How to create standard operating procedures using video

Why teams create SOPs from video

If you’re trying to create standard operating procedures using video, you’re usually solving a simple problem: the work is happening, but the documentation is lagging behind.

Teams record a quick screen share or walkthrough because it’s fast and accurate in the moment. The slow part is everything after—turning that recording into something a new hire, support rep, or ops teammate can follow without asking questions.

This guide shows a practical workflow for turning one video into a consistent SOP (with a template, example, and quality checklist).

What is a standard operating procedure (SOP)?

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a documented, repeatable process that explains:

• When to do a task (trigger)
• Who does it (owner)
• How to do it (steps)
• What “done” looks like (expected outcome)
• What to do when things go wrong (exceptions)

Good SOPs reduce tribal knowledge, shorten onboarding, and make outcomes more consistent—especially across support, operations, and product teams.

Why video is the best starting point for SOPs

Video is often the most reliable “source of truth” for a process because it captures:

• The exact UI clicks and settings
• The real sequence (including the small steps people forget to write)
• Context like what to look for on screen

Video also removes the blank-page problem. Instead of writing from memory, you document what actually happened.

Common use cases:

• Internal admin tasks (billing changes, account cleanup)
• Customer support workflows (refunds, plan changes, bug triage)
• Onboarding routines (setting up tools, creating first project)
• Training content (how to use a feature, how to follow a policy)

Video vs written SOPs: what each does best

Both formats are useful; they serve different moments.

Video is best for

• Showing unfamiliar interfaces
• Demonstrating timing/sequence (“click this, then wait for that”)
• Capturing tacit knowledge (what to check, what to avoid)

Written SOPs are best for

• Quick scanning (especially under time pressure)
• Searchability (find the exact step you need)
• Standardization (consistent structure across many procedures)
• Audits and compliance (clear approval/versioning)

The most maintainable approach in practice: record the process once, then generate a structured written SOP from it (with screenshots and steps).

How to create standard operating procedures using video (step-by-step)

This workflow is designed for speed and consistency—without sacrificing clarity.

1) Define the SOP scope (before you hit record)

Write a 3-line brief:

• Goal: What outcome should the SOP produce?
• Audience: Who will follow it (new hire, support L2, ops manager)?
• Trigger: When should someone use this SOP?

Keep it tight. Over-scoped SOPs become impossible to maintain.

2) Record a clean “SOP-ready” video

Aim for a single, uninterrupted pass:

• Start from the point where the user has access/login
• Narrate decisions (“I’m choosing X because…”)
• Call out prerequisites (permissions, plan level, required info)

If you make a mistake, pause and redo the last step—don’t try to “fix it in editing” unless you have to.

3) Turn the recording into a structured draft

Convert the video into:

• A title and short purpose statement
• A prerequisites section
• Numbered steps with clear actions
• Screenshots for key moments (especially where UI is ambiguous)
• A validation step (how to confirm it worked)

If you use a workflow tool like Vidocu, this is where it helps most: it can take a single upload and produce a first-pass help article with headings, numbered steps, and auto-captured screenshots—so you spend time reviewing, not rewriting.

4) Add “decision points” and exceptions

Most SOPs fail because they only describe the happy path.

Add small sections like:

• If you don’t see this button… (permissions, role, plan)
• If the customer asks for X… (policy boundaries)
• If the process fails at step 4… (what to check next)

These lines prevent Slack pings later.

5) Add ownership, versioning, and review cadence

At minimum, include:

• Owner (who updates it)
• Last updated date
• Next review date

For UI-driven SOPs, a light cadence works well (example: review every 60–90 days, or whenever the product UI changes).

6) Publish where people actually look

A perfect SOP in the wrong place is still invisible.

• Put customer-facing processes in your help center
• Put internal SOPs in your team knowledge base
• Link SOPs from onboarding checklists and ticket macros

7) Maintain with “record-first” updates

When the process changes:

• Record a fresh 2–3 minute update
• Regenerate the SOP draft
• Replace screenshots/steps that changed

This is often faster than editing a long doc by hand.

Best practices for recording SOP-ready videos

These small choices dramatically reduce cleanup time later.

Keep the recording short and single-purpose

• Target 3–7 minutes per SOP when possible
• Split multi-role processes into separate SOPs (requester vs approver)

Narrate like you’re training a new teammate

Say the “why,” not just the “clicks”:

• What you’re checking
• What could go wrong
• How you know a step is complete

Use a consistent structure

A repeatable outline speeds up SOP creation at scale:

1. Goal
2. Prerequisites
3. Steps
4. Validation
5. Exceptions

Zoom in where UI matters

If your recorder allows it, zoom your browser/UI to 110–125% so text is readable in screenshots.

Example: SOP created from a short screen recording

Imagine a support team needs an SOP for: “Refund a customer’s last invoice.” You record a 4-minute screen walkthrough.

