Editing SOPs: cards, steps and the card editor

Editors, admins and owners can edit SOPs in their own workspace. Shared-in libraries are edited only in their home workspace.

Start and finish editing

1. Open the SOP.
2. Click Edit. SOPCompass saves a restore point first, so you can always go back.
3. Make your changes.
4. Click Done. Your changes are saved together and recorded as one version in History.

If something fails to save, you stay in Edit mode with your text intact and a message explains what went wrong.

What you can change in Edit mode

At the top of the SOP:

• Title of the SOP.
• Departments and Also shows in (other pillars). These save the moment you click them.
• Owner email, Review every (days), Next review and Tags. See Owners, review dates and tags.
• Archive (or Restore). See Archive and delete.

For each card:

• The card’s title.
• The card’s introduction, in the card editor (see below).
• + Add step at the bottom of the card.
• ↑ Card and ↓ Card to reorder cards, and Delete card.
• + Add card in the card list.

For each step:

• Step title and instructions.
• A screenshot, with an optional highlight box.
• ↑ and ↓ to reorder, + Step below to insert a step, and Delete.

Deleting a step or card saves a restore point first.

The text editor

Step instructions and card introductions use the same toolbar:

• B bold and I italics
• • List bulleted list and 1. List numbered list
• H heading
• Checklists, which readers can tick while they work

The card editor

The card’s introduction is where imported content usually lives: text, tables, images, embedded videos and links. The card editor keeps all of these when you fix a typo or reword a sentence, so you can correct an instruction in place instead of adding a new step.

If a card holds something the editor cannot keep yet, SOPCompass shows the introduction read-only with a note naming what it would lose. You can still edit the card title and every step.

Screenshots and highlight boxes

Under each step in Edit mode:

1. Click Add a screenshot: click, drop, or paste. You can also paste a screenshot straight from your clipboard or drag an image onto it.
2. Drag a box on the screenshot over the button or field the reader needs to find.
3. Optionally type a Label (optional) for the box.
4. To adjust, drag inside the box to move it or drag a corner to resize. Clear highlight removes it.

Use Replace or Remove to change the screenshot. Replacing a screenshot clears its highlight box.

Note: Boxes placed automatically from a video or capture say “This one was placed automatically.” Check them and adjust if needed.

Adding steps from a video

Outside Edit mode, Add from video adds a new card to the SOP from a screen recording or video. See Screen recordings and videos.

Splitting a long SOP

If one SOP holds several procedures, use More, then Split into a new SOP. See Splitting an SOP.