How to Write an SOP That Makes an Impact

Have you heard of the 94-6 rule? It’s the theory that the vast majority of a company’s problems are due to failures in the company’s system, with people making mistakes is only a tiny percentage of those problems. In other words, your company’s processes can make or break your success.

To keep your company running smoothly, you need quality standard operating procedures (SOPs) to guide the way. Without standardized processes, your company could be wasting unnecessary time, energy, and resources. You might even suffer compliance risks that could do more than slow you down.

SOPs delegate duties and spell out how to get the job done. They’re especially important for HR departments if your goal is to improve employee efficiency across the board. Read on to learn what SOPs are, why you need them, and how to write your own.

What Is an SOP, and What Does SOP Stand for?

SOP stands for standard operating procedure, and it’s more than just a set of instructions for completing a task. It details who’s in charge of completing the task, how the task fits into larger goals, and the expected outcome once the task is complete.

The goal of an SOP is to ensure consistency and efficiency in both everyday and less common procedures. Organizations document SOPs, so each employee follows the same processes and achieves the same results every single time. This detailed blueprint may be a checklist, visual flowchart, or step-by-step list.

A well-crafted SOP helps your teams work more confidently, offers clear guidance, and prevents unnecessary errors. To ensure every team member has access to the same instructions across the board, SOPs are often in policy manuals or saved on a company's network and regularly updated by a designated administrator.

Why Are Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Important?

You can create SOPs for any company process, but they're particularly helpful for complex, recurring tasks with multiple steps. Companies also establish SOPs to protect themselves and their employees against mistakes that jeopardize quality assurance, safety, data security, and legal standing. Here are some additional benefits of SOPs.

Streamlined and Efficient Processes

When crafting an SOP, leaders test the method to ensure it's the best way to get the job done. These instructions tell you exactly what to do in detail, so completing tasks with an SOP in hand goes more smoothly thank trying to figure it out on your own.

Work flows more efficiently when everyone knows exactly how to do it, leading to higher productivity rates across your company, more room for innovation, and larger profits.

Consistent Work Quality

SOPs can enhance your company's quality of work. Standardized instructions clearly communicate directions, leaving no room for interpretation or misunderstanding. The outcome should stay consistent, no matter who’s handling the task.

Employee Autonomy

Written instructions allow trained employees to be more independent, which means there are fewer questions for your leadership team to answer. Your employees have greater control over their workflow, and your managers are free to tackle higher priorities.

Knowledge Retention

SOPs make it easier for your employees to share information and collaborate on different projects. This reduces the chances of gatekeeping, which is when certain employees control access to information. If these key employees switch departments, go on FMLA leave, or retire, documented SOPs ensure business continues as usual.

Reduced Risk

SOPs can help your company meet industry compliance requirements. Documented processes eliminate ambiguity and demonstrate your ability to adhere to standards, which can reduce your company's liability risk when something goes wrong. They also help make compliance audits and accountability simpler.

What Are the Potential Disadvantages of SOPs?

Keep in mind that SOPs might not work well for all the processes in your business. In many cases, leaving a little room for flexibility is more ideal. As you're figuring out which processes to standardize, consider the possible downsides of SOPs:

• Enforcement: An SOP is only effective if your team uses it. It's important to get buy-in from all your employees and managers.
• Employee training: You’ll need to take time to teach employees when your SOP applies and how to use it correctly. They'll also need guidance any time you make significant changes.
• Regular maintenance: You need to review and update SOPs periodically to ensure they're still relevant and achieve the best outcomes.
• Communication planning: When your company updates an SOP, you'll need a communication plan to keep your team in the loop.
• Readability: SOPs must be written clearly and concisely. If it's too long or complicated, your employees may have trouble following procedure.

What Are the Key Components of an SOP?

SOP format varies by company and industry, so yours will be unique to your business. However, it's a good idea to build a standard operating procedure template to use as a guide every time you create a new document. Aside from a written walkthrough of the process itself, an SOP should include:

• Procedure title: Clearly define what the task is so everyone on the team has a shared vocabulary.
• Intended audience: Name the department, team, or agency using the document.
• Explanation of the procedure: Include a brief explanation of the procedure's scope, objectives, and impact.
• Glossary and tools: Define any technical terms, acronyms, and abbreviations, and make a list of the equipment and software needed to complete the task.
• Recordkeeping information: This might include a data log that shows when the task is complete, the publication date, and the approval history.

Also, some SOPs include visuals. For example, you could add photos, graphics, symbols, or flowcharts if you think they may make it easier for your employees to follow instructions and check their work.

What SOP Examples Could Inspire Your Organization?

SOPs can be highly technical documents, but any business can develop process documentation for its core tasks. Not sure where to get started? Here are some examples of how to create SOPs in HR.

Talent Recruiting SOP

Recruiting is more than posting jobs, screening candidates, and scheduling interviews. Your team is also building recruitment marketing campaigns, managing your talent pools, and nurturing your employer brand. Standardizing your recruiting process streamlines this work so you can fill open roles as soon as possible.

Employee Onboarding and Training SOP

Since you only have 44 days to influence new hires to stay, an onboarding SOP can make a world of difference in structuring this critical period. For example, this doc should tell you who's responsible for onboarding new hires, detail each phase, and provide a timeline with key milestones.

Performance Management SOP

Performance management is a continual process that includes manager one-on-ones, peer feedback, performance improvement plans, goal tracking, and recognition programs. An SOP helps ensure your performance management system runs like clockwork throughout the year.

Payroll SOP

Payroll is a recurring, multi-step process—and it only gets more complex as your company grows. Along with automated payroll software tools, an SOP can help your admin stay on track (and on time) each pay period.

HR Investigation and Incident Response SOP

Your company must have a clear response plan when an action leads to an HR investigation or disciplinary action. This HR SOP maps out clear steps to follow, who's responsible for leading this process, and possible outcomes. Standardization helps ensure your work is carried out thoroughly, fairly, and legally.

Write a Standard Operating Procedure in 6 Steps

Creating an SOP should be a coordinated effort. Getting input from your colleagues and leadership teams helps you see the process from different angles and ensure it works for everyone. Here are the primary steps for writing an SOP.

• Step 1: Decide which processes need SOPs. Look for existing processes with obvious challenges to solve or complex procedures that could be easier with a detailed guide.
• Step 2: Nail down the scope and objectives for the SOP. Clearly define your SOP's purpose and what you want to achieve, tying each goal to a measurable metric.
• Step 3: List the main actions for the procedure. When writing out your SOP, use direct, easy-to-understand language. Unnecessary details and jargon might confuse the user.
• Step 4: Test and finalize your SOP. Test out your instructions with a few members of your team and get their feedback. Then, revise and repeat until it runs effortlessly.
• Step 5: Train your team. Once you finalize your SOP, let everyone know it's ready to go and teach your employees how to use it properly.
• Step 6: Implement and monitor your SOP. Use metrics to measure its success. Did it help you reach those benchmarks you set out to achieve? If not, you may have to make a few adjustments.