Few subjects are seen to be as boring as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). I find that just mentioning the words can make people’s eyelids start to droop.
But what SOPs can do for you is anything but boring. They can improve your processes, help your business grow, keep your customers happier, get you a promotion, and perhaps even let you take a well-earned holiday. Here are four ways that creating and writing down a set of Standard Operating Procedures can help you and your business to be more productive and successful.
1. It helps improve your current processes
The job is getting done. Why write down how? Well, there’s nothing like writing down a process to help you spot inefficiencies, double-handling, and opportunities to improve it. You may have done a job 1000 times, but when’s the last time you really thought about it? Is every step necessary? Can it be done faster? Better? With fewer errors? If you weren’t doing it yourself, is there a step that could trip someone else up? You won’t know unless you write down and analyse your current processes step-by-step. A lot of managers are surprised at how much writing down an SOP can reveal.
2. It makes hiring and training staff a lot easier
Having a set of SOPs not only helps bring new hires up to speed more quickly, it also helps you hire the right person in the first place. Closely defining a role helps both you and a candidate decide if they are going to be the right fit for the job.
Once on board, there is a set of written procedures to help them hit the ground running, shortening training times, providing clarity, and increasing accountability.
3. Consistency. Consistency. Consistency
Your customers want consistency of product, service and delivery. Giving them the same satisfying experience every time will keep them returning for more. Creating and sticking to SOPs provides an iron-clad guarantee of consistency.
Not having them in place invites uneven delivery and service. Remember too, that consistency helps make a process scalable. McDonald’s is a testament to the power of consistent processes.
4. Have a break. Have an SOP
What happens if you’re the only one who knows how to do job ‘x’? Well, first you never get promoted, because you’re needed right where you are. And second, you may not even be able to take a holiday.
Give yourself a break. Create a clear set of SOPs for your job so someone else can do it effectively when you’re not there. Then you can tackle other jobs, get that promotion, or maybe just lie on a beach with a tall, cool glass of something, knowing things are being done properly and on time while you’re gone.
Don’t be daunted by the task of developing an SOP. It’s easier than you think. A basic SOP will include: a step-by-step of what to do, who is responsible for doing, checking, and approving it, and when each step should be done by. So, become enthusiastic about SOPs; write your own and start enjoying the benefits.
If you need help creating SOP’s for your business, get in touch, we can help.