Here’s what the written SOP could look like after converting the video into steps:

Example SOP (condensed)

Purpose: Refund the most recent invoice for an eligible customer.

Prerequisites:

• Admin permission in billing tool
• Customer email or account ID
• Refund eligibility confirmed (policy)

Steps:

1. Open the billing dashboard and search for the customer by email.
2. Open the customer profile and go to Invoices.
3. Click the most recent paid invoice.
4. Select Issue refund.
5. Choose Full refund (or enter partial amount if approved).
6. Add an internal note with the reason and ticket link.
7. Confirm the refund.

Validation:

• Invoice shows status Refunded (or “Partially refunded”).
• Customer receives the refund confirmation email (if applicable).

Exceptions:

• If Issue refund is missing, check permissions or invoice status.
• If the invoice is older than the policy window, escalate for approval.

That’s the goal: a teammate can scan and execute without rewatching the whole recording.

SOP template (copy and use)

Copy this template into your docs tool and fill it from your video.

## Purpose
Describe the outcome this SOP produces in 1–2 sentences.

## When to use this (trigger)
Explain the situation that should prompt someone to follow this SOP.

## Owner
- Team/role:
- Document owner:

## Prerequisites
- Required access/permissions:
- Required tools:
- Required info (inputs):

## Step-by-step procedure
1. 
2. 
3. 

## Validation (definition of done)
How do you confirm the task was completed correctly?

## Exceptions & edge cases
- If X happens:
- If you don’t see Y:

## Notes
Anything helpful but not essential to execution.

## Version history
- Last updated:
- Change summary:
- Next review date:

Checklist: SOP quality review

Use this before publishing.

• The title matches the user’s goal (not internal jargon)
• The SOP states a clear trigger (when to use it)
• Prerequisites list access, tools, and required inputs
• Steps are numbered, action-oriented, and one action per step
• Screenshots exist for confusing UI moments
• There’s a validation section (how to confirm success)
• Exceptions/edge cases cover the top 2–5 common failures
• The owner and review cadence are defined
• The SOP is easy to skim in under 60 seconds

Tools and workflows for creating SOPs from video

There are a few common ways teams turn recordings into written procedures. The best choice depends on volume, consistency requirements, and how often your UI changes.

1) Manual workflow (record + write from scratch)

Best for: occasional SOPs, low volume.

• Record the process
• Rewatch and write steps
• Capture screenshots manually

Tradeoff: Accurate but time-consuming; consistency varies by author.

2) Transcription-first workflow (video transcript → SOP)

Best for: teams that want faster drafts.

• Generate a transcript
• Convert transcript into headings and steps
• Add screenshots and validations

Tradeoff: Still requires restructuring and editing. Transcripts often include filler speech and miss implied steps.

3) Video-to-SOP workflow (generate steps + screenshots)

Best for: recurring SOP creation, onboarding libraries, support teams documenting many flows.

A workflow tool like Vidocu is designed for the “everything after recording” problem: you upload one video and produce publish-ready outputs (like step-by-step articles with screenshots) that you can edit and standardize.

If you’re building a repeatable internal process, it helps to use a dedicated AI video documentation workflow rather than stitching together tools and manual formatting.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an SOP be?

As short as it can be while still preventing mistakes. For UI-driven tasks, 5–15 steps is common. If it’s longer, consider splitting by role or phase.

Should every SOP include screenshots?

Not always, but screenshots are very helpful for steps where the UI is easy to misread (similar buttons, hidden menus, destructive actions).

What’s the best way to keep SOPs updated?

Treat the video as the source of truth: when the process changes, record a fresh walkthrough and update the SOP from that recording. This is usually faster than editing a long doc line-by-line.

Can video replace written SOPs?

Video is great for context, but written SOPs win for scanning, search, and consistency. Most teams do best with both: a short video plus a structured written procedure.

How do we standardize SOPs across multiple authors?

Use one template, require validation + exceptions sections, and implement a quick review checklist before publishing.

Related Vidocu workflows

• Start from the Vidocu homepage to see the overall “video in → publish-ready content out” workflow.
• Use AI video documentation to turn recordings into structured help content with consistent formatting.
• Generate a step-by-step process quickly with video to SOP when you need repeatable internal procedures.

Final thoughts: making SOPs easier to maintain

Most SOP programs fail for a boring reason: they’re expensive to keep current.

A video-first approach makes maintenance realistic. When something changes, you re-record the process and update the written steps from what actually happened—so your SOP library stays accurate without turning into a side project.

Turn one video into an SOP in minutes

If your team already records walkthroughs, you can use that recording to publish a consistent SOP faster—and spend your time reviewing details instead of rewriting steps. Vidocu’s video to SOP workflow is built for exactly this “record once, document everywhere” process.