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An SOP can be defined as methodology that details the activities imperative to accomplish tasks in lines with the regulations, laws prevailing or those pertaining to your own business with which standards are applied and operated. Any document that spells “how to” shall be categorised to be a procedure. This is of course unique and more focussed on the industry into which a business operates and flourishes and varies from one organisation to another with a bottom line of addressing how to perform activities more efficiently and consistently.

So if someone asked you in simple words “what is SOP”: the answer would be systemising all processes and documenting them suitably? By developing the SOPs the organisation is clearly able to define the expectations in practises to ultimately address quality. SOPs are required by the various departments in your organisation as policies, standards and procedures to ensure success of the business as a whole.

Benefits of incorporating SOP’s (What is SOP to do with bringing benefits to organisations)

• Through the creation of SOPs organisations can:
• Improve efficiency thereby leading to increased profitability
• Lessen errors at work
• Prolong consistency and reliability of products/services offered to customers
• Create a healthy and a safe workplace for the employees to work
• Lessen conflicts of ideas
• Improve provisions to trouble shoot issues and solve them better
• Create a defence mechanism to shield from inspections in terms of things following norms
• Improve customer satisfaction
• Relieve the training personnel to repeatedly train manually. In fact a well-documented SOP facilitates for better training.

In fact while embarking on developing SOPs based on the understanding on what is SOP: a Consultant or the key resource identified to develop the SOP shall keep in mind is that every business is unique in some sense or the other and every entrepreneur’s leadership style is different and every industry has its own best practices to be adopted for success of a business.

Procedures can take various forms such as a flow chart, a process map and screen shots from a particular software or a combination of any of these written more appropriately in English without any grammatical errors.

Having understood what is SOP lets now proceed to seeing how to writing a SOP. For this:

• Use the job function and not names of any person as this job function is a constant aspect while people are always the ones who are going to keep changing.
• Write the guideline to follow in simple sentences with fewer words, phrases and paragraphs. If the procedure is complex break them down in smaller points using bullets.
• Ensure to include all relevant information to complete the procedure.
• Bring the facts on and any other supporting points go into the appendix section.
• Ensure that the though flow is logical and coherent and wherever there is a need to include photographs, graphics, flowcharts try using them to complement the text communication.

Tips for better writing the SOPs

If we can extend this article from just answering the question what is SOP to the next level of how better I can write it the following tips could enhance the flavour and aroma of your dish!

• Envision the target reader of this document and based on that plan your language usage (whether it has to be in simple English or can it have more jargons and flashy usage of words).
• At this juncture create a flowchart to first represent your understanding of the process. This way the complexities related to the process can be better visualised and the subsequent breaking down of activities begin.
• Make use of the active tense of a verb. For ex: Lift, Take, Put etc.
• With the flowchart in front of you create the first level draft of the SOP and see if this is talking to you in the back end and if it matches with what you have understood. This is a check point as to what is SOP that I have wanted to detail.
• Wherever possible to enhance the content and ease the part of representing complex situations through the usage of natural language writing complement with the use of graphics/images/smart arts. This way complex scenarios and situations can be better explained.
• Once the first stage of the draft is ready try to ask this question: “what is SOP” that I had intended to create to represent the process with all activities included and what is that I have now? Are they in lines with my thinking?
• The above stage is called the revision of the draft.
• To edit in case of any deviations or changes:

                      • Check to seeing if the SOP is clear
                      • Written logically
                      • Are the new ideas appropriately introduced and detailed that the end user will understand?
                      • Are the sentences too lengthy and complicated that it takes a few more readings to decipher the intended meaning?
                      • Are any sections included in this SOP vague and disconnected?

To better have this document reviewed through another eye you could adopt a technique called “Inspection”.

Inspection Technique usage to check SOP development for errors:

• Plan: Identify those components of the SOP that needs to be inspected and the roles and participants to be involved to check this document.
• Explain the overview of the document to all the other team members who should be looking into this document for their comments and create a common shared understanding for them to start.
• In the error detection phase the inspectors go through the draft version of the SOP word by word either as a team or individually in small groups. Any errors identified are separately noted.
• In the error correction stage the errors identified in the previous stage are collated/consolidated and correction measures are also documented.
• The staffed personnel for this activity of inspection are:

                     • Organiser who plans and supervises the entire inspection process
                     • Moderator leads the discussion to ensure the entire pre-determined inspection process is followed and this person is generally neutral to avoid                                                       any bias towards the initial document creator.
                     • Author is the one who records and explains to all the inspectors the ground rules and is also responsible for correcting the errors identified.
                     • Reader gives the essential requirements that shall be available in the SOP and is also the moderator. This essentially answers what is SOP                                                                  contents
                     • Inspectors are the ones entrusted with identifying the errors and communicating the same to the person collating the changes to this SOP                                                              document.
                     • Minute-taker documents the minutes of the meeting for any future reference.

So from starting with the question what is SOP we have now seen how effectively we can draft and validate the SOP to look more rational and purposeful.

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