Free Process Templates
A process map, an SOP, a work instruction and a one-week admin tally sheet. Copy them or download them. No sign-up.
Write Down How the Work Really Gets Done
When the way a job, order or invoice moves through the business lives in one person's head, every new starter, sick day or busy month costs you. Details get typed into a second system, approvals sit in someone's inbox and nobody is quite sure where things are up to.
These are the templates we use ourselves when we map a process with a client. They are free to copy, change and share inside your business. We don't ask for your email.
Process Map Template
Map one process from the trigger to the finished result: every step, who does it, which system it happens in, where it is handed off and where details are typed in again.
PROCESS MAP TEMPLATE
Free from Kenomont - kenomont.com/resources/process-templates
PROCESS DETAILS
Process name:
Starts when (the trigger): e.g. "Customer order arrives by email"
Ends when (the finished result): e.g. "Invoice sent and order closed"
Process owner (one person):
People involved (roles, not names):
Systems and spreadsheets used:
Mapped by: Date:
STEPS
Write each step as a verb and a thing ("Enter order", "Approve quote").
Map what really happens today, not what the manual says.
| # | Step | Who (role) | System or spreadsheet | Passes to (next role/system) | Typed in again? What? | Waits for / usual delay |
|----|---------------------|------------|-----------------------|------------------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------|
| 1 | | | | | | |
| 2 | | | | | | |
| 3 | | | | | | |
| 4 | | | | | | |
| 5 | | | | | | |
| 6 | | | | | | |
| 7 | | | | | | |
| 8 | | | | | | |
DECISIONS
| At step | Question (yes/no) | If yes, go to | If no, go to |
|---------|-----------------------------|---------------|--------------|
| | | | |
| | | | |
HAND-OFFS AND RE-KEYING
Every place the work passes to another person or another system.
| From step | To step | How it passes (email, paper, file, system) | Retyped? | What goes wrong here |
|-----------|---------|--------------------------------------------|----------|----------------------|
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
WHAT WE NOTICED
Where it waits longest:
Where mistakes happen:
Where people check, chase or ask "where is it up to?":
Side spreadsheets, notes or workarounds:
Steps nobody can explain ("we've always done it"):
COUNT BEFORE ANYTHING CHANGES
Times this process runs per week:
Time from start to end (usual / worst):
Number of hand-offs:
Number of places the same details are typed in:
Hours a week spent re-keying or chasing (estimate):
Errors, credit notes or rework per month:
SWIMLANE SKETCH (optional)
One row per role or system. Draw the steps left to right; arrows show hand-offs.
Sales : [1 Take order] --> [2 Enter order] ------------------------------>
Warehouse : --> [3 Pick] --> [4 Dispatch] --Accounts : --> [5 Invoice]
System : email order system paper docket accounting
NEXT STEPS
Biggest problem to fix first:
Who will write the SOP for this process:
Date to review this map:
More help: Process mapping template, examples and tools · Business process mapping: a practical guide
SOP Template
A standard operating procedure for the whole process: purpose, scope, roles, the steps in order, what to do when something unusual happens, and a change history.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (SOP) TEMPLATE Free from Kenomont - kenomont.com/resources/process-templates SOP title: SOP number: Version: Process owner: Approved by: Effective date: Next review date: 1. PURPOSE Why this procedure exists, in one or two sentences. e.g. "To make sure every approved job is invoiced correctly within two business days." 2. SCOPE What this covers: What this does not cover: 3. WHEN TO USE IT The trigger that starts this procedure: How often it usually happens: 4. ROLES | Role | What they are responsible for in this procedure | |------|--------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | | | 5. BEFORE YOU START Access needed (systems, folders, logins): Information or documents you need: Anything that must already be done: 6. PROCEDURE Keep each step to one action. Link to a work instruction for anything that needs screen-by-screen detail. | # | Step | Who (role) | System | Check or result | Work instruction | |----|------|------------|--------|-----------------|------------------| | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | 4 | | | | | | | 5 | | | | | | | 6 | | | | | | 7. EXCEPTIONS | If this happens | Do this | Tell who | |-----------------|---------|----------| | | | | | | | | 8. RECORDS KEPT What is saved, where, and for how long: 9. RELATED DOCUMENTS Process map: Work instructions: Forms, checklists or templates: 10. WORDS USED IN THIS SOP | Word or code | What it means here | |--------------|--------------------| | | | 11. CHANGE HISTORY | Version | Date | What changed | Changed by | Approved by | |---------|------|--------------|------------|-------------| | 1.0 | | First issue | | |
More help: How to write an SOP with this template · SOP examples from real operations
Work Instruction Template
Step-by-step instructions for one task inside the SOP, using the exact screens and fields people see, with checks and what to do when it goes wrong.
