Why SOP’s Matter
You know having the whole team on the same page will make you safer and more efficient so why not give them the book with that page in it so they can at least have a chance of doing what you expect. All too often, organizations have a confusing collection of policies, procedures, guidance and instructions that never make it in to a manual. These expectations live on only in the memories of the employees or leaders that have been there the longest or possibly on an old email server or faded bulletin board that has not been updated in years.
As time passes the real intent fades and the application of those expectations will tend to drift away from the original purpose.
Sure, most of our readers operate in industries that are covered by well-documented regulations and manuals that we must operate in accordance with but one limitation of these is they are often too broad and do not serve the specific needs and desires of your organization. Additionally, in the heavily regulated industries of aviation, healthcare, offshore oil & gas exploration and government services these manuals usually require review and approval from regulators. This takes time and is where an internal standard operating procedure (SOP) comes in to save the day and make everyone’s life easier.
Professionally written, current and trained SOP’s will serve as the “how we do our job on a daily basis” guides for employees and help ensure expectations are clear through all levels of your organization.
Sure, you will still have the verbal instructions, email bulletins and urgent memos to help manage events as they happen but you will be well served to build a process to collect these and make sure they make their way into your manuals at a regular interval. A major benefit of an SOP is in almost all cases it will not require outside review or approval and can be a “living document” that evolves with your operation and culture. The time from “good idea” to “the way we do business” is much shorter.
We have helped our clients create, publish and train SOP’s in their organization and it makes a tangible difference in the form of improved performance and compliance. There is also a bonus of time savings for the leadership team. They save time in training new employees, correcting inappropriate behaviors, improving performance and not having to constantly repeat themselves when setting expectations.
Publishing an SOP is not without challenges and often highlights hazardous attitudes in some employees.
Photo Credit: Rosie Kerr via Unsplash
When documenting existing processes, it is not unusual for some employees to push back with feelings that they have been doing this job for years without an SOP, so it is pointless and overbearing to put everything in writing. They may express that leadership’s motivation is to have rules that can be held against them later. In a way, they are right; having and enforcing an SOP increases accountability and if they are not willing to meet the expectations of the company, they should find a new company (or industry in some cases).
Helping them move along could literally save lives, the organization’s reputation and on a large scale, your industry.
From our experience, if done properly, an SOP will be embraced by the employees that are ready and willing to do the right thing even when nobody is watching. Now is the time to act if you have never considered having an SOP of have been putting off creating one. The time and resources you invest will be worth it.
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At VyClimb, part of our mission is to lead the aviation industry and the companies it serves to an elevated level of operational excellence to create greater stakeholder confidence. For more information or to discuss ways we may be able to help you please contact info@vyclimb.com.
