How to write standard operating procedures (SOPs)

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29th June, 2021

How to write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in 5 simple steps

Standard Operating Procedures are the key to unlocking a business that can truly scale – without threatening productivity and consistency.

There’s a lot that goes into establishing smooth business operations that can produce the desired output. Fortunately, there are various resources, strategies, and techniques available these days to help businesses thrive.

A typical example of such a “technique” is the standard operating procedure document. From training new employees to establishing work policies and procedures, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) help companies keep everyone on the same page and ensure that employees understand the details needed for completing their assigned tasks.

If you’re wondering if SOPs are something you should consider doing, this article will provide you with important context for making that decision.


What is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)?


A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a document that contains detailed instructions to guide the employees in an organisation while executing routine or repetitive tasks and activities.


What is the purpose of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)?


The purpose of standard operating procedures is to communicate business practices at scale.

Businesses routinely develop and use SOPs as an integral part of their quality management system to give team members the information to perform every job consistently every time, thereby helping to guarantee the quality and integrity of the end product or service.

1. Training and performance evaluation

Creating SOPs is a great way to keep each team member informed of the tasks to be performed. Onboarding new staff becomes much easier when there is a standardised set of processes to follow.

Assessing staff performance is made easier by clarifying the steps each staff member must follow to be successful at their job.

2. Consistency and quality management

If each task or procedure is carried out in a standardised way, there is a high probability of consistency in the end product or service. A business can easily monitor the quality and performance of its output when standard operating procedures (SOPs) are followed in day-to-day work.

3. Increasing productivity and efficiency

Standard operating procedures increase productivity by eliminating the need for individuals to assess and plan tasks. All staff members need to do to do their job successfully is to follow the procedures that have been set for them.

4. Compliance

If there are legal or compliance obligations your business needs to adhere to, standard operating procedures (SOPs) mean that there is always a checklist for each responsible individual to make sure they are mindful of.

5. Safety

There is a much higher probability of making sure team members are safe if they are all following predetermined steps for doing a task in a safe and reasonable manner.

6. Scaling

If you want to grow your business quickly, creating standard operating procedures mean that you will be able to train and onboard new staff expeditiously. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) mean your business can grow across states or countries while continuing to maintain a quality product or service.


Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) examples


The traditional idea of a standard operating procedure (SOP) is a written document that outlines best practices for a process and lists them step-by-step.

But they can come in a number of different formats. Here are some examples.

1. Step-by-step lists

This type of SOP consists of simple instructions describing every step employees need to follow to complete assigned tasks.

Step-by-step SOPs are ideal for procedures with easy-to-follow instructions that can be explained in simple sentences. But this type of SOP would be insufficient for processes that require additional information or that may have unpredictable outcomes.

For instance, a set of instructions telling cleaners how to tidy up a meeting room can follow the step-by-step format.

Standard Operating Procedure list
A sample of a step-by-step SOP (Source)

2. Hierarchical lists

At a glance, this SOP is similar to the step-by-step list SOP but it’s a better choice for companies with complex procedures where each step requires further information to proceed.

Therefore, while a step-by-step SOP may simply list steps 1, 2, and 3, a hierarchical SOP would further include steps 1a and 1b; 2a and 2b, then 3a and 3b.

Hierarchical standard operating procedure.
A sample of a hierarchical SOP from a dairy farm (Source)

3. Flowcharts

Flowchart SOPs present instructions and information visually. The entire process is broken down into steps that are described in diagrams.

Each diagram (step) is placed in sequential order leading to the next step and so on.

Businesses use flowchart SOPs when their processes are too complex to be described in simple sentences and when there could be multiple outcomes possible at specific points throughout the process.

Flowchart standard operating procedure
A sample of a flowchart SOP for a Helpdesk (Source)

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) templates


Department of Health

The Australian government’s department of health helpfully publishes a downloadable brief standard operating procedure (SOP) template.

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford has published a downloadable detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) template.

Lucidchart

Lucidchart’s platform can help you create a standard operating procedure (SOP) in flowchart or other visual formats.


Does your business need Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)?


Now that we have a better idea about SOPs, let’s look at a few pointers to help you decide if your business needs this level of documentation or not.

In general, most businesses can benefit from having SOPs. There are always some business processes that should be standardised as you scale your business operations.

Businesses tend to use SOPs for the following reasons:

  • To standardise routine and repetitive tasks to improve productivity and ensure that the quality of their output remains consistent
  • To comply with multiple layers of regulatory laws and standards
  • To produce safety and health and environmental regulations
  • To manage or handle hazardous chemicals and materials as part of daily routine operations
  • To achieve minimal to zero allowance for operational errors and equipment failures
  • They face significant consequences and losses from equipment downtime and machine/worker idle time

Considering the above, manufacturing businesses, the military, the aviation industry, food and beverage establishments, and the pharmaceutical industry (to mention a few) use SOPs the most.