WORK INSTRUCTION TEMPLATE Free from Kenomont - kenomont.com/resources/process-templates A work instruction covers ONE task, step by step, so someone new can do it right the first time. The SOP says what happens and who does it; the work instruction says exactly how. Task name: Belongs to SOP (number and title): Who does this task (role): System or tool used: How long it should take: Version: Date: Written by: BEFORE YOU START You will need: Check first: STEPS One action per step. Use the exact screen, button and field names people see. | # | Do this | Where (screen, field or button) | You should see | Screenshot or photo | |----|---------|---------------------------------|----------------|---------------------| | 1 | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | 4 | | | | | | 5 | | | | | | 6 | | | | | | 7 | | | | | | 8 | | | | | CHECK YOUR WORK Before you finish, confirm: [ ] [ ] [ ] IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG | Problem you see | What to do | Who to ask | |-----------------|------------|------------| | | | | | | | | COMMON MISTAKES - - CHANGE HISTORY | Version | Date | What changed | Changed by | |---------|------|--------------|------------| | 1.0 | | First issue | |
More help: Work instructions and how they differ from an SOP
One-Week Admin Time Tally Sheet
For one normal week, each person jots down admin as it happens: what it was, which systems it touched and how many minutes it took. The totals add themselves up by type.
Fill it in as you go, not from memory at the end of the week; people nearly always guess low. Use one of these types for every entry, then delete the two example rows:
| Type | What counts |
|---|---|
| Re-keying | Typing details that already exist somewhere else into another system or spreadsheet. |
| Chasing | Following up people for sign-offs, timesheets, dockets, answers or missing paperwork. |
| Fixing errors | Correcting wrong invoices, credit notes, mismatched figures and duplicate records. |
| Approvals | Waiting for, giving or recording approvals for purchases, quotes, leave and the like. |
| Reporting | Pulling numbers together for weekly, month-end or management reports. |
| Looking for information | Searching email, folders and systems to find where a job or order is up to. |
| Other admin | Anything else that is admin rather than the work you are paid for. |
Date,Day,Person (role),Task,Type,Systems involved,Minutes,Notes,,Type,Total minutes,Total hours Example,Mon,Accounts,Typed job sheet hours into invoicing,Re-keying,Job system > accounting,25,From paper timesheets,,Re-keying,"=SUMIF(E2:E500,""Re-keying"",G2:G500)",=K2/60 Example,Mon,Operations manager,Chased two supervisors for sign-off,Chasing,Email,15,,,Chasing,"=SUMIF(E2:E500,""Chasing"",G2:G500)",=K3/60 ,,,,,,,,,Fixing errors,"=SUMIF(E2:E500,""Fixing errors"",G2:G500)",=K4/60 ,,,,,,,,,Approvals,"=SUMIF(E2:E500,""Approvals"",G2:G500)",=K5/60 ,,,,,,,,,Reporting,"=SUMIF(E2:E500,""Reporting"",G2:G500)",=K6/60 ,,,,,,,,,Looking for information,"=SUMIF(E2:E500,""Looking for information"",G2:G500)",=K7/60 ,,,,,,,,,Other admin,"=SUMIF(E2:E500,""Other admin"",G2:G500)",=K8/60 ,,,,,,,,,All admin,=SUM(K2:K8),=K9/60
Copy pastes straight into Excel or Google Sheets as columns; the totals by type in columns J to L work them out for you. At the end of the week you have a real count of the hours going into re-keying, chasing and fixing, which is the baseline any change can be measured against.
More help: Free Admin Time Count calculator · Printable version of the tally sheet
How to Use Them Together
One process at a time, starting with the one costing you the most.
Count a normal week
Each person fills in the tally sheet for five working days. Add it up and pick the process that eats the most hours or causes the most chasing.
Map that one process
Walk through it with the people who actually do it, from the trigger to the finished result. Mark every hand-off and every place details are typed in again.
Write the SOP
Turn the map into the agreed way of doing it: who does what, in what order, and what to do when something unusual happens.
Add work instructions where needed
Only for the tasks people get wrong, or that a new starter couldn’t do from the SOP alone.
Not sure which process to start with? Our free calculator shows where the admin hours and the manual work between systems are going.
Want Someone to Map It With You?
In a half-day process mapping session we map one process end to end with the people who do it, mark the hand-offs and the re-keying, and leave you a clean map and a draft SOP. Fixed price, remote or on site where practical.
About the mapping sessionSeveral Processes and Systems Involved?
The Process & Systems Audit looks across your key processes and systems, counts where the hours go before anything changes, and gives you a written, prioritised plan. It is $5,000, fixed price.
See the auditTemplate FAQs
Questions About a Process of Your Own?
Tell us what you're trying to document or fix. We'll tell you honestly whether the templates are enough, or whether a mapping session or the audit would save you time.
Free initial chat. No sales pressure - if we're not the right fit, we'll say so.
Prefer to talk? Call 1300 470 091
Got a spec or files? Email [email protected]