DJC Insights
From Manual SOPs to AI-Driven Execution
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are the DNA of a scalable business. But in 2024, SOPs sat in Notion docs, ignored by staff. In 2025, SOPs are the instructions for your AI agents.
The Evolution of Documentation
- Oral Tradition (Chaos): "Just ask Sarah how to do it."
- Written SOPs (Stability): "Read the doc in Notion." (Nobody reads it).
- Loom Videos (Clarity): "Watch me do it." (Better, but still manual).
- AI Prompts (leverage): The SOP is the code.
How to Convert an SOP into an AI Agent
You don't need to be a coder. You need to be a clear writer.
Step 1: The Trigger
- SOP: "When an email comes in..."
- AI: zapier webhook triggers on new email.
Step 2: The Action
- SOP: "...check if the client is angry."
- AI: Prompt: "Analyze the sentiment of this text. Return 'ANGRY' or 'NEUTRAL'."
Step 3: The Response
- SOP: "...if angry, draft an apology using the template."
- AI: Prompt: "Draft a reply to ${Name} apologizing for ${Issue}. Keep it under 50 words. Use an empathetic tone."
Step 4: The Human Loop
- SOP: "...send it to the manager for review."
- AI: Post draft to Slack channel #approval-needed.
Why This Wins
When an SOP is a document, it relies on human willpower. When an SOP is an automation, it relies on server uptime.
Servers are more reliable than willpower.
If you have a 10-step SOP, try to automate steps 1-8. Let humans do steps 9 and 10 (Review and Send). Move your operations from "Static Text" to "Active Code."