How to write an SOP? (Standard Operating Procedure)
gembadocs.com
How to write an SOP? (Standard Operating Procedure) We are very fortunate in that we had a lot of interaction with a gentleman called Mark Warren around the subject of SOPs. Mark actually WROTE THE MANUAL for how Toyota delivered Standard Work training in North America, called “Training Within Industry.” He was super kind in helping us understand the principles better. Here is one of the posters we developed from his material because it is so often an area that people get wrong.
How to write an SOP? (Standard Operating Procedure)
I know that this is important from experience.
How to write an SOP? (Standard Operating Procedure) During my first ever real job back in automotive, one of my tasks was to write Standard Operating Procedures / Quality Procedures for the ISO9000 manual. It was tremendous because I learned early on, that procedures that looked great on my PC in the office, written by myself were completely useless! During those early stages, I would proudly take out my shiny new procedure that I’d written with barely any consultation with the guys doing the job and basically get told to move on! (See Rule #1- I’m being very diplomatic in describing what they said)
How to write an SOP? (Standard Operating Procedure) I learned that the whole process worked much better when I worked with the guys on the workplace / Gemba to document what they were already doing and then work with them to agree any changes that were necessary to meet the Quality Standard. (See Rules #2 & #3 & #4) They had a much higher degree of ownership when I did things that way. When this is done as a team, each member gets to describe how they carry out the task. Often everyone is doing it differently, and when this is surfaced, everyone gets to contribute and evaluate each other’s method.
How to write an SOP? (Standard Operating Procedure) This leads to what I call the “best of method” where the team agrees on a compilation of each member’s best ways of doing a task, which is better than anyone’s individual approach before. Not only does this create ownership within the team but this process of creating a new baseline raises the standard of how that process is carried out for everyone. This is a huge source of process improvement, which is one of the most often missed benefits of implementing SOPs. It is also a great way of building team cohesion. In my early automotive days, I also learned another CRUCIAL lesson that few people are truly aware of.
How to write an SOP? (Standard Operating Procedure) If you are going to create an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), if it ADDS burden to the people doing the job and that burden is not 100% necessary and understood, the Standard will DEFINITELY not be followed. You will turn yourself into a police person trying to enforce the law all the time. It’s key that the Standard makes getting a high-quality outcome easier, not more difficult. Easy, simple, highquality processes get followed. Difficult, complex processes are always a struggle32.