SOPs vs. Policies: Stop Confusing the Two. Your Team Feels It

“Your Team Isn't Confused, Your Docs Are” - Tricia Harrison

If your VA keeps asking, "What do I do here?" or "Where is that written down?", it's probably not a team issue.

Here's what I see in most coaching businesses: a mix of half-finished SOPs, vague policies, and a whole lot of assumed knowledge that lives only in your brain. Your team wants to do good work, but they're constantly guessing what you actually want because your documentation is all over the place.

You think you've "documented everything," but really, you've created a confusing mess where some things are explained step-by-step and other things are just random rules with no context.

SOPs and Policies are not the same thing, and if you're using them interchangeably, your backend will keep breaking. Your team will keep coming to you with questions. And you'll keep wondering why delegation feels impossible.

What's an SOP?

Think of SOPs as your "how-to manual."

SOP stands for Standard Operating Procedure. It's basically a recipe for getting things done in your business.

The purpose of an SOP is simple: tell your team exactly how to complete a recurring task from start to finish. No guessing, no interpretation, no "figure it out as you go."

A good SOP includes the steps, what tools to use, timing, who's responsible for what, and any small details that help someone execute the task perfectly, even if they've never done it before.

For example, an SOP for onboarding a new client in your 1:1 program would include:

• Send welcome email within 24 hours of payment

• Add client to private Facebook group

• Schedule kickoff call using Calendly link

• Create client folder in Google Drive

• Send intake form and wait for completion before kickoff call

• Update client status in CRM to "active"

See how specific that is? Your VA can follow those steps without asking you a single question.

What's a Policy?

Policies aren't about tasks, they're about rules.

Policies explain what's allowed, what's expected, and what happens if rules aren't followed. They're the boundaries that protect your brand, your client experience, and your team.

Policies aren't step-by-step instructions. They're standards and expectations that everyone needs to follow, no matter what task they're working on.

For example, your refund policy might say: "All refund requests must be submitted in writing within 30 days of purchase. Refunds are processed within 5-7 business days and require approval from the business owner."

Or your communication policy might say: "Team members respond to client emails within 24 hours during business days. All client communication should be professional, helpful, and aligned with our brand voice."

Policies set the rules. SOPs show how to follow them. This is the core difference between SOP vs policy.

Why the Confusion Costs You

When you blur the line, things fall through the cracks.

Here's what happens when you mix up SOPs and policies:

• Your VA thinks she can "figure out" how to handle a client complaint because you never wrote down the exact steps. But your complaint-handling policy is actually non-negotiable. There are specific things that must happen to protect your business.

• Your team gets anxious or hesitant because nothing feels clear-cut. They don't know if they're supposed to follow exact steps or use their judgment. So they default to asking you everything.

• You waste hours re-explaining things you thought were "documented." But what you actually documented was a random mix of rules and steps that don't make sense together.

The result? You're not building a team, you're babysitting adults without giving them a proper manual.

Your team wants to succeed. They want to make you proud and do great work. But when your documentation is confusing, they can't win. And neither can you. This is why understanding SOPs vs policies is so vital.

What a Scalable Business Has in Place

You can't delegate what isn't defined.

Businesses that scale successfully have both SOPs and policies, and they know the difference.

SOPs for every repeatable process: How to onboard clients, track leads, request testimonials, publish content, handle customer service issues, run launches, and manage team communication. Every recurring task has clear steps that anyone can follow.

Policies for how your team and clients operate within your business: Response times, payment terms, confidentiality agreements, refund procedures, working hours, file storage expectations, and brand standards. These are the non-negotiable rules that keep everything running smoothly.

Here's the key: they live in the same place (whether that's ClickUp, Notion, or Airtable), but they serve completely different purposes.

Your business needs both structure and standards. SOPs give you the structure. The exact steps to get things done. Policies protect the standards. The rules that keep your business running the way you want it to.

When you have both, your team can work independently because they know exactly what to do and exactly what's expected of them. This clear distinction between SOP vs policy enables true delegation.

How to Audit Your Backend Today

Not sure what you have? Start here.

Most coaches think they have great documentation until they actually look at what they've created. Here's how to figure out what you're missing:

• Make a list of all recurring tasks → those need SOPs. Think about everything that happens more than once in your business: client onboarding, content creation, social media posting, email marketing, sales calls, program delivery, team meetings.

• Make a list of all expectations or boundaries → those need policies. What are your rules about refunds, communication, working hours, client behavior, team responsibilities, confidentiality, and quality standards?

• Ask your team: "What feels unclear or inconsistent lately?" Their answers will show you exactly where your documentation is failing. If they're guessing about anything, you need better documentation.

• Look at what you currently have documented. Is it step-by-step instructions (SOP) or rules and expectations (policy)? Are you mixing them together in confusing ways?

Here's the test: if someone new joined your team tomorrow, could they read your documentation and know exactly what to do AND how to behave? If not, you've got work to do in clarifying your SOPs vs. Policies.

If you prefer to have a systems strategist take care of this backend audit for you, please book a free Discovery Call. I’d be happy to talk through your challenges and audit your backend for you. 

Don't Confuse Documentation with Delegation

SOPs tell people how to execute tasks. Policies tell people how to behave while doing those tasks.

You need both if you want to delegate successfully. Without clear SOPs, your team will keep asking how to do things. Without clear policies, they'll make decisions that don't align with your standards.

The more clear your backend documentation is, especially regarding the distinction between SOP vs policy, the less you'll be needed for every little question and decision. Your team will be able to handle situations independently because they know both the steps to follow and the rules to follow them within.

This isn't about creating more work for yourself. It's about creating the foundation that lets you step back from daily operations while maintaining the quality and consistency your business is known for.

Stop trying to keep everything in your head. Stop expecting your team to read your mind. And stop confusing step-by-step instructions with business rules.

If your team keeps circling back for clarification on things you thought were already handled, it's time for clean documentation. Book the Process Clarity Map, and I'll map one set of core workflows and give you the SOP docs you need to finally step out of the weeds.

Your business deserves systems that work without you. Your team deserves clear direction they can actually follow. And you deserve to delegate without constantly putting out fires.