Standard Operating Procedures

Comments by date▼

Comments by rating

Rating

Jaap de Jonge
Editor, Netherlands

Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) refer to instructions, normally written ones, that are intended to document how to perform a certain activity, process, etc. The key reasons why many companies or organization rely on SOPs is to help guarantee that consistency and a certain quality level are maintained. SOPs can also be helpful when one wants to operationalize and communicate key corporate policies, government regulations and best practices.

BENEFITS OF STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
The main benefits from using SOPs are:

CONSISTENCY / QUALITY: Helpful in workplaces that require strict procedures or adherence to a set of instructions to see to it that certain outcomes are attained.
REFERENCE / LOOKUP: They will also serve as a good reference to employees who are required to follow a given set of procedures. Even the best employees sometimes forget something.
TRAINING NEW EMPLOYEES: SOPs are also particularly helpful to train newly appointed employees.

nilakantan
Teacher, India

One More Benefit of Standard Operating Procedures

@Jaap de Jonge: SOP also serve the purpose of TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE from one employee to the other. In that sense, it can be called the DNA arrangement for the company. Thus, in conjunction with other mechanisms, it enables to carry the company knowledge base through generations of employees. Here generations occur as and when employees leave and new ones come.

Editor: Thanks for this good 4th benefit. Or we might also consider it as a better, more generic formulation of #3: Training of new Employees. After all, not only new, but also existing employees can learn from best practices.

Patrick Parsons, South Africa

Standard Operating Procedures

I have found over the years that the approach that has worked best for me is to start with a process landscape for the business.
From there you can build your process repository and model the end to end processes up to a level 3. You do all this before the process is enabled with technology.
Each task in the level 3 process then becomes a Standard Operating Procedure i.e., how to perform the task.
Wherever a transaction is referenced in the SOP, you will require a work instruction, i.e., what fields are required to be completed to ensure a successful transaction.
In order to be customer centric you need to first become process centric.
Enterprise strategy is DRIVEN by business processes, GOVERNED by business rules, ENABLED by technology and EXECUTED by people.

Anonymous

Benefits of Standard Operating Procedures

Many benefits can be realized by crafting, documenting and implementing formal standard operating processes (SOPs) for your organization. Here's a comprehensive list by Sanjay Kumar Jain ("Standard operating procedures (SOP) - Back Bone of Pharmaceutical Industries"):

To provide people with all the safety, health, environmental and operational information necessary to perform a job properly. Placing value only on production while ignoring safety, health and the environment is costly in the long run. It is better to train employees in all aspects of doing a job than to face accidents, fines, and litigation later.
To ensure that production operations are performed consistently to maintain quality control of processes and products. Consumers, from individuals to companies, want products of consistent quality and specifications. SOPs specify job steps that help standardize products and, therefore, quality.
To ensure that processes continue uninterrupted and are completed on a prescribed schedule. By following SOPs, you assist in avoiding process shut-downs caused by equipment failure or other facility damage.
To ensure that no failures occur in manufacturing and other processes that would harm anyone in the surrounding community. Following health and environmental steps in SOPs ensures against spills and emissions that threaten plant neighbors and create community outrage.
To ensure that approved procedures are followed in compliance with company and government regulations. Well-written SOPs contribute to ensuring that government regulations are satisfied. They also demonstrate a company's good-faith intention to operate correctly. Failure to write and use proper SOPs will only signal government regulators that your business is not serious about compliance.
To serve as a training document for teaching users about the process for which the SOP was written. Thorough SOPs can be used as the basis for providing standardized training for employees who are new to a particular job and for those who need re-training.
To serve as a checklist for co-workers who observe job performance to reinforce proper performance. The process of actively caring about fellow workers involves one worker coaching another in all aspects of good job performance. When outlining the correct procedures in a good SOP, any co-worker can use that SOP to coach another and help improve work skills.
To serve as a checklist for auditors. Auditing job performance is a process similar to the observation mentioned previously, only it usually involves record-keeping. SOPs should serve as a solid foundation when developing detailed audit checklists.
To act as a historical record of the how, why and when of steps in an existing process. This provides a factual basis for revising those steps when a process or equipment are changed. As people move from job to job within and between companies, unwritten knowledge and skills disappear from the workplace. Properly maintained written SOPs can chronicle the best experience that can serve new workers when older ones move on.
To act as an explanation of steps in a process for review in accident investigations. Although accidents are unfortunate, view them as opportunities to learn how to improve conditions. A good SOP gives you a basis from which to start investigating accidents.