All successful companies have one thing in common. They document and follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) to keep daily operations running consistently, safely, on time, according to quality measures, and in compliance with government regulations. An SOP documents how, when, where and why a job is done and who does it. An SOP manual houses all the SOPs for a division, department or group within a company. An SOP manual is a valuable reference for existing employees and an effective training tool for new hires. Manual organization and writing style will vary widely across companies, but there are some common considerations when creating SOP manuals for your workplace.
A standard operating procedure, or SOP, ideally contains the information necessary for a person to complete a task within an organization. The SOP reflects the priorities of the organization by codifying how repetitive tasks should be completed within the constraints of the organization. Typically, the SOP intends to maximize productivity and quality, as described by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The SOP can be used for training new employees or as a benchmark by which to measure more seasoned workers and to plan for employees' periodic certification or training time and the expenses necessary to perform a task successfully.
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