A 40-Page SOP Nobody Reads Isn't a Good SOP

There's a temptation when writing an SOP to include everything.

Every possible scenario. Every screenshot. Every warning. Every exception. Every bit of background information.

Before long, you've created a 40-page document.

Technically, it's comprehensive.

Practically?

Nobody wants to use it.

If someone needs to complete a task that takes ten minutes, they shouldn't have to navigate a small novel to work out how to do it.

Good documentation isn't about how much you can write.

It's about giving people the information they need, when they need it, in a format they can actually use.

That might mean a short SOP supported by a checklist.

It might mean a simple process map.

It might mean separating rare exceptions from the everyday process rather than burying the normal route amongst pages of detail.

And sometimes, yes, a detailed procedure genuinely is necessary — particularly in regulated or complex environments.

But length shouldn't be the measure of quality.

Ask a much simpler question:

Can the person doing the job actually use it?

Because the best SOP isn't the one that looks most impressive in the document library.

It's the one people actually follow.