SOP Maker

SOP Maker is an offline, folder-based tool for building, controlling and printing authorised Standard Operating Procedures. Your data stays in a folder you choose on your own computer. There is no server, no account and no internet connection needed once the page has loaded.

It is a controlled-document tool. Every SOP moves through the usual stages, from Draft to Review to Approved, and carries the details an auditor expects to see: who prepared it, who authorised it, the revision number and the dates.

Before you start

SOP Maker uses a modern browser feature that lets a web page read and write files in one folder that you pick. Because of that, a few things matter before you begin.

• Use a desktop computer running Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. The folder features do not work in Firefox, Safari, or on phones and tablets.
• You can still open, view and print an already-issued SOP on any device. You just cannot author or save from those devices.
• You will connect one folder, named DATA_TO_CONNECT, where everything is saved: your SOPs, your settings, your images and your printable files.

Getting started

When you open SOP Maker you see a welcome screen with three ways in. Pick the one that matches where you are.

• Connect the SOP folder (recommended). Choose your existing DATA_TO_CONNECT folder and pick up where you left off. Everything you save goes here.
• Download the toolkit (first time only). Get the whole folder ready to use. Unzip it somewhere sensible, then come back and connect it.
• Use without a folder. Try the tool out and see how it works. You can build an SOP, but saving and the Library need a connected folder.

There is also a See an example SOP link on the welcome screen if you just want to see what a finished document looks like.

First-time setup

The first time you connect a fresh folder, a short setup card appears. It asks for a few basics so your SOPs look like your own from the very first one:

• Your company name.
• An optional logo.
• Your brand colours, or one of the ready-made presets.
• A chance to confirm your departments.

None of this is permanent. You can change all of it later in Settings, so it is fine to accept the defaults and move on.

Branding your SOPs (Settings)

Settings is where you control how every SOP looks. Open it to set your company details and colours.

• Company name. Shown on every SOP. If you upload a logo, the logo replaces the text.
• Brand colours. Choose a primary and secondary colour, or use one of the quick palettes: Navy & Amber, Black & Green, Charcoal & Blue, or Slate & Teal.
• Default department and default SOP owner. These pre-fill for you each time you start a new SOP.

Departments & numbering

Every SOP belongs to a department. The department does two useful jobs for you: it decides the SOP number, and it decides which folder the printable file is saved in.

Numbers are automatic and count up on their own within each department. For example, Hygiene SOPs are numbered SOP_HY_0001, SOP_HY_0002 and so on, while Production SOPs run SOP_PR_0001 upward. You never have to track the next number by hand.

In Manage departments you can:

• Rename a department code or name. Existing SOPs keep their numbers and their folders.
• Add your own department.
• Untick Active to hide a department you are not using, without deleting anything.

Creating an SOP

Click + New, choose a department, then pick a starting format or template. You fill in the document on the left, and the finished SOP updates live on the right as you type.

An SOP is made of two parts:

• The document-control header. SOP title, owner, author, dates, revision, version, who it applies to and which sites it covers. This is the part auditors read first.
• The content blocks. Purpose, key points, the golden rule, the steps, PPE and a sign-off area.

Each SOP also carries a hazard class, so anyone reading it can see at a glance how careful they need to be.

When you are ready to give the document a number, click Assign. It fills in the next free number for the department you chose.

Saving your work

Click Save and SOP Maker writes two things at once:

• The editable source. This is the master copy of your SOP, kept safe in 02_JSON/Library as one file per SOP.
• The printable page. A finished, print-ready page saved in 04_Exports/<your department>/HTML.

The source is the master copy and is never overwritten by another SOP, so your work cannot be lost to a numbering clash.

The SOP Library

The Library lists every SOP you have saved, grouped by department. It is where you go to find, open and update your documents.

• Search by number, title or author.
• Filter by department or status.
• Sort by date, number, title or author.

Click any SOP to open and edit it. Saving overwrites the same files, so you always have one clean master copy per document. If two SOPs ever end up with the same number, the Library flags it so you can renumber one.

Printing and saving as PDF

SOP Maker saves a print-ready HTML page for every SOP. To turn that into a PDF, use your browser's own print dialog.

1. Click Print / PDF.
2. In the destination box, choose Save as PDF.
3. Set Margins to Default.
4. Turn on Background graphics so the colours print correctly.
5. Save the file into your department's PDFs folder.

Every printed page carries the SOP number, the title and a "Page N of M" footer, so loose pages are easy to put back in order.

What's in the folder

Your DATA_TO_CONNECT folder holds everything SOP Maker uses. You rarely need to open it by hand, but it helps to know what is where:

• 01_Templates — your departments, sites, equipment lists and starter templates. These are editable files.
• 02_JSON/Library — the master copy of every SOP.
• 02_JSON/Settings — your company details and branding.
• 03_Images-Icones — the PPE, tools and controls icons, plus any equipment photos you add.
• 04_Exports/<department>/HTML — the print-ready SOPs.
• 04_Exports/<department>/PDFs — where you save your own PDFs.

Keeping your data safe

The master copy of every SOP lives in 02_JSON/Library. That one folder is the thing to protect.

• Back it up: copy it somewhere, or keep the whole DATA_TO_CONNECT folder on a drive that is already backed up.
• The printable HTML can always be re-made from the master copy, so the Library folder is what really matters.
• Nothing is sent anywhere. The tool makes no internet calls with your documents.

Troubleshooting

The app says it can't connect a folder

You are most likely in a browser or device that does not support the folder feature. Use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge on a computer.

It asks for folder permission again

This is normal. Click Allow. Your files are not lost; the browser is simply re-connecting to the folder you already chose.

A number shows as shared with another SOP

Open one of the two documents and use Assign to give it a fresh number. The Library will stop flagging it once the numbers are unique.

I opened it on my phone

Phones and tablets can view and print an SOP, but they cannot author or save one. Switch to a computer running Chrome or Edge to create and edit documents.