Creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

An SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) in Glacis is a multi-step business procedure made up of individual steps — each with its own assignee, workflow, and documents. SOPs are how you codify repeatable processes like "new order lifecycle" or "import shipment procedure." This page covers how to create and manage SOPs.

When to use an SOP vs a workflow

Rule of thumb: If your process has more than one phase that different people handle at different times, use an SOP. If it's a single cause-and-effect automation, use a workflow.

How to create an SOP

1. In the left sidebar, expand your team and click Operating Procedures (under your team name).

2. Click Create to start a new SOP.

3. Fill in the details:

   • Name — a descriptive name (e.g., "Purchase Order Processing")

   • Associated Model — what type of record this SOP applies to (e.g., Order, Shipment)

   • Description — what this procedure covers

   • Notes — additional context or instructions

4. Save the SOP.

The SOP is created in Draft status. It won't be available for assignment until you publish it.

Adding steps to an SOP

Steps are the building blocks of an SOP. Each step represents a phase of your procedure.

1. On the SOP detail page, scroll to the Operating Procedure Steps section.

2. Click Add Step.

3. For each step, configure:

   • Step name — what this phase is called (e.g., "Order Confirmation", "Document Collection")

   • Description — what needs to happen during this step

   • Assigned to — who is responsible for this step

   • Reviewed by — who reviews the work (optional)

   • Contact — the external contact for this step (optional, e.g., the supplier)

You can drag steps to reorder them using the drag handle on each step.

Each step also has action buttons:

Publishing an SOP

Once your steps are configured:

1. Click Publish in the SOP header.

2. The status changes from Draft to Live.

A Live SOP can be assigned to orders, shipments, or other records. A Draft SOP cannot.

Tip: You can unpublish an SOP to make changes. The SOP header shows "Publish the Operating Procedure so you can assign it in the Automation Editor."

How SOPs work

When an SOP is assigned to an order or shipment (this can be only done by a workflow), it appears in the order's Execution view:

• Each step shows its status: Planned, In Progress, Completed, Failed, or Cancelled

• Click a step to see its details, assigned person, reviewer, and linked automations

• Use the action buttons to move steps through their lifecycle:

  • Start — moves a Planned step to In Progress

  • Complete — marks an In Progress step as done

  • Mark as Failed — flags a problem with the step

  • Move to Planned — resets a failed or cancelled step

You can also click View Full SOP to see the complete procedure definition.

Monitoring SOP progress

The SOP instance on an order shows progress at a glance:

• Green checkmark = Completed

• Blue pulsing dot = In Progress

• Red alert icon = Failed

• Numbered circle = Planned (not yet started)

• Gray circle = Cancelled or Skipped

Each step also shows an activity count — the number of events and updates on that step.

What's next

• Creating Workflows — build the automations that power SOP steps

• SOPs (concept) — understand how SOPs fit into Glacis

• Managing Orders — see SOPs in the context of orders

Need help?

If you have questions or run into issues, we're here to help:

• Chat with us — use the support widget in the bottom-right corner of Glacis

• Email — reach us at support@glacis.com