The Transformative Impact of the Humble SOP

A written Standard Operating Procedure creates an exact procedure for completing a task, and when trained staff adhere to the SOP, they are repeating an explicitly defined process. And that means that the same process is repeated again and again, and the organization will climb the learning curve and get better and better at it. More efficient. With higher quality.

And the result can be transformative because repeatable, high-quality, and cost-efficient execution is the fuel for rapid growth.

My example so far may seem unrelated to your work, assuming you are a Clinical Operations professional. You do not assemble things, you design, plan and manage processes. But processes are subject to the experience curve effect as well.

Want an example of the transformative impact of SOPs on process excellence and efficiency? Let’s talk about McDonald’s. I was at a board meeting for the Soup Kitchen in my city, and we were talking about how hard it is to find high performing staff members, especially now. And two other board members started talking about how McDonald’s alumni are THE best employees. And it turned out these two successful business people are McDonald’s alumni themselves.

Why McDonald’s? Well there are probably several reasons, but one thing that stands out to me is the degree of adherence to standard processes that McDonald’s inculcates in its employees. At Micky Dees, EVERYTHING is covered by an SOP, from greeting the customers to mopping the floor. And the result, of course, is high quality service, clean facilities and a consistent experience. And that means people who grew up in the McDonald’s environment — or at least those who succeeded — learned how to follow a documented procedure with diligence. And that’s why we want to hire them at the Soup Kitchen.

My point is that of all the things that make McDonald’s, well, McDonald’s, the lowly SOP (and the associated training and culture) may be the most important.

Note the addition to my argument in that last paragraph. I added “training and culture.” And that is essential because just writing SOPs does not transform anything. The key is to document the most important processes, train effectively, and update SOPs and the associated training regularly with process improvement. Unfortunately, this is where many organizations fall down.

Managing SOPs as standalone documents and tracking them on a spreadsheet does not work effectively. They become archival documents, useful in an audit but with no real power to drive improvements in quality or efficiency. An SOP management system is essential to get those benefits.

An SOP management system includes capabilities that are key to harnessing the power of the learning curve. These systems allow you to create SOPs in a standard format, track the version and force reviews and updates, and track training activities for the staff members charged with executing those SOPs.

So SOPs become living documents, actively practiced procedures that are repeated and updated periodically. In addition, and as a side benefit, SOP management systems ensure that the management of SOPs all happens in a way that is consistent with regulatory requirements and creates an inspection-ready environment.

Here’s the point I am trying to make. If you think of creating SOPs as something you have to do because they are required, they will have little impact on your organization. But if you incorporate SOPs into the fabric of your business, make them the centerpiece of how you execute core processes, manage them with a system that ensures they stay current and ensure staff is trained on them, they can fundamentally transform the way you operate.