7 min read
You know the importance of standard operating procedures (SOPs). An SOP is crucial for ensuring consistent, efficient, and error-free execution of tasks, enhancing overall organizational effectiveness and compliance. But now you must ask yourself – where do I begin when writing an SOP? SOP preparation can make the difference between a policy or procedure that is just there and one that is used and implemented effectively.
Keep reading to discover how to prepare when writing an SOP for your organization.
Search for Existing SOP Examples
Before sitting down and writing a new SOP, policy, or procedure, the first step is to confirm that the SOP does not already exist or isn't already documented elsewhere. It's common for organizations to invest significant time creating content, only to discover that it has already been written by someone else, even in small companies. This wastes time creating duplicate content and can be confusing for employees who aren’t sure what version to use.
If your content is stored in a document management system or specialized SOP software, checking for existing documents should be quick and straightforward. However, searching through platforms like SharePoint, Google Drive, or Box might be more challenging. And if you haven’t gone digital for organizing your SOPs, you may even be trying to find an SOP saved on someone’s computer or in a forgotten binder.
Understand the SOP’s Purpose
Taking a moment to understand the purpose of the SOP is one of the most necessary steps, yet it's often the most overlooked step by organizations.
What's the End Goal? What's the Why?
People often become so focused on the task of writing SOPs that they lose sight of the reason behind them. Many are eager to complete the SOPs quickly to return to their "real work." However, SOPs are not written just for the sake of writing them. Avoid the temptation to write SOPs just to "check the box."
When the "Why" is lost, the true value is never communicated to the team or management. This is particularly common when there is no connection to economic value.
Key Questions to Ask Before Writing an SOP
- Why is this task important to our company?
- What is the desired outcome?
- How will it deliver economic benefit?
Clearly defining the value proposition provides purpose. It shifts your mindset and enhances the perceived value of your work, both for yourself and others. It helps focus your efforts on the success of the SOP users and ensures they achieve the desired goals.
Significant improvements can arise from just one SOP.
Consider These Potential Impacts
- Time Savings: What if it could save 30 minutes on a routine task performed by many people multiple times a month?
- Increased Confidence: Employees may be embarrassed to ask questions of their co-worker or supervisor. Could having SOPs boost an employee's confidence and help them become more independent?
- Consistent Results: Would a standard procedure result in tasks completed the same way every time, no matter who is working on the task?
- Supervisor Efficiency: What if a supervisor could gain four extra hours a week by not having to repeatedly answer routine questions?
- Decreased Mistakes: How much time or money is lost when a task is completed incorrectly? Could an SOP prevent this from happening and increase quality assurance and quality control?
- Increased Compliance. Can an SOP improve compliance by ensuring all tasks meet regulatory requirements and adhere to industry standards?
- Decreased Audit Stress: How much time and stress can be saved by having everything ready for audits when you need it?
We often hear stories about how writing a procedure led to discovering a better way to perform complex tasks or highlighted opportunities for automation.
Real World Examples
One of our clients faced a surge in returns, leading to a significant drop in customer satisfaction. However, one person in the 10-person team stood out with consistently better results. The boss noticed this and decided to adopt this individual's approach as the standard for the entire team. By converting this person's expertise into an SOP, the company saved $360,000 in just one year.
Similarly, consider the recent CrowdStrike error that caused an outage that impacted 8.5 million people using Windows. It was identified as a “logic error.” Could an effective SOP have prevented this logic error from happening? We assume they have stringent processes in place and imagine they are diligently reviewing and possibly rewriting those SOPs as we speak!
Often, a single SOP is a crucial component of a larger system designed to achieve specific business processes and goals. Ensure each SOP contributes effectively to the overall system!
Understand the SOP User(s)
SOPs are meant to be used and followed. If an SOP is not utilized for a specific process, it holds little value. That’s why it is crucial to understand who you are writing for. Who is your audience?
SOP writers can learn from sales teams. Why do sales spend so much time analyzing target audiences and creating buyer personas? To craft effective messaging for the right people.
The same applies to SOP communication. Whether it's for frontline employees, new team members, senior managers, or specific departments, having a clear understanding of the audience ensures that the SOP is user-friendly, relevant, and serves its intended purpose.
Knowing why people typically consult and follow SOPs will help you write more effective SOPs:
- New employees are unsure of the new systems in their position.
- An error has occurred, and they need to understand the next steps.
- A specific task is only done sporadically, and the employee needs a refresher.
- New procedures or steps have been added to the procedure.
- It is crucial to ensure a task is done correctly.
- Quality standards need to improve.
- Routine tasks need to be audited.
Map Audience Requirements to SOP Content Requirements
It's essential to understand users’ work environments and as much about their world as possible. Below are some considerations and best practices to help you map audience requirements to SOP content needs.
What is the Reading Ability, Background, and Education Level of Users?
- Reading Ability: Use the terminology your reader understands best, and ensure the tone is effective for your audience. Keep in mind the differences between verbal and written comprehension.
