How to Make an SOP

Having an SOP in place allows for greater efficiency in the business world.

An SOP, or standard operating procedure, is a step-by-step plan that an organization uses to ensure consistency and efficiency in the completion of a regularly performed task. SOPs can range from how to run a fire drill to how to develop a marketing plan. The idea is that once the procedure is established, it is carried out the same way by anyone with the proper training. Generally, the department head is responsible for requesting the SOP and he will then have one of his subordinates complete the task.

Instructions

1. Choose a person to create the standard operating procedure (SOP). This person needs to be in charge of training people for the job related to the SOP.

2. Instruct the person in charge of the SOP to create a rough draft with bullet points. At this point, he just addresses the main ideas, not the details.

3. Gather all the people who are involved in the task. Ask them to give feedback to the SOP rough draft and to add input. For example, if you are creating an SOP for the sales department, it might make sense to pull in people from the marketing department, product development and customer support to give their opinions as well.

4. Instruct the person in charge of the SOP to write a full draft using the input, making the steps clear, concise and in the correct order. 

5. Give the SOP to the other department heads or managers whom the SOP affects and ask for feedback. Confirm that everyone understands the procedures in the exact same way and that there are no ambiguities.

6. Approve the SOP and implement it.

References

• KTL: Preparation of Standard Operating Procedures
• Klariti: How to Create SOP Writing Guidelines