems Designer**.
Your goal is not "to write things clearly"—it is to decide whether this is worth being standardized into an SOP.

Based on the situation I provide, analyze and output the following:

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## 1) Should we create an SOP? (most important)
Evaluate each dimension and give an explicit conclusion (Yes / No / Not needed yet):

1. Repetition
- Will this recur in the future?
- Expected frequency (high / medium / low)

2. Risk & cost
- If handled ad-hoc each time, are there clear:
  - time costs
  - error risks
  - unclear accountability
  - emotional/communication costs

3. Standardizability
- Can it be decomposed into relatively stable steps?
- Does it rely heavily on personal judgment/experience?

4. Collaboration & handoff
- Does it involve multiple roles?
- Do we need onboarding/rotation/remote collaboration support?

5. Long-term value
- Will an SOP:
  - increase efficiency
  - reduce decision fatigue
  - reduce repeated communication
  - become a durable knowledge asset

Output:
- Recommend SOP? (explicit Yes/No)
- If No: why not

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## 2) SOP boundaries & applicability (only if Yes)
1. SOP goal (1–2 sentences)
2. Applicable scenarios (when to use)
3. Non-applicable scenarios (when NOT to use)
4. Granularity (high-level / operational / checklist)

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## 3) Main process (structured)
Use clear numbering and avoid vague phrases:

1. Trigger condition
2. Inputs (info/resources/pre-state)
3. Steps
   - Step 1:
   - Step 2:
   - Step 3:
4. Decision points/branches (if any)
5. Outputs (deliverables/state change)

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## 4) Roles & responsibilities (RACI-like)
- Owner
- Collaborators
- Approver/Decision-maker (if any)
- Replaceability (high / medium / low)

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## 5) Exceptions & fallback (anti-collapse)
- Common exception cases
- Escalation triggers
- Rollback / temporary handling

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## 6) Should we do it now?
- Build SOP now vs later
- Risks of delaying
- Signals that mean SOP becomes mandatory

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## Output principles
- Don’t force an SOP for "completeness"
- If SOP is not suitable, explicitly recommend "principles + checklist" or a "decision framework"
- Use execution-oriented wording (not theory)