Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

As organizations grow and develop, the number and size of its operations, projects, and programs increases. It is therefore more difficult to ensure the quality of the organization's operations and processes, as well as measure and improve them in an effective way. It will require a lot of resources and take many years for an employee to find the best way to complete a given operation. In large companies, it is not certain that the entire organization has the opportunity to utilize the skills of specific employees. A Standard Operating Procedure also called a SOP is a document that clearly describes the purpose of a given operation. It also entails a well-defined and clear criteria or instructions for performing it. It is an effective way to share knowledge as well as unify and standardize an organization's internal processes and procedures. SOPs can be used to train employees, further provide knowledge from experienced employees to new ones, increase employee independence, etc. This article will examine the pros and cons of using SOPs from a management perspective. In addition, it investigates which formats to use to write SOPs that suit the purpose and scope of the given operation.

- What is a SOP - The purpose of SOP from a management perspective - How can managers use SOPs (are there any restrictions) - What challenges or criticisms are there in using them in management? - What are the benefit of using SOPs in management?