Assignment SOP

What is an Assignment SOP?

An Assignment SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is the detailed, structured rules that your Duvo assignment follows to execute your workflow. Think of it as the "operating manual" for your assignment—a guide that tells it exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to handle different situations.


How the Assignment SOP Differs from the Assignment Builder

Assignment Builder

  • Purpose: To create and modify the Assignment SOP

  • Format/Style: Your casual, plain-English description - like you're talking to a coworker

  • Example:

Check for new expense reports and send them to managers for approval

Assignment SOP

  • Purpose: The actual "code" that controls your assignment's behavior

  • Format/Style: Structured, detailed, containing specific logic, conditions, and procedures

  • Example:

GOAL: Streamline expense report approvals by automatically routing submitted reports to the appropriate managers every Monday, reducing processing time and ensuring timely reimbursements.

STEP 1: Access the expense management system
Navigate to the expense reports dashboard
Filter for reports with status "Submitted"
Filter for submission date within the past 7 days

STEP 2: Retrieve expense report details
For each report found, extract:
Employee name
Employee email
Report ID
Total amount
Submission date
Manager name
Manager email
Line items and receipts

STEP 3: Determine appropriate approver
Identify the employee's direct manager from the HR system
If no manager assigned, escalate to department head

STEP 4: Send approval request
Compose email to manager with:
Subject: "Expense Report Approval Required - [Employee Name] - [Report ID]"
Body: Include report summary, total amount, submission date
Attach expense report PDF
Include "Approve" and "Reject" links
Send email via company email system

STEP 5: Log activity
Record in expense system:
Date approval request sent
Manager notified
Update report status to "Pending Manager Approval"

ERROR HANDLING:
If expense system is unavailable, retry after 30 minutes
If manager email is invalid, notify HR system administrator
If report is missing required receipts, return to employee with note

Formatting Matters

The structure and formatting of the Assignment SOP significantly impacts how well your assignment performs:

Clarity: Clear section headers (GOAL, STEP 1, Summarize, etc.) help the Duvo assignment parse and understand different parts of the workflow

Precision: Bullet points and numbered steps create unambiguous sequences that the assignment can follow reliably

Completeness: Well-formatted SOPs make it obvious if you're missing critical information like error handling or approval points

Debugging: Structured formatting makes it easier to identify which specific step or condition needs adjustment

Consistency: Standardized formatting helps the AI assignment interpret the SOP the same way every time, leading to more predictable behavior

Think of formatting like punctuation in a sentence—it tells the assignment where one thought ends and another begins, preventing misinterpretation.


Tips for Writing Effective SOPs

Mention all systems involved: List every tool, app, or system your assignment needs to access (e.g., "Hubspot," "Gmail," "our internal database").

Include decision points: Explain conditional steps clearly (e.g., "If the order is over $5,000, send it for manager approval. If under $5,000, process it automatically").

Specify approval requirements: Tell the assignment when you want to review actions before they're finalized (e.g., "draft the email for my review before sending").

Define the output: Be clear about the end result (e.g., "save the report as a PDF in the shared folder" or "update the status field to 'Complete'").

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