December 16, 2024

Standard Operating Procedures: How to Create and Manage an SOP for Success

For businesses to achieve success, they must follow set rules and routines for operation. They understand the importance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). You hear a lot about SOPs in numerous instances. Military, government, and numerous industries.

In this article, you'll read examples of industries where SOPs play a huge role. Later, you'll see how a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) adds value to maintenance departments in regard to SOPs.

What Are Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)?

Businesses of all sizes rely on SOPs for day-to-day operations. Otherwise, you have chaos, disorganization, and no leadership.

The term SOP means certain activities done daily or on a regular basis. Cleaning. Powering on/off equipment. What to look for during routine inspections. Processing the register's till at the end of the day. A specific way of entering data into a computer.

SOPs can include a certain order in which you complete the activity. For instance, the proper order of steps to open and close a particular business for the day's operation. The necessary precautions to take before conducting repairs on a specific machine.

SOPs include how companies interact with clients. Employees may learn to use certain phrases to promote sales or for simple courtesy. They learn responses for troubleshooting and resolving issues.

Example of a simple SOP: Employees should enter the office through designated doors. Specific entrances might interrupt production or risk a safety hazard.

The methods or types of SOPs vary. Anything from checklists to flowcharts. You might see them posted on a wall or emailed as updates.

Industries That Rely on SOPs

In some fashion, every business has one form of SOP. Let's highlight several examples.

Hospitals

There are SOPs for patient admittance. For storing and distributing medication. Cleaning and sanitizing. Employees trained for emergencies.

In this industry, these procedures help protect staff, visitors, and especially patients.

Resorts

These companies must keep the enjoyment of the public in mind. Resorts adhere to SOPs to maintain the aesthetic nature and safety of the property. These would include inspections of grounds, hotels, and restaurants.

If the resort offers a golf course, the procedures maintain the course's beauty and functionality. Golf cart maintenance. Mowing. Trimming.

Hotels, casinos, and nature trails in a resort each have their specific SOPs for operations. Cleaning, machine repair, food preparation, etc.

Ethanol Production

Here, maintenance SOPs play a crucial role in reducing downtime and safety risks. Preventive maintenance tasks would have specific checklists to follow.

Safety clothing and gear. Employee restrictions to certain areas of the plant.

Research and Development

To maintain consistency in the research and experiments, employees follow specific protocols. Many labs use hazardous chemicals or power sources. The proper handling of the resources reduces the risk of accidents, spills, and leaks.

Food Production

Federal, state, and local regulations offer instructions for the proper handling of food. Quality control measures ensure a safe product for the consumer.

These include: Equipment sanitizing. Packaging. Storage of food and ingredients. Temperature controls. Safety seals. Hospitality.

Once again, you seek customer satisfaction. Cleaning crews have SOPs. Maintenance personnel conduct inspections of the property. They make repairs to the HVAC, plumbing, and lighting.

Benefits of SOPs in Business

Thus far, you've seen numerous benefits. The list of benefits grows longer the more you study the procedures.

• Quality control for products and maintenance repairs.
• Enhanced accountability through digital assignments.
• Increased efficiency. When you conduct routine tasks, you know what to expect. While you shouldn't cut corners, you will find better ways of completing them.
• Simplified regulatory compliance. Following standardized rules, you stay in compliance.
• Streamlined communication. Checklists. Detailed instructions. Safety protocols. They all get easier with SOPs.
• Reduced production waste. The efficiency of operations because of standardized procedures means you're not using as many resources.
• Improved workplace safety. Adopting digital SOPs, facilitated by platforms like a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), offers real-time tracking, accountability features, checklists, and streamlined communication.

Steps for Creating an SOP: Development and Implementation

Review the following suggestions on how to implement a system of procedures.

• Plan. The best way to start is planning. As you'll see later, this includes obtaining as much information from many sources.
• Outline. After planning, you outline the procedures, then fill in the details.
• Clarity. Use easy-to-understand language. You might use templates and stay consistent with each set of instructions.
• Gather Employee Input. Discuss with coworkers on methods of implementation. Discuss which procedures you want listed. Involving employees in outlining SOP steps ensures practicality and relevance.
• Standardized Formatting. Use standardized formatting for familiarity, making SOPs easier to follow.

Using Maintenance Software to Manage SOPs

For maintenance teams, a CMMS offers organization for SOPs. For instance, you'd develop consistent naming systems for your lists of assets, inventory, and preventive maintenance tasks.

Let's look at an example of this. Your team decides to input the different parts into the CMMS in the following sequence: Item, Type, Description.

Thus, you'd have a record such as: Belt, Fan, 12"

Can you see how this would save time when searching for items? You'd group the parts by Item and see every Belt, rather than having a Belt, Fan 12" in one place but Fanbelt, 12" in another.

Of course, a CMMS will have required data fields for you to fill out. However, it will offer plenty of optional fields depending on your needs. Your maintenance team might decide to have an SOP that includes certain of those options.

The naming system and optional data can cross over to the list of assets, PMs, and work orders. This way, you have consistency in several areas.

With better organization and the information that fits your operations, you can better tailor your CMMS reports. Perhaps the SOP includes running a monthly report on the top equipment failures for the previous thirty days. These and other reports offer insights into efficiency and where to improve standardization.

The Importance of Standard Operating Procedures for Efficiency and Safety

Each company needs to understand the importance of SOPs. The instructions and tasks may look repetitive and routine. However, don't let coworkers take them for granted, skip, or ignore them. They provide a structured framework for efficiency, safety, and quality.

Businesses with a CMMS assisting them will see positive results in costs and efficiency. Call 800-922-4336 and ask for a free demonstration of a world-class system. See how MAPCON helps you with your standard operating procedures.