MISTAKES Most people need some guidance to learn how to create effective SOPs, observes Tarwater of Comprose. “Two common mistakes people make when writing SOPs involve opposite sides of the same coin: not enough detail or too much detail. “Some SOPs fail because they are so vague and generic that people can’t use them. Others are so long-winded and complex that people can’t follow or understand them. You need to find the right balance between conciseness and completeness.” Completeness doesn’t have to do with how long the SOP is, she points out. The best test for completeness is how usable the information is. Does the document contain enough information so the reader can perform the task safely and correctly, but no more than the task requires? “You can tell that you have included the right level of detail when the least experienced, least trained user can safely perform the procedure as written without needing to ask questions,” Tarwater says. Erickson of MasterControl advises avoiding these shortcomings when creating SOPs: • Using overly verbose prose when a clear and concise sentence gets the same point across. • Creating huge paragraph chunks rather than numbered or bulleted lists. • Presuming the reader knows the same things the writer knows. • Assuming the basic details are already wellunderstood and glossing over them. Since an SOP must be written for the end user, she says the person charged with writing the SOP “should observe the individuals performing a process and make sure the SOP is reflective of the process. It is not possible to write an effective procedure without having extensive, first-hand knowledge of how a process is actually performed.” PRIOR TO IMPLEMENTATION Once an SOP is written, it needs to be reviewed before implementation in order to ensure accuracy and consistency of procedures, as well as to confirm compliance with company policies and any applicable regulatory requirements, emphasizes MasterControl’s Erickson. “It’s a good idea to have a document owner for each SOP, who is responsible for approving the content before releasing it for general use,” Comprose’s Tarwater advises. “In addition to management review, it’s very important to include some end users in the review process to make sure the material meets their needs and that it is clear, easy-to-understand and complete. “That is a step that many organizations forget, but it is one of the most important steps to take to get SOPs that work for your organization.” Tarwater and Erickson concur that final approval for an SOP will vary from organization to organization and on the particular content areas the SOP covers. Having involvement of all layers of the organization is important, as is providing enough autonomy and control for departments and individuals over their specific work areas, observes Tarwater. “Each organization should adopt the approval process that meets its unique needs. Having an internal discussion about it is a great place to start.” THE LAUNCH Once SOPs have been written and approved, the next step is introducing them to workers, which can be challenging. “Presenting employees with thick volumes of instruction where no instruction existed before is intimidating and self-defeating,” says Erickson of MasterControl, and recommends that SOPs be kept as concise as possible, include diagrams or pictures where needed and be written in clear, actionable language. In addition, she says it is important to explain why the SOPs procedures are being introduced. Examples or brief case studies are very beneficial to most effectively introduce SOPs to workers. The most important step is involving workers, stresses Tarwater of Comprose. Group meetings and training sessions are great ways to introduce and explain SOPs. “Helping workers see how the SOPs are designed to make their jobs easier is key. “Getting input is also very important,” she adds. “The people who use the SOPs are the best judges of their effectiveness and they can point out errors and improvements that are incredibly valuable. Allowing everyone to have input – if not actual approval – is one of the best steps you can take to getting what you want from your SOPs: smoother operations.” It’s not uncommon for workers to fear and resist using SOPs at first, Tarwater notes, as they tend to believe they are over-controlling. “But soliciting input and incorporating worker suggestions goes a long way to breaking down resistance and leads to a better end result for the organization.” Periodic review A standard operating procedure (SOP) ought to be considered a living document that needs to remain current to be useful. It is critical to keep information up to date. Whenever things change – like procedures, equipment and regulations – SOPs should be reviewed, updated and re-approved. “Processes change all the time and companies don’t always remember to update their SOPs to reflect these changes,” says Lillian Erickson, global quality manager, MasterControl (www.mastercontrol. com), a provider of quality and compliance software solutions and services. “Eventually, process drift can lead to SOPs being outdated. When new employees train on outdated SOPs, consistency in work is not achieved and risk is introduced into the process.” “Reviewing SOPs is a great opportunity to look for process improvements and ask questions like: How could we streamline this task, process or activity?” adds Teresa Tarwater, vice president, marketing, Comprose (www.comprose.com), a resource for organizations that want to streamline and standardize operating procedures and best practices. “If the focus is on making things better, rather than pushing paper around, updating your SOPs can be a tremendous catalyst for ongoing improvement.” Companies that successfully use SOPs say the review process should not be overly cumbersome or it can discourage timely review. Furthermore, they advise systematically reviewing SOPs on a periodic basis – every one to two years, for example – to ensure they remain current and suitable, or to determine whether an SOP is no longer needed. REVISION PROCESS When a revision to an SOP is made – after undergoing the approval and sign off process, the date of the revision should be noted, along with those involved in the revision. The revised SOP then needs to be introduced to the workforce. Whenever an SOP supersedes one or more SOPs, a best practice is to link them together in order to always remain aware of the changes and how the SOP evolved historically, say officials with IntelliSOP (www.intellisop.com), a company that provides its smart SOP Management System. “In the case of an SOP describing a process that is no longer followed, it should be retracted from the current file and archived,” they suggest. “Date and details of the withdrawal should be documented, and the retracted SOP should be archived. The goal here is to minimize the risk of the use of outdated SOPs.” Continue to page 12 to read Part 2 Cover Story |
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