Procedures that are approved, read and proven to be understood
SOP Management runs the whole life of a standard operating procedure in SharePoint Online: create, approve, publish, have staff read and pass a short quiz, then renew or revise it. Every step is recorded, and it runs in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.
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What it does
Six things it does for your procedures
The product comes ready to use. We set up your departments, categories and approval routes, and adapt it to your process.
Approval route set by rule
Approvers are filled in from your approval hierarchy by department and category, one after another or all at once.
Read, then prove it
Staff open the document in a built-in viewer, read for a minimum time, then pass a scored quiz to acknowledge it.
Right people only
Each SOP is targeted to departments or named people, so staff see only the procedures that apply to them.
Renew or revise in minutes
Renew an expiring SOP from a pre-filled form, or issue a new version with a reason. The old version stays live until the new one is approved.
Audit trail nothing can overwrite
Every action is added to an append-only log, and each SOP keeps its own timeline, approvals and version history.
Email at each step
Power Automate emails approvers, the audience and the owner when an SOP is under review, published or rejected.
Dashboard
The whole SOP library in one view
The dashboard shows how many SOPs are published, under review, in draft or expiring soon. Each card opens the matching list, and an early warning list shows what expires in the next three months.
- Published, under review, draft and expiring counts
- Recently published SOPs with owner and expiry
- Expiring within 3 months, so owners renew in time
- Mix by department and by status, with total acknowledgements
SOP Library
Staff find what applies to them
The library lists published SOPs the signed-in user should see. People see only the SOPs targeted to their department or to them by name, and each row shows whether they have already acknowledged the current version.
- Card view and list view
- Search by title, reference number, department or description
- Version, owner, expiry and the reader's own status on every row
- Targeting decides who sees what
Create an SOP
One guided form, with the route filled in
The owner enters the basics, uploads a Word or PDF file and picks the audience. As soon as a department is chosen, the approvers appear from the approval hierarchy. The owner can add extra reviewers for a single SOP.
- Unique title, dates and minimum reading time
- Upload a Word or PDF file by browsing or drag and drop
- Sequential or parallel approval, with approvers added from the hierarchy
- Audience by department or person, and a multiple-choice quiz with a pass mark
Review and approve
The approver sees the whole request
Approvers work from one queue of SOPs waiting for them. The review page shows the details, the document and the quiz, and Approve and Reject sit at the top. An approval can carry a comment. A rejection must give a reason, which goes to the owner by email.
- One queue for everything waiting on you, with a count on the menu
- Open the document without leaving the page
- Approvers can correct the quiz before the SOP goes live
- Approve with a comment, or reject with a mandatory reason
Read and acknowledge
Staff read the document, then pass a quiz
The SOP opens in a built-in viewer with a timer. The assessment unlocks only after the minimum reading time. A pass records the acknowledgement with score, time and attempts. A fail offers a retry or another read, and failed attempts are kept.
- Built-in viewer with zoom and a reading timer
- Quiz unlocks after the minimum time
- Pass mark set by the owner
- Owner sees who acknowledged, their score and each answer
Compliance
Find gaps before an audit does
The compliance dashboard shows total acknowledgements, unique users and published SOPs. For each SOP it shows the targeted audience against the people who have acknowledged, who the top acknowledgers are, and how acknowledgements have trended over 7, 30 or 90 days.
- Headline numbers for the whole library
- Targeted audience against acknowledgements per SOP
- Top acknowledgers by SOPs and average quiz score
- Trend over 7, 30 or 90 days
Revise
A new version without losing the old one
Revising a published SOP keeps its identity. Title, department, category and description are locked. The owner enters a reason, uploads the revised document and submits it to the same approvers. Existing quiz questions carry over and new ones are marked as new. Everyone targeted acknowledges the new version again.
- Document number with a revision suffix and the new revision number
- Reason for revision is mandatory
- Same approval route as the published version
- Revise is blocked while another revision is under review
Version history
Which version was in force, and who had acknowledged it
Earlier versions are listed newest first, marked superseded or expired. Each one keeps its reason for change, its document, its approvals, its audience and its own acknowledgements, so the answer to an auditor is in the SOP itself. Expiring SOPs can also be renewed from a pre-filled form while the current one stays live.
