Glossary:
- SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
Step 1: Prepare
Define the purpose of your SOP
The goal for any SOP is always to produce a resource that anybody in your company could complete and you’d get the same result every time. As the goal is always ultimately the same, you may be asking why it’s necessary to complete this step for every SOP you create. The answer is that even the most simple tasks are connected to other processes in your business. And in the midst of writing a detailed SOP, you’d be surprised at how easy it is to get caught up on things that don’t actually serve that specific SOP. Without clarity you can start writing an SOP only to end up with a jumbled mess of what should really be 3 separate SOPs. The overwhelm sets in and getting started on your SOPs gets buried in the bottom of the pile… AGAIN.
- What specific process am I completing this SOP for?
(In this instance it would be – Creating an SOP)
Set your metrics for success
In order to produce a standardised result and measure the success of your SOPs, you must first understand what the key metrics for success are.
- Ask yourself – What does successful use and completion of this SOP look like?
Map the process
Once you have clarity on the process you’re documenting, you can then map it out. This is simple. It involves pinpointing the key steps to completing the task and mapping them out in order for the user. I’ve included an example of the process map for writing an SOP below.
Step 2: Instructions
When writing an SOP it is important to be as clear and concise as possible. The aim is to make the resource understandable, absorbable and useful for as many different types of people as possible. (The idea is that anybody should be able to pick up this SOP and complete the task successfully and independently without prior knowledge, context or applicable skillsets). When writing our SOPs at RVPA, we consider method of delivery, formatting, phrasing, readability and more to produce a resource that is diverse and adaptable to all learning types.
The walkthrough video tutorial
A walkthrough video tutorial is a great and useful resource on it’s own, but is made even better when used in a robust SOP. Filming your walkthrough video tutorial is simple. You just screen record yourself completing the task in question, whilst talking through what you’re doing. This element of your SOP is fantastic for
visual and auditory learning types.
If you struggle to complete the task whilst simultaneously talking through it you can screen record yourself completing the task first, then record the audio walkthrough whilst watching it back and use a simple editing tool like Capcut to edit them together.
The step-by-step instructions
Step-by-step instructions are the most important element of your SOP. They are typically the most time-consuming element to complete, but they are vital for ensuring your SOPs cover absolutely everything necessary for the completion of the task in question. This section of your SOP is great for reader/writer learner types. Note that if you have screen-recorded yourself completing this, you can run your recording through transcription software, this will give you a great starting point and reduce some of the time outlay.
Step 3: File SOP for use and continuous refinement
Filing an SOP for use
Once you have finished writing your SOP you can file it for use. For us, this looks like moving our SOPs into a specific “Filed” status in ClickUp. We have statuses for each stage of an SOP’s creation, from the moment we realise an SOP needs creating, to approval and filing for use. We do this so that when our team are searching for an SOP they can clearly see what stage an SOP is at.
Continuous Refinement
As your business expands and evolves, naturally so will your processes. Therefore it’s important to ensure that once an SOP is filed, it does not get left to become stagnant and outdated. To keep a pulse on this you need to build systems that support you to do so. As you can see in the example listed below, we have the “date last updated” listed on all of our SOP’s. This is so that when we’re completing our quarterly review of our SOPs we can see how recently the process/document was amended.
We do this so that when we’re completing our quarterly review of our SOPs, we can see how recently the process/document was updated. If this date is over 3 month ago, then we recommend running through the process to ensure the details are fully up to date. You can create recurring tasks to support you with this. For example on the completion of an SOP, you can create a recurring task to review that SOP in 3 months time.
EXAMPLE SOP:
