She had red ears, a red throat. Afterward, as Johnston and his client consoled themselves, Johnston fetched the company SOPs and showed his client that every learning point from the meeting had already been documented in their quality management system. And live and breathe it? Your task may be to update existing SOPs or to write new documents from scratch. In either case, creating SOPs involves more than just sitting down to write instructions.
To write a useful SOP, it helps to have at least a basic understanding of the topic. However, you will also want to get input from others on the processes and on your written drafts.
SOP format refers to the way you structure your standard operating procedure documents. When selecting an SOP format, consider why you are creating the documents: Are they for regulatory compliance or strictly for internal use?
Use what suits your documentation needs. For greater ease as you research and write, create or find a template to work with.
Your organization may already have SOP templates, or you can find templates online that match your purpose and industry. The length and format of an SOP depend on how much detail the document requires to clearly explain instructions and purpose. For example, packing instructions for workers in a book warehouse probably differ from those used by an FDA-compliant snack producer. It is crucial to clearly distinguish and label sections to help readers find what they need when they need it.
After all, they may most want instructions when they are most agitated by a problem. There are four structural approaches to creating an SOP format:. A simple checklist looks like a to-do list, with precise, numbered steps that you can check off as you finish them. You can print a task list, store it online, or publish it in any format that is repeatable, reusable, or otherwise serves the team.
Checklists are particularly powerful when they include measurable results. A simple checklist is a quick way to capture a process without taking on the burden of creating a full manual, especially if you are experimenting with processes that are not yet entrenched. Checklists may be good for small teams and for procedures with few or no decision points. They are also powerful documents for those who are unfamiliar with processes or for processes that require precise adherence to instructions.
When a process includes more decision points, a detailed hierarchical checklist works well. Hierarchical checklists record main processes and the details of subprocesses. For formal documents in which processes may be audited, consider adding distinct, high-level steps that explain the process.
As necessary, break high-level steps into individuals tasks that include separate sections for notes on equipment or other information. This way, you can avoid adding information that may obfuscate the processes. Organization Chart: For complex procedures or the standard operating procedure manual, an organization chart can help users understand the hierarchy of responsibility for processes. Process Flow Chart: Flow charts provide a visual overview of entire processes and show how different processes relate to one another.
Flow charts also supply context for detailed steps in a procedure. Flow charts are well suited to processes with many decision points. Use these for suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs, and customers. Steps: Common formats for procedures include numbered simple sequential steps or hierarchical steps. Simple sequential steps are ordered, numbered step-by-step instructions for simple tasks that have a limited number of possible outcomes.
Hierarchical steps describe procedures that consist of more than 10 actions, including branches at decision points. This PowerPoint work instruction template from Giles Johnston emphasizes the use of pictures and short bullet points for instructions. The template includes spaces for two images and a short paragraph or a few bullets for each slide in the deck. PDF PowerPoint. Johnston also offers this basic work instruction template.
In addition to the meta information, such as author, SOP title, date, SOP number, and issue, this template provides a small space to describe the context of the procedure and a large space to fill with steps.
Word PDF. When collecting work-related documents, you likely have to standardize a system for formatting, naming, storing, and archiving. This document control SOP template helps you decide what documents to control, as well as how to format, name, number, store, and archive them. This template includes space for discussing who is responsible for document control and for updating the document control SOP.
Word PDF Smartsheet. In addition to identifying the SOP and describing its purpose, this template provides space to list reference documents, necessary supplies and equipment, troubleshooting information, quality control details, and an SOP distribution list.
That way, people can get trained and refer to the documents with consistent expectations. Reduce text and increase pictures and graphic; add videos, if necessary.
Whatever it takes to move from the world of de facto SOPs or de facto work instructions, do it. Your focus should be on conveying as much information as possible in a small space; the PowerPoint slides and bullet points from the pictorial standard operating procedure template above are a good example of this kind of economical communication.
And make sure that you include all necessary details. In reality, there may be 15 steps across a process that you need to capture. What else should you know to write SOPs with confidence? Here are some important elements to keep in mind:. Sometimes, employees avoid SOPs because the documents contain difficult jargon and uninspiring layouts. Thick manuals full of obscure terminology were once staples of engineering and manufacturing environments.
Whether you are an enthusiastic or reluctant procedure writer, do not underestimate the amount of time you need to document procedures. Follow these steps for clear and effective writing:. A manual can be as simple as a collection of Microsoft Word documents that you organize into a master document or a traditional binder with pages.
If the documents are not well executed, the information will be difficult to access or understand. Then people will start making up their own approaches, which leads to needless increases in variability and a decline in quality. Cox says that an SOP manual can stand on its own, but is usually included in a quality manual, together with policies, processes, procedures, and work Instructions. Alternatively, the quality manual may include only SOPs, inspection procedures, and work instructions. An operations or SOP manual can work well as a repository for procedures, but you must be sure to link everything therein.
Johnston cautions against orphans i. Users can stumble across content by accident. Procedures form a part of a management system by defining established or prescribed methods and processes. We build procedures from steps, which are the aspect of processes where individuals can introduce variation.
SOPs provide the overall framework, while work instructions can change more often. An SOP characterizes relationships and control measures," says Johnston.
Documentation is never a substitute for training. According to Cox, the human resource department stores various skills matrices, but for optimum efficiency, managers on the shop floor should keep this information. That way, when technical questions arise, the manager will know who is the in-house expert.
In addition, if a team member calls in sick or goes on holiday, the manager will be able to identify capable individuals to perform specific tasks. SOPs describe your unique business processes and the steps you require to finish those processes in accordance with industry, legal, in-house, and competitive standards. Procedures are step-by-step descriptions, whether predominantly text or graphics.