- All previous versions, with the reason and the dates
- View or print any version
- Approvals and acknowledgements kept for each version
- Renewal copies the content, audience, approvers and quiz
Print copy
A controlled copy with its audit log
Any approved or published SOP can be printed or downloaded with a cover page. The cover carries the reference number, status, owner, dates and the full audit log. The formatted SOP follows, with purpose, scope, responsibilities, procedure, records and revision history. It suits audits and display on the floor.
- Cover page with reference, status and dates
- Full audit log of the SOP
- Formatted SOP behind the cover page
- Download or print any approved or published SOP
Who it is for
Built for
Quality and compliance teams. Plant, warehouse and operations managers. HR and training teams. Any business that needs proof that staff have read a procedure.
- Procedures people readPublished procedures are the current version, with read receipts for staff.
- Reviewed on timeReminders go to the owner before a procedure is due for review.
- Versions that stay clearEvery change keeps the old version for reference.
- Access by roleEach team sees the procedures that apply to its work.
How it works
How a procedure moves
These are the steps a procedure goes through, from draft to review. Sign-off levels are set during installation.
Draft
The author writes the procedure from your template.
Approve
Reviewers and approvers sign off in the order you set.
Publish
The approved version goes live and the old one is archived.
Review
The owner is reminded to review it on your schedule.
SOP Management: questions we hear often
Who sets the approval route?
An admin sets the approval hierarchy by department and category, with ordered approvers. When an owner picks a department, the route fills in. The owner can add reviewers for a single SOP.
Can approvers work one after another or all at once?
Both. Each route can be sequential, where approvers act in order, or parallel, where all are notified together.
How do we know staff have read the SOP?
Staff open the document in a built-in viewer and must read for a minimum time that the owner sets. They then pass a scored quiz. The system records the score, time and number of attempts, and the owner can see each answer.
What happens when an SOP expires or needs to change?
Expiring SOPs show a countdown and a Renew button. Renewal copies the content, audience, approvers and quiz, and the current SOP stays live until the renewal is approved. Revision issues a new version with a reason, and the previous version moves to version history.
Is there an audit trail?
Yes. Every action is added to an append-only log that is never edited. Each SOP also has its own approval route and activity timeline, and a printed copy carries the audit log on its cover page.
Can we use our own departments, categories and certifications?
Yes. Admins maintain departments, categories, audience groups, certifications and status names from master lists, and mark items inactive instead of deleting them.
Can we change it for our process?
Yes. We have adapted this product for clients, for example with reading and quiz steps, renewal and revision, and printed copies. We scope any changes with you before we start.
Where does our data stay?
In your own SharePoint Online, inside your Microsoft 365 tenant. The product is installed there, and AscenWork has no access to your data.
How do people sign in, and what licence is needed?
People sign in with their Microsoft 365 account. The product is built on SharePoint Online, so you need an active SharePoint Online licence. It uses the Microsoft 365 licences and infrastructure you already have.
Can it be changed to fit our process?
Yes. Every installation is configured to your process: your forms, steps, roles and approvers. If you need something beyond the standard product, our technical team checks the scope and what is feasible, and we quote those changes separately so you can decide.
What does an installation include?
Setting up the environment, loading your master data, and setting user permissions and menu permissions to follow your company policy.
Do you train our team?
Yes. We provide training and documentation for the product we deploy, a train-the-trainer programme for your own team, and video training for the modules.
How secure is it?
It runs on Microsoft 365, so it uses the security features of your licence, such as role-based access, multi-factor authentication, conditional access, audit logs and external sharing controls. Which of these you have depends on your Microsoft 365 licence, and Microsoft governs them.
Who supports it after go-live?
You can run it with your own team, or add optional managed support from AscenWork for fixes, small changes and reviews. To report an issue, write to support@ascenwork.com and a support executive will pick it up.
Can it run on SharePoint Server instead of SharePoint Online?
It is built for SharePoint Online. For SharePoint Server 2016 or 2019 we can try it, and a few changes may be needed. Tell us what you run and we will confirm.
How do we get a price?
Talk to us. We listen to how your process works today, then send a written quote that covers the product set-up for your tenant and any custom changes as separate lines.
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