now, no signup required!
If there’s one organization that has set a true benchmark for efficiency, it is certainly Toyota. There are few who do not know of Toyota’s hallmark just-in-time production standard. How Toyota manages to balance a large supply chain, complex production mechanisms and the highest quality standard and yet still deliver competitive pricing to its consumers has confounded many a management guru. What many don’t know though is that they achieve this through what they term “standardized procedures”. Standardized operations mechanisms do not only ensure consistent production quality and supply chain efficiency, they also ensure lower production costs and faster production cycles.
Toyota’s standardized procedure is what is more commonly known as a Standard Operating Procedure.
Are you looking for practical ways to assist your employees in being more independent? Or does your business find it challenging to exhibit organizational skills for basic tasks?
If the above situation sounds familiar to you, standard operating procedures (SOPs) can solve your problem. SOPs help you standardize your business processes and eliminate uncertainty. Here’s a quick crash course on what SOP is, the types of SOP, its importance and everything about SOP for project management. After this, you’ll be able to draft your own SOP. So, let’s start with the question: what is SOP?
-
What Is Standard Operating Procedure?
-
Importance Of SOP
-
Why Is an SOP Important?
-
Types Of SOP
-
How To Write a Standard Operating Procedure in Simple Steps
-
Embrace Growth
What Is Standard Operating Procedure?
While answering the question, ‘What is SOP?’, we have briefly explained it and shared some guidelines on writing it.
A standard operating procedure is a written document that’s specific to your operations. It comprises step-by-step instructions to describe the necessary activities to carry out a routine task. An SOP is drafted by industry standards, business standards or provincial laws, whichever is valid. Anyone can follow these written rules to clarify a task, leaving no scope for ambiguity in the job.
Good SOPs boost the efficiency of your organization, including better quality control. An SOP becomes essential for large organizations because it’s challenging to maintain performance management with a vast workforce. Standard operating procedures are necessary for every stage, irrespective of the type of business. SOPs can efficiently organize any work you can think of, including business development, operations, legal affairs, human resources, capital investment and more.
Importance Of SOP
In an organization, it’s crucial to have an SOP. Because with written step-by-step guidelines to complete a task, employees can produce consistent results. Plus, if your goal is to create a similar product for your business for a more extended period, implementing SOPs is beneficial.
Why Is an SOP Important?
The following points stress the need for an impactful SOP:
-
Standard operating procedures highly organize your business processes:
Managers can use SOP frameworks to make better benchmarks for employee performance. Since the individuals who comply with SOP know what the management expects, they strive to meet their work schedules with better efficiency
-
They help you track the consistency of your products:
You want to be proud of your business products and, therefore, maintaining their quality to the highest level is essential. A written step-by-step guideline for workers eliminates any vulnerable impact of the products’ quality. Follow SOPs meticulously with a blueprint of the production line to track the consistency of your product
-
You’ll not miss knowledge and details for any of your business’ processes/products:
What if the details of a product aren’t stored in a procedure such as SOP? Indeed, the loss of even one employee will be disastrous. (Ultram) However, standard operating procedures ensure employee attrition doesn’t impact all task processes. Therefore, well-drafted SOPs will robustly save your business processes
-
Training costs are saved:
SOPs may not subsequently replace an experienced employee/operator, but they’re an essential toolkit for a new hire. An SOP will considerably reduce training costs while acting as a reference guide for employees to work independently
-
You can achieve better communication standards:
There are instances wherein employees report getting unclear directions from their supervisors. On the contrary, managers report not being comfortable communicating with their employees. In such a situation, standard operating procedures will simplify the task of both a manager and an employee. One can quickly work according to an SOP document to accomplish a task
These points not only tell you ‘what is SOP’ but also explain how you’ll benefit from one.
Types Of SOP
You can readily draft standard operating procedures based on your organizational requirements. With these types of SOP, you get quality output while reducing task ambiguity.
A conventional standard operating procedure follows one of the below methods:
Step-By-Step List
A procedure is described in easy-to-follow steps with a high level of relevance. For instance, if you’re creating an SOP for a simple, straightforward task, this is one list through which the job can be accomplished
Checklist
It’s a to-do list and one of the simplest ways to draft standard operating procedures documentation. A checklist SOP can either be created online using various note-taking apps or typed and printed out. For the checklist type of SOP, you have to make a header, followed by guidelines for individuals to complete an activity
Hierarchical List
This is the best for complex procedures and needs additional information in every phase of operation. It’s similar to a bullet list. The hierarchical SOPs work best when an individual may face several restrictions to complete a task and you want to simplify the process without making the procedure lengthy
Process Flowchart
This is a visual method to draft SOPs. A process flowchart gives better directions with relevant context with the workflows. A flow chart displays how one step is linked to another, aiding employees to grab the complete concept of the work to be performed
While there are multiple formats for developing an SOP, the aim remains the same: SOPs standardize routine procedures and remove uncertainty, thereby making processes more efficient. After selecting the most appropriate format for an SOP, you must start by creating an outline. Writing an SOP for project management, especially, requires a few simple steps.
How To Write a Standard Operating Procedure in Simple Steps
Now that we understand the importance of SOP and how it can make business processes more straightforward, it’s time to develop one.
Following are the general steps involved while writing a standard operating procedure:
1. Determine Your Goals for the SOP
First, understand what is SOP. You have to ask yourself, “Why am I creating an SOP?” You may also identify any obstacle that your business process may be facing. Finally, it’s essential to set SMART goals for your SOP:
- Development and execution of the best practices
- Clarity about the ideas that you present in the SOP
- Knowledge about specific information while accessing the same SOP for products for a longer time
2. Determine The Creators and The Stakeholders
All individuals affected by the SOP should have an equal say in creating the documentation. In the general case, your SOP development team should primarily consist of:
- C-level executives
- Management leaders
- Ground-level employees
Plus, determine who will be writing the document, whether a current staff or a third-party entity.
3. Know Who Your End-User Is
Be clear about your target audience. For example, creating standard operating procedures should be helpful for individuals who’ll be implementing the steps in real time. That means it’s essential to include:
- Actual outputs for end-users
- Using the right and accurate terms and language as would be expected by the end-user
- Adherence to term explanations when required
The remaining steps for writing an SOP are as follows:
4. Determine The Format of the SOP
As discussed above, it can have any of the three forms—checklists, hierarchical or flowchart. Choose the one that’ll be the most effective to communicate the desired information for the processes.
5. Outline The Document and Start Writing It
Since you’re now clear with the goals of writing an SOP and the audience that’ll be impacted, it’s time for you to pen it down. To begin with, ensure you plan the complete document, explaining every information step-by-step clearly.
These were the basics of writing an SOP. We hope this article has given you a fair understanding of the concept and why you should invest in building a standard operating procedure for your business. It’s a simple step that’ll help you in many ways.
Embrace Growth
Develop business writing skills with Harappa’s Strive for Excellence at Work pathway, which puts you ahead to structure your thoughts, write precisely and polish your writing skills. Discover how you can share your story with a clear structure and the ability to communicate better. If you want to know more about ‘what is SOP’, get in touch with us. We’ll help you understand it and come up with effective tips to create a great SOP.
