SOP WRITING Flashcards
SOP STANDS FOR
Standard operating procedure
It is a document consisting of step by step information on how to execute a task
Standard operating procedure / SOP
SOP will allow you to
Achieve consistent results
Reduce costs and increase productivity
Create a safe breaking environment
In creating your SOP you must consider the following
Choose your format
Consider your audience
Consider your knowledge
Decide between a short or long form SOP
Keep your SOP purpose in mind
There is no right or wrong way to write an SOP
Choose your format
If a pre-existing SOP is not available as a template you may have a few options
Simple steps format
Hierarchical steps format
Flow chart format
This is for routine procedures that are short, have few possible outcomes and are fairly to the point.
Simple steps format
Apart from the necessary documentation and safety guidelines, it’s really just a bullet list of simple sentences telling the reader what to do
Simple steps format
This is usually for long procedures those ones with more than 10 steps, involving a few decisions to make, clarification and terminology
Hierarchical steps format
This is usually a list of main steps all with substance in a very particular order
Hierarchical steps format
If the procedure is more like a map with an almost infinite number of possible outcomes, this may be your best bet
Flow chart format
This is the format you should opt for when results aren’t always predictable
Flowchart format
Inconsidering your audience there are three main factors to take into account before writing your SOP
Your audience’s prior knowledge
Your audience’s language abilities
The size of your audience
This includes questions such as are they familiar with your organization and its procedures? Do they know the terminology? Your language needs to match the knowledge and investment of the reader
Your audience says prior knowledge
Is there any chance people who don’t speak your language will be reading your SOP
Your audiences language abilities
If there are any chances where other people don’t speak your language and will be reading your SOP it is a good idea to include lots of
Annotated pictures and diagrams
If multiple people at once are reading your SOP, you should format a document more like a conversation in a play
The size of your audience
It includes questions such as, are you the best person to be writing this? Do you know what the process entails? How it could go wrong? How to make it safe?
Consider your knowledge
If you think that you may be not the best person to be writing the SOP he may be better off handing it over to someone else
Consider your knowledge
It will not only reduce productivity and lead to organizational failures but it can also be unsafe and have adverse impacts on anything from your team to the environment
Poorly written SOP
It is not a risk you should not take
Poorly written SOP
It is a normal part of any SOP creating process
Conducting interviews
If you are writing or updating an SOP for a group of individuals that are familiar with protocol terminology and etc and would just benefit from a short and snappy SOP that’s more like a checklist, you could just write it in short form
Decide between a short or long form SOP
What’s of use is that you have a procedure within your organization that keeps on getting repeated over and over and over
Keeping your SOP purpose in mind
Why is SOP important
To ensure compliance standards are met
To maximize production requirements
To ensure the procedure has no adverse impact on environment
To ensure safety
To ensure everything goes according to schedule
To prevent failures in manufacturing
To be used as training document
