How can you ensure that an SOP reflects the current state of business processes?

A periodic refresh of the SOP, which is reviewed and approved by the management of the business process would ensure that the as-is of the business process and its key checkpoints are captured accurately. This also will demonstrate accountability as the ownership of SOP review and updates stays with the management of the function. In addition, this would only be an effective control (I.e periodic review and updates of SOP by management) if the management is well aware of its operations, KPIs, and understands the process flows thoroughly - highlighting the controls in the process.

Review needs and incorporate workflows and standards that ensure compliance with any governing bodies. However, just as important is the question: how do you ensure compliance to established SOP's over time?

Manage By Exceptions: 1. Keep a check-point at the end of the business process which indicates (automatically or manually) the deviations from SOP. 2. Periodic reviews of these deviations are performed by governance team and business process owners. 3. Define sub-processes in the Business Process, if deviations are very frequent and essential. Digital transformation helps greatly in: - minimising the deviations - re-engineering the business processes.

Reviewing your SOPs regularly will ensure they continue to make your organization as efficient and productive as possible. As technology evolves, your SOPs should also evolve. As part of your review process I’d recommend engaging with team members at all levels to get their perspective on how your organization’s SOPs could be better. I’d also recommend staying up to date on the latest technologies, frameworks, and processes in your industry so you can incorporate them into your SOPs.

Feedback from those who are directly involved is key. The foundation of change and compliance starts there. If changes are inaccurate or contraindicated as put forth by management, adoption will always fail. Must be a collaborative effort for success and sustainability.

It is not only important to involve representatives of the impacted areas but also to set timelines for their revision. Setting meetings for concrete discussions might help to debate and agree SOPs changes. Otherwise revision cycles could become unproductive and outdated.

Foster a culture of continuous improvement within the organization. Encourage employees to proactively identify opportunities for enhancing processes and updating SOPs accordingly. Recognize and reward contributions to process improvement and SOP maintenance.

Work directly with those who will be performing the task, explaining the regulations and reasoning behind what must take place build a understanding and get their support. This will help in organizing the SOP effectively and when things change and it is time to update it will be a better experience for the staff and the writers.

This becomes crucial when organizational directions change, for instance from an R&D focus to a commercial focus. These shifts in organizational direction, goals and focus require process documents to be revisited more often and by a wider audience. An example would be when a pharma moves from pre to post authorization products. The focus now must shift to include a wider pharmacovigilance and medical affairs audience in order to full encompass the new needs of the organization with respect to surveillance and proper dissemination of information to healthcare professionals.

AI based technology shall be helpful for reframing SOPs for better adequacy and accuracy. SOPs stands for Standard Operating Procedures. The ethical Governance of any business is fundamentally implementation of various process at micro level and their monitoring. Today’s business environment is critical and surface parameters are changing very fast and almost without any space. Still the fundamentals are intact. Hence fixing SOPs are important to understand the business process and to enable the workforce to be aligned with process. With advent of technology like machine learning, AI and even with VR and AR the SOPs may be reviewed periodically for better simulation with resources for inclusive prosperity with adequacy and accuracy.

Documentation Management System: Implement a robust document management system to organize and store SOPs in a centralized location. Use metadata to track key information, such as the last review date, the person responsible for the review, and any associated compliance requirements.

For those who are writing the sites SOP ensure that the directive are clear and written in a manner that truly reflects what is to be done , how and keep the SOP updated when things change. Developers need to best use a standard format and cover the scope of the event suggest resources if needed and documentation of the revised process in hand.

Use pictures. A process is far easier to understand if you can see what's being talked about. Not everyone knows what a "West angled flanking flange" is. But if they can see what it looks like, they'll know.

Occasionally I would think that different ideas have a place. Instead of being automatic in every situation it would be better to allow for some movement of ideas for short discussion.

I use the step by step procedure, and for each step, I ensure the team creates a RACI tool to guide the implementation of that step. RACI stands for (Who is) Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed. The inclusion of RACIs for each step removes confusion and minimizes conflicts. It can sometimes be time wasting, but it’s better to do it well the first time than to redo it many times to get it right.

If you don’t review and cull SOPs routinely you will accrete rules that slow your business and make execution subservient to compliance.

There should be clarity of SOP across the organisation each person working is based 9on his intelligence finally all are human. So humanity first clarity to all get open feedbacks formally informally. Without workforce team together in direction with objectives of the company. A clerk and MD are based on intelligence finally humans I have learnt from mentors it's true Jai hind

documentation from hindering adherence. Establishing continuous improvement processes ensures accuracy. This is always something important to consider. Assign process owners accountable for managing feedback and improvements for each SOP. Empower them to regularly review and update. Build in feedback collection mechanisms such as short surveys for employees to provide comments on SOPs they use. Make it easy to submit suggestions. Track operational metrics related to the process like quality, cycle times, and costs. Analyze these for improvement opportunities when updating SOPs.

SOPs should be part of regular employee training and communication. It is also important that all personel understand it and adopt it.

SOPs must be recognized as a live document by the organizational members. This will only promote the culture of keeping the SOPs up to date in real time. Any change in the processes / policies / procedures etc must be reflected in the SOPs with revision control. The latest revision of each SOP must be published to the organizational members to ensure that they always refer to the latest one. The effective way of ensuring the SOPs are up to date is thru Auditing process. Organizations must exercise rigorous audit process across its value streams. When the audits happen rigorously, that can bring out non conformances in the processes / operations which in turn can trigger the SOPs alignment. I recommend Layered Audit framework .

Leaders need to establish systematic review processes. Regularly collaborate with relevant stakeholders, including process owners and team members, to gather feedback and updates. Periodic audits, incorporation of changes in procedures promptly, and documenting version control are essential as well.

As a business owner, looking at your own business and realising there aren’t written SOPs it is easy to think, where and how do I start. Don’t get stuck. Simply start writing down and fleshing out the first process that comes to mind. Where to write that process? In the beginning that doesn’t matter. Starting to write the processes down is what matters. No matter how you begin recording and storing processes overtime you will change your system. If you don’t start, you will never finish. Make a start today.

SOPs tend to pile up over time ?? like a pendulum swinging in one direction. To keep things fresh and innovative, adopt a lean, startup-inspired mindset and try to cut as much as you add! ?? As Elon Musk wisely suggests, “If you're not adding things back at least 10% of the time, you're clearly not deleting enough.” ?? It's also important to empower teams by giving ownership of SOPs to those who are impacted, promoting a self-governing culture, and encouraging updates. So, don't be afraid to cut those old processes and say YES to new ideas! ??