SOP Best Practice: Write Imperative Sentences

If you look at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations, you’ll notice they don’t specify how Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) should be written. However, the European Union (EU) takes a more explicit stance. Here’s a key clause from Chapter 4, Volume 4 of EudraLex:

Standard Operating Procedures, Work Instructions, and Methods should be written in an imperative style.
Chapter 4, Volume 4 of Eudralex
Tweet

So, what is imperative style?

It simply means giving a command. For example, consider the following sentences:

Sentence A: A list of scanned reports will be consolidated and filed daily.
Sentence B: Consolidate and file the list of scanned reports daily.

Sentence B is written in the imperative style. It starts with a verb and directly tells the user what to do.

Why Use the Imperative Style?

The imperative style is especially important in the procedure section—the heart of an SOP. This is the section users refer to when performing tasks. Using the imperative voice provides clear, concise instructions without ambiguity. It eliminates passive language and makes the action steps easy to follow.

Here’s another example:

Non-imperative: The weighing scale should be positioned on a firm and flat surface.
Imperative: Position the weighing scale on a firm and flat surface.

Final takeaway

Write imperative sentences to improve SOP clarity, usability, and quality. Start with a verb.