Standard operating procedures should form the basis of regular training and provide a structure of metrics for performance reviews.
SOPs also help you achieve the following:. Despite potentially providing rich sources of information, SOPs are often consigned to shelves or hidden in the labyrinth of a file share system. Johnston describes a company that included an SOP show-and-tell in its meetings. Senior managers were each given a separate SOP and four minutes to present a precis on how the SOP applied to the meeting. He also gives an example of a company in which it previously took a new hire three months to become fully effective at their job.
After the company updated its SOPs with enough imagery and clearer articulation and added a skills matrix, new employees became effective in about four hours. A procedure lists the necessary steps to complete a task, particularly those in a process or cycle. You usually assign sequential numbers to the steps in a procedure which may also contain substeps. In general, instructional procedures should contain no more than seven steps.
Below, we use the example of a procedure for washing dishes in an industrial dishwasher:. SOPs detail procedures that you use in your organization to perform activities according to industry and statutory standards, as well as your internal specifications. Procedures include any documents that describe how to perform an action, whether in words or pictures, in print or online. SOPs are an important part of a quality management system.
Standard operating procedures describe the recurring tasks in a quality operation. Written SOPs reduce errors by detailing the required manner for performing a task.
When you update processes and training plans, you should also update the SOPs. When you follow this method, SOPs become a means for notifying employees of process changes. You need not only to format your SOPs, but also to store them, so everyone can easily access them. Software can help.
Business process management software, for example, allows you to store procedures online and track usage from one view. The following are some of the different products you can use to create, review, update, and publish your documents:.
Standardization and SOPs are the outcomes of industrialization, specifically the effort to prevent major accidents. The train disaster in Pennsylvania occurred when railway engineers in two trains approaching an intersection acted on conflicting interpretations of the rules of the road. The public remonstrations led to the standardization of procedures and what we now know as SOPs.
The dramatic example set by the accident showed that unconsidered processes and informal communication cause problems. The example also illustrated how step-by-step procedures clarify processes. Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change.
The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed.
Try Smartsheet for free, today. In This Article. What Is a Standard Operating Procedure? See how Smartsheet can help you be more effective. Make a list of business processes that need documentation. If you are a manager, you may consider with your employees what processes need documentation, then compare lists with other managers to prioritize work.
Choose an SOP format and template. Consider whether you require a formal package with metadata, such as approval signatures and references, or whether a simple checklist will suffice. A workflow diagram may be an excellent way to provide an overview of detailed processes. You may also find workflow sketches helpful while you capture the information.
If necessary, create a template before writing begins or download one of our free, customizable standard operating procedures templates. Understand why you need an SOP. Are you documenting a new process or updating and improving upon an existing SOP and process? De facto processes and documentation include what people have always done, along with what they have never analyzed and formally documented.
Someone could be working based on one SOP during the day shift and another during the night shift. Instead, consult the people who perform the processes every day. Documentation that you can use as foundation material may already exist, but SMEs and frontline employees are usually your best sources of content.
When you include employees, you also empower them by helping them contribute to the processes and documentation used by the entire organization. In addition, as a manager, think twice about tasking external consultants with writing SOPs. Some pundits suggest that SOPs written in-house by colleagues garner more respect than instructions written by outsiders.
Plus, working to create documentation can foster the team spirit that is vital for any endeavor. Consider how you will publish and share your SOPs. Documenting your processes is always advisable, but documents help no one if they are hidden or lost. Determine how you will store the documents for easy access by the people who need them every day.
Printed sheets in binders may be a good option, or you can choose a digital document management system that everyone can easily access and read, whether onsite or offsite. Limit the scope of your documentation. Decide for whom or what you are creating documentation i. In addition, determine the limits of the processes you will document. Step 3: Determine the scope and format. Will you be creating a flow chart? Hierarchical checklist? The best format depends on the complexity of the procedure.
Step 4: Outline the SOP. Write down the exact tasks needed to be completed for the process to be successful. Step 5: Review and test the SOP. Have your team work through the new SOP in a simulated environment and identify what can be improved. Brief: Include only the most relevant details in the SOP and add references to supporting materials. Actionable: Readers should know exactly what actions to take to meet the specific task or goal.
Accessible: Stakeholders should be able to easily find the SOP they need, when they need it. A great place to store your SOPs is your internal wiki or company intranet portal. It should be accessible to the entire team, easily searchable, and collaborative so stakeholders can leave feedback when something needs to be updated or improved.
After all, no matter how clear and detailed your SOPs are, it won't matter if they aren't kept up-to-date or if your team can't find them. If your company doesn't have a wiki, you can easily create one in Nuclino. Standard operating procedures are created to make sure all processes can be replicated consistently across your organization.
But what about the process of creating the SOPs themselves? Most commonly, it includes an SOP template to be used for every operating procedure that needs to be documented. While every organization has its own unique SOP format and there is no one-size-fits-all, here is an example of what an SOP template could look like — customize it to create your own template. Documenting and mapping processes may sound like a chore, but it's a fundamental part of business process management that shouldn't be neglected.
When your team has clear-cut, comprehensive standard operating procedures on-hand at all times, they will always know exactly what to do in any situation they face. Employees come and go, and they take their experience and know-how with them — SOPs are what helps you grow and scale your business without being slowed down by it. Nuclino brings all your team's knowledge, docs, and projects together in one place.
It's a modern, simple, and blazingly fast way to collaborate, without the chaos of files and folders, context switching, or silos. Try it now. Use this SOP template. Ready to get started? Product Why Nuclino?
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