Standard operating procedure for any organisation is not a want but its a need. It gives people working in the organisation a predefined role and actions expected from them in cases where things go wrong.
An SOP is a set of guidelines or instructions one follows to complete a job desirabely, with no adverse impact on the surroundings, and which and which meets regulatory compliance standards set by Govt. or different governing agensies, and in a way that maximizes operational and production requirements. We can write SOPs for any processes involging an individual or a team: Billing, Cash Handling, Movement of patinent for different diagnostic facilities, their report delievery, Laundary procurements, Removal of shoes by patients at the doors of ICU or burn units and many other many activities.
For many years, Quality Assurance people have been writing operating guidelines or procedures, called Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to help the workforce produce quality intabngible and tangible products that help the company to meet its objectives without any bump rides.
Who Should Write the SOPs
SOPs should always be written by those who supervise activities for which SOP has to be written and who has a good experience of actual activities and not the bookish knowledge. SOP is always customised thing and it cant be copied and pasted from one organisation to other organisation. Obviously help can be taken somethings cab be copied but ultimately there will be SOP individually for an individual . SOP is something which needs periodical reviews and there will always be alterations to make it more somooth and specific according to the changing environment within and otuside the organisation
We write SOPs primarily for the following reasons:
1. To provide individuals who perform operations with all the operational information required to perform their job properly.
2. To ensure that operations are done consistently to maintain quality control of processes and products;
3. To ensure that processes continue and are completed on a prescribed schedule;
ensure that no failures occur in manufacturing and other processes that would harm employees or anyone in the surrounding community.
4. To ensure that approved procedures are followed in compliance with organisation and government regulations.
5. To serve as a training document for new recruited employees.
6. To serve as a historical record of the how, why and when of steps in a process for use when modifications are made to that process and when a SOP must be revised.