AI Prompts for Small Business Operations and SOPs

There is a process in this business that mostly lives in my head: [name the process].

Do not ask me to explain it step by step.

Instead, reconstruct the process from evidence.

Review the last five times this process happened using emails, files, documents, forms, client folders, project records, calendar events, invoices, notes, and messages.

Draft the process as it actually happens, including:

1. Trigger
2. First step
3. Owner
4. Tools used
5. Files involved
6. Client communication
7. Internal steps
8. Exceptions
9. Workarounds
10. Common mistakes
11. Final output
12. What confirms it is done

Then show me the draft and ask me only about the steps that left no paper trail.

After I answer, create a clean SOP that someone could follow if I were unreachable for two weeks.

Build this week's Friday report from what you can actually access.

Use live systems first: accounting, payments, invoices, email, calendar, CRM, and project management tools. Use files or exports second.

Create a one-page report with:

1. Money received this week
2. Money still owed
3. Overdue invoices
4. Open proposals
5. Client threads that went quiet
6. Commitments I made in email this week that do not appear completed
7. Meetings or calls that require follow-up
8. One relationship I should pay attention to
9. One operational issue that needs fixing
10. The single most important thing for Monday morning

Show the source behind each important item.

Then save the instruction so that when I ask for "the Friday report," you produce this exact format again.

Review this folder or shared drive: [folder/drive].

Do not move, delete, rename, archive, or overwrite anything yet.

First, map the mess.

Identify:

1. Duplicate files
2. Multiple versions of the same document
3. Old contracts
4. Files with unclear names
5. Files in the wrong place
6. Empty or unused folders
7. Sensitive files that need caution
8. Files that appear safe to archive
9. Files that should not be touched

Then propose a simple folder structure a new hire could understand on day one.

Show me the full move plan:

- What moves
- Where it moves
- What gets renamed
- What gets archived
- What stays untouched
- What requires my decision

Wait for my approval before making any changes.

After approval, execute the approved plan and give me a report of exactly what changed.

Read this meeting transcript, recording, or notes: [attach or link].

Read the whole thing, not just the summary.

Extract:

1. Every commitment made
2. Who owns each commitment
3. Deadline or date mentioned
4. Implied deadline if no date was said
5. Open questions
6. Risks or ambiguities
7. Decisions made
8. Follow-up needed

Then draft a follow-up email to the attendees confirming what was agreed.

Write it in my voice based on my prior sent emails if available.

Flag anything ambiguous that will cause problems if nobody clarifies it.

Mark the email HOLD.