Everything to follow when creating SOPs is gathered in one place, under “Authoring rules” in Dictionaries / Templates. Regulations, How to write it, and Export format refer to one another, so they are shown side by side on the same screen.

This article explains how the three parts relate to each other and when to set up each one. For how to set up each part, see its own article.

The three relationships

The same statement appears at the top of the screen.

Follow what the regulations say, keep the wording in line with How to write it, and export in the Export format.

Regulations define “what must be followed,” How to write it defines “the wording,” and Export format defines “the look of the output.” If the regulations say “Work standard documents use this form,” that form means the one registered in Export format. The three parts sit on the same screen because, if they were on separate screens, the correspondence between them would be hard to see.

How to open it

In the sidebar, open [Dictionary / Templates] → [Authoring rules] tab. The three sections can be opened and closed, and whether each one is open or closed is remembered the next time you open it.

Setting these up requires Team Administrator permission or higher. Do it from a PC browser.

Which to set up first

You do not have to set up all three. Even one alone is effective.

● If you have internal regulation files

Start with Regulations. When you load the file, AI sorts out the SOP types, fields that must be written, prohibitions, and level of detail, and registers them. Among what it reads, the “rules about writing” can be added to the How to write it section with [Import into “How to write it”]. Importing only adds; lines that are already written are never rewritten.

● If there are no regulations, but you want to align the wording

Set up only How to write it. If it is hard to write everything out in words, you can also register a sample SOP or manual file and have AI create a draft.

● If you need to export in your company's own forms

Register Export format. If the regulations specify a form for each SOP type, the match between the types read and the registered forms is shown as “Has a form” or “No form linked.”

Where your settings take effect

• AI consultation before you build: used for the SOP type options, form candidates, and reason-for-publishing candidates
• AI analysis (Text style): when you select [How to write it], steps are organized using the phrasing and level of detail defined in How to write it
• Pre-publish check: Regulations, How to write it, and Export format each become an item to check. Regulations are matched against the original text while reading it page by page, and issues are pointed out with the source (regulation name and page) and a quote of the original text
• SOP export: you can export by copying into a registered form

Scope of application

Regulations and How to write it can each be kept separately for the whole company (Team) and for each site (Group). If a site has no settings of its own, the company-wide settings are used as they are. Split them when, for example, an overseas site has its own rules.

Settings for each site are edited by moving from “Writing style per site” in the How to write it section to that site's group settings. You can write while checking what each site inherits from the levels above.

Update history and restoring a previous state

Regulations and How to write it each have an update history. Each line shows when, who, and what was changed, and you can check the contents at that point before restoring.

• Manual save: saved by a person
• Auto-generate: daily updates from “Grow it from the records on site.” Updated by is shown as “System.”
• Restore: returned to an earlier version
• Starting point: the content from before history started being recorded

Restoring Regulations also restores the regulation file from that time. Restoring How to write it also restores the Sample procedures.

Available plans

All three parts of Authoring rules are features of the Enterprise plan. On plans that cannot use them, the plan name is shown in the section heading.

In addition, even without setting up Authoring rules, “AI consultation before you build” is available on the Core plan and above. The purpose, readers, and scope decided in the consultation are automatically carried over to the “Description” field of AI analysis.

Frequently asked questions

● Which takes priority, Regulations or How to write it?

They do not conflict because their roles are different. Regulations decide what must be written, and How to write it decides how to write it. Pre-publish check also checks them as separate items.

● Do you still need How to write it if you have registered Regulations?

If Regulations include rules on wording, add them to How to write it with [Import into “How to write it”]. Regulations are read by AI as they are only for matching in the pre-publish check; when text is written, it is How to write it that takes effect.

● Do you need to set up all three before you can use it?

No. Even one alone is effective. Sections that are not set up are shown as “None” in the pre-publish check.

Related

Reading the internal regulations that serve as the basis for SOP judgments (Regulations)

Setting how SOPs are written (reflecting organizational phrasing and standards in AI)

Exporting SOPs as they are in your company's own forms (Export format)

Checking the SOP being edited against seven axes (Pre-publish check)

Deciding the purpose and form before creating an SOP (AI consultation before you build)