Share thisWelcome to the SOP Corner! That’s right — Corner — where many of our SOPs rest and relax, and catch a few “zzz”s.
My objective is to get those SOPs out of the corner and up onto their feet. We want them to be effective tools for managing, directing, and inspiring the work of our organization. First, we’ll take a look at the basics of an SOP, from why they are needed to the best ways to build them to the best peer review practices. Are you ready? Then let’s go.
SOPs — Back to Basics
So, what is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)?
Aesop once said, “A sensible man never embarks on an enterprise until he can see his way to the end of it.”
Let’s look at SOPs in the same light. Never start a new task or project unless you can see your way to the end. Use SOPs as instruments to plan and guide then record and document your journey, from beginning through the middle to the end. Some labs (although the word “many” comes to mind) fail to do those simple, logical things. Their SOPs serve other purposes — meet requirements, satisfy regulations, implement standards. Those labs only update their SOPs just prior to an inspection or an audit. They write their SOPs from an administrative perspective instead of from the user’s point of view or they look like a doctoral thesis and not something that a person doing the work can use.
Sure, keeping SOPs current is an administrative task that can siphon away the limited resources we need to run our facilities. Sure, it’s easier to update SOPs only when absolutely necessary and, yes, who needs formal training on writing SOPs when “we’ve always done it this way?” For our SOPs to be useful and effective and serve our needs, we need to take a different approach. We need, in fact, a transformation so SOPs are written and maintained as current, and correct and accurate, for the people who will use them.
What is a SOP?
The first step in this transformation is to define what an SOP is.
An SOP is a set of instructions or steps someone follows to complete a job safely, without adverse impact on the environment, and in a way that maximizes operational and production requirements.
Our SOPs call out the job steps needed to help us standardize operations and produce work in a safe, top quality fashion, in full compliance with expectations (customer’s, regulatory, environmental, and specification). Keeping SOPs current and user friendly is the key to running our facilities effectively, efficiently, and without mistakes or regrettable errors.