What are the best practices for scaling your SOPs as your manufacturing process grows?

Document Clear and Detailed SOPs: Ensure that your initial SOPs are comprehensive and clearly written. Include step-by-step instructions, safety guidelines, quality control measures, and any other relevant information. Regularly Review and Update SOPs: SOPs should not be static documents. Regularly review and update them to reflect changes in processes, technology, or regulations. Assign responsibility for SOP review to relevant personnel. Modular SOPs: Design SOPs in a modular fashion, allowing for easy integration of new processes or equipment. Each module should be independent, making it easier to update specific sections without affecting the entire document. Version Control: Implement a version control system to track changes to SOPs.

Re-validate the SOP timely, regular awareness training on SOP is the tool to get right approach to follow processes. In today scenario technology are changes rapidly so in SOP, need to update procedures, tools applied etc etc

After I was heavily exposed to the tools and methods of Lean manufacturing, I would rather utilize the phrase “ Standard Work” than “ standard operating procedure”, based on the need for the outcome, rather than the output! The beauty of standard work is the incorporation of visual controls and other lean tools and thought process( live and progressive)!

Navigating business scaling while maintaining SOPs has been a recurring theme in my career. A key insight I've garnered is the importance of consistent review and updates, requiring unwavering commitment. Without a dedicated individual or team consistently tending to this task, a vulnerability emerges in the fabric of your growth—a risk of outdated SOPs. Neglecting this aspect is akin to any neglected resource—it deteriorates over time. Just as you allocate resources to other critical areas, sustaining the relevance of SOPs demands a continuous investment of effort and attention. This proactive approach not only safeguards against obsolescence but ensures a smooth trajectory in tandem with business growth.

The following are ways of scaling up your SOPs, 1. Create a compliance department dedicated to benchmarking and following up with the changes in legislation, regulations, geopolitics, customer behaviour, etc., that directly affect company operations. 2. Standardize your systems by subscribing to national and international standards e.g. ISO Standards. 3. Conduct regular internal audits 4. Conduct regular management reviews 5. Etc.,

SOPs & WIS play a key role to make a quality & reliable product. It should be written in simple & local language sothat it can be easily understand by stationed operator for proper utilization.

Ensuring the SOPs are made as per the concerning standards even though manufacturing of the company is increasing Speed manner.

Over time, I've adapted my approach to creating SOPs, especially with the rise of platforms like TikTok and other social media. Traditional word-based SOPs seem disconnected from a workforce more inclined towards visual content. Even concise bullet points struggle to engage readers sufficiently. In response, I've transitioned to a layout resembling a picture book, where words are reduced to bullet points and everything is visually presented. This format minimizes interpretation errors, ensuring alignment with my evolving core audience. The shift to a more visual and straightforward format enhances comprehension and engagement, catering to the preferences of the contemporary workforce.

There are many approaches and systems to writing up SOPs. At the end of the day, they must be as clear and as simple as possible for whomever to follow. They need to include references (if necessary), definitions, and provide a link to any other materials that may be relevant. It's important to keep in mind that if the SOP becomes "too extensive," as defined by the owner of the SOP database, it should be reviewed and split into separate SOPs that build one on another.

En mi opinion, un programa de TPM como educacion y entrenamiento tiene una forma de entrenamiento en el GEMBA llamada Lecciones de Un Punto o OPL en ingles, estas OPL son la forma mas sencilla de dar capacitacion y calificacion de los SOP en el piso de produccion o GEMBA...

Conducting yearly training and testing for your staff proves invaluable in ensuring that your SOPs remain current and resonate with target audience. Before a technician, I encountered documents from the 70s that were challenging to decipher, with constant updates and caveats. Most updates weren't due to clarity issues but rather the unavailability of parts, necessitating adjustments in the wiring color code despite the same footprint. Without tribal knowledge, constructing these products would have been impossible. Training your staff based on accurate documents facilitates scaling but also secures your future. In many industries, scalability hinges on standardization, and achieving standardization is contingent upon SOPs.

While it is important to place right skill set at right place, it is equally important to verify them on on frequent time intervals as to what challenges are been faced and whether there is any scope of improvement in the productivity and efficiency by any mean like any specific training. Employees can be trained and made champions or process owners to train others.

Follow Standard Operating Procedure is commendable task. Often people don't follow the SOP because 1. Lengthy written 2. Do not visualise the risk potential 3. In fact each and every job carried a risk. 4. After reviewing SOP, nobody stopped them, even there is no mitigation plan. 5. Everybody pressurised to do the job. 6. Unnecessary shop floor difference of opinion 7.Imaginative work pressure 8. Viewing production losses. 9. Supervisor ignored the risk 10. Repeated job. Etc. SOP should be simple, with pictures, take time to review it. At least take 5 will work. Discuss always about risk mitigation. Do not publicised incidents

Utilization of AI based tools are very helpful in making processes automated. At the same time it reduces the probability of Errors. Collection of inputs from the sensors, transducers etc makes the data pool which can be analyzed to drive the change in SOP as per predefined stages.

Automating SOPs in manufacturing with online tools is pivotal. Cloud-based solutions like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 centralize SOP storage, allowing real-time updates. Online process mapping tools such as Lucidchart enhance workflow visualization. Workflow automation platforms like Kissflow integrate seamlessly with DMS, reducing manual efforts. Integrating LMS like Moodle automates training based on SOP updates. Mobile-friendly interfaces ensure accessibility on the shop floor. Compliance monitoring tools track SOP adherence, and online feedback mechanisms expedite evaluations. Data analytics tools provide insights, fostering continuous improvement.

Standardization play an important role to make the process lean by making standard procedures & process. Like standard written library