- Background: Technical audiences are generally comfortable with diagrams, charts, and tables without additional text descriptions. People performing day-to-day tasks usually don't need theoretical explanations; they prefer step-by-step instructions. Managers who don't perform the task but want to understand it will benefit from a process map or flowchart.
- Education Level: Trainees, new employees, or novice users often need definitions for new terms. Experts and technicians are usually familiar with technical terminology, so definitions are rarely needed. If you choose to define terms, include them in a glossary.
Is Your Audience Multinational/Bilingual?
If your audience is multinational, your SOPs will likely need translation. Screenshots of software or images of equipment can also effectively communicate how to perform a task, supporting bilingual team members.
How Do They Need SOP Content Delivered?
Consider their work environment - do you have front-line or field employees? Or are employees increasingly distributed with hybrid or remote work? You may need both online and printed formats. Users may even benefit from a QR code for SOP access – for example, a machine at a manufacturing plant may have a QR code on the side to take an employee directly to a procedure describing how the machine works.
Do Any Employees Have Disabilities? Will Any Content Need to Be Publicly Accessible?
Accessibility is crucial. Writing SOPs may reveal the need for special equipment or accommodation. If you're a government entity, your SOPs might need to comply with accessibility standards like Section 508. And if you work with outside clients or must adhere to industry regulations, SOPs may need to be easily accessible to individuals outside of your organization.
What Are Their Time Constraints? Are They Customer-Facing or Back Office?
Depending on the position, employees may have to quickly have access to the policies and procedures related to their specific tasks. Front-line employees need easy navigation and robust search tools within the document to find a specific SOP quickly. Ensure content is accessible via mobile devices.
What Are Their Most Common Problems?
Consider specific audience or organizational challenges. For example, if you need to track SOP step completion, ensure there's a way to convert the SOP into a simple checklist. And if approval signatures are needed, this should be embedded into the document as well.
How Will People Use SOP Content?
Design SOPs to be multi-purpose. First-time users can gain background information, while experienced users can quickly refresh their knowledge. Managers can use SOPs for training, and auditors and regulators can review them efficiently. SOPs may also need to include links to standards and regulations for compliance verification.
Respect Your Reviewers
Although your primary focus when creating SOPs will be on your target audience (employees and possibly auditors ensuring regulatory requirements), remember that your writing decisions will also affect your reviewers and approvers. If your SOPs are difficult to follow or lack detailed instructions, they will also challenge these individuals.
Beyond manual processes, one of the main reasons review cycles become bottlenecked is procrastination due to content that is overwhelming and poorly written. Remember that your reviewers are often key executives, managers, and even board members, who have competing priorities. Provide them with a clear SOP to review, and they will appreciate it.
Impress Your Auditors
Well-written and organized SOPs can significantly reduce "audit prep stress" and audit costs during periodic audits and inspections. No more scrambling to find where documents are saved or concern that information is missing.
Auditors have emphasized that clear policy and procedure content is crucial for compliance. From their perspective, SOP documentation exists not just to meet regulatory standards but to ensure employees truly understand what to do. The DOJ now requires organizations to prove that their employees are using their policies and SOPs.
A few of our customers have reported that having clear and well-organized policies and SOPs in Zavanta has reduced their audit time and costs by 50% or more. Audits proceed more smoothly, and auditors gain confidence that you have a systematic approach to compliance.
Determine the Delivery Based on the Use of SOPs
Your audience's needs will dictate the design and layout of your SOP, but the execution largely depends on the tool you use for SOP authoring.
Programs like SharePoint and MS Word don’t always cut it. It’s difficult to ensure consistent documentation, and the delivery isn’t flexible enough (have you tried reading a Word document on a phone? The pinch and pull to read the content will give anyone a headache).
Most organizations we work with require either both printed and digital formats or have transitioned completely to digital. Authors should be able to instantly preview what the document will look like on a large screen, tablet, phone, or as a printed report in a hard copy.
Typically, you'll want to use a template that includes settings for layout, sections, and fonts. While many companies sell SOP templates, remember that these templates have limitations, and your authors still have flexibility in their implementation.
Your standard operating procedure templates should also allow for the easy insertion and formatting of images and diagrams. Some employees will need visual aids alongside step-by-step procedures, such as screenshots from software programs or images of machinery or tools.
For truly effective SOP development, we recommend a specific policy management solution like Zavanta.
Zavanta is Designed to Streamline SOP Creation
Zavanta is an end-to-end system that streamlines every phase of policy and procedure management - from upfront planning through creation, approval, implementation and change management.
Our focus is the audience experience; helping our customers deliver policies, SOPs, and checklists designed to maximize user performance and compliance. With Zavanta’s centralized approach, it’s easy for teams to collaborate. Zavanta’s built in structure and controls ensure SOP quality and consistency – no matter who the author is.
Contact our team to learn more.
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