In fact, regulatory bodies like the USA’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have specific SOP guidelines for pharmaceutical companies. In addition, SOP documentation is a usual requirement for organisations that want ISO certification.

On the other hand, if your business fits the following model, then you don’t necessarily need to write SOPs:

  • You run a small team where key staff and experts are always available when their attention is required
  • Your operations are extremely simple and can be taught to new employees in a short time
  • There are minimal safety and health risks when performing a task in the wrong way

If you decide that SOPs are a fit for your business, the next step is to consider your options for handling the SOP creation process.


What should be included in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)?


Depending on the tasks for which you are creating standard operating procedures (SOPs), there may be different things you might want to include.
However, the following are the main elements you should include in order for your standard operating procedure to work effectively.

Opening details

At the beginning of your standard operating procedure (SOP), include such details as the name of your business, the name of the procedure (and the task it pertains to) and the date of publication or revision. If your business has multiple departments or divisions, include those details too.

It’s a good idea to also include the names and contact details of the people who wrote and approved the procedures.

Table of contents

Only include a table of contents if the standard operating procedure is very long.

Scope and purpose

What tasks, activities, services or outputs does the standard operating procedure cover? Make sure it’s clear to team members how the instructions are intended to be used.

Step-by-step procedures

This part of the document lists, step by step, how to do the task. It will probably form the longest part of the standard operating procedure (SOP).
What instructions need to be followed? To what standard must the task be achieved?

Equipment

List any equipment that must be used for the procedure. Make sure team members know where to find the equipment, and about any maintenance schedule that must be complied with.

Health and safety information

What are the safety regulations to be complied with? Do team members need to wear or use personal protective equipment?

What steps should the team member follow if safety or health is at risk? Include any contact phone numbers that are essential in such circumstances.

Glossary

Include a definition of any words or phrases that might need to be explained.


How to write actionable Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)


Depending on how large and complex your operations are, you may choose to start creating SOPs from scratch using an in-house team, or you could outsource this as a project to an SOP consultancy company. Here are a few things that an outsourced SOP consultancy service will do for you:

  • Capture historical information about your company’s core processes from records and the experiences of personnel
  • Present that information in an acceptable format
  • Manage reviews, updates, revisions, and approvals
  • Develop and implement approved SOPs
  • Periodic evaluations and reviews after implementation

Furthermore, you could also opt for one of the many SOP software available on the market today. These solutions are usually cloud-based, and they offer a wide range of features. Some popular brands include Process Street, systemHub and SweetProcess.

Those that want to handle this in-house, here are five tips to guide you through the creation process.

1. Get everyone to commit

Creating SOPs for the first time will test everybody on your team. Prepare to encounter unexpected frustrations such as unwilling staff, missing documentation, and other unforeseen challenges.

To help make the process easier, get employee support as early as possible and ensure that everyone is on the same page about how the SOPs will improve everybody’s jobs.

2. Appoint a team

Next, select the people in your organisation to lead this project by asking questions like: who are the best people to write this? Do they know what the process entails and where things could go wrong? This team would be responsible for seeing this project through to completion.

By holding specific people accountable for the success of the SOPs, you improve the chances of meeting deadlines and major milestones.

3. Gather background information

The first thing your team will need to do is to decide which processes they are writing SOPs for — the selected processes will mainly be centered around the company’s mission-critical jobs and activities, as well as those that offer significant productivity gains by being standardised.

Once that’s done, they can proceed to start gathering relevant information (through manuals, staff interviews, existing guidelines…). This information will serve as a good foundation for your SOPs. Old records often provide valuable insights into your existing processes, best practices, and any limitations or weaknesses in your system.

4. Test & review

Your SOPs will likely require several reviews before they are ready for distribution.

While testing, it’s important to involve employees at different levels of experience to review the procedures.

Also, at some point, use staff with little knowledge of the process to test the SOP. Because sometimes, staff with prior knowledge of the procedure may rely on their knowledge rather than the new SOP in front of them, thereby defeating the purpose.

Note any issues the testers encountered, address them, and make the necessary improvements.

5. Start implementation

Once approved, don’t wait for perfection. Start implementing the SOP. This will usually kick off with a series of formal training sessions for the affected staff. Remember to record evidence of this training.

Also, it’s good practise to check that your SOPs remain current. When updates are due, get them done, re-approve the new SOPs, and withdraw the outdated ones. Failure to do this can negatively impact the safety and productivity of your team, especially in the industrial setting.


Lack of standardisation disrupts business growth


Nobody wants to be burdened with tons of documentation and processes, we get that.

But, no matter the improvements and innovations achieved in your business, if you can’t document it or reproduce it to pass on to different staff to use, it has no business value.

Doing business without any push for standardisation can be a costly mistake that disrupts your business growth.