Standard Operating Procedure

 

When you open a package from the delivery on your porch, there is a booklet in a plastic wrapper. These are the instructions on proper method to open the enclosed purchase(s) and approved use (with warnings) in several languages with diagrams.

Companies should have similar instructions on how to handle machinery, what to touch and what not to touch, who has security to go to certain areas and what they can see and other details of how the company runs.

These are the Standard Operating Procedures rules for your employment to be followed.

The five essential SOPs to consider are procedural instructions, safety protocols, quality control measures, equipment handling guidelines, and emergency response procedures. Procedural instructions outline the specific tasks and sequences required to complete a job.

The four P’s of an SOP are purpose, process, personnel, and performance. These sections outline the reason for the SOP, the steps to carry out the procedure, the roles and responsibilities of personnel, and metrics to measure success.

Depending on the size of the company (organization) and the patience of the Human Resources, the details of procedures can get very intense and complicated. Every day something will change and need to be updated in the SOP. Today, the bulletin board postings next to the lunchroom can be accessed from any computer. This helps with virtual working at home, until receiving a termination email.

Some jobs have detail step-by-step instructions that must be followed in order or cause a potential disaster. Flying a plane. Operating a submarine. Setting off a nuclear missile. Do it right the first time, for there are no second chances.

Surprisingly, most of these SOPs do NOT have instructions for the possibility for things going wrong. What is the plan B? If someone is injured, who takes command of the situation? What if the elevator is jammed? If a gunman comes in, where do you hide? If the copier is jammed, who is in charge of getting it functional? What do you do when the pencil sharpener is full? There were fire drills in school, but not in the office.

The task we do everyday have routines but no Standard Operating Procedure. Hop in the car, start it up and check your phone. Do you check the wheels? Do you check the engine? When do you buckle up?

Perhaps a Standard Operating Procedure should be formatted before a relationship starts? Go into a place where you can network with strangers and use your ‘best lines’ to get attention. Carry enough money or credit for a possible dinner or drinks. Wear comfortable shoes for a possible long walk. Have a clean apartment or house (including the bathroom) in case the meeting becomes romantic? Did you change your underwear? Plan an exit for the chance of things going bad.

Some long term relationships can become routine with the experience of standard operating procedures followed everyday…. Until you shake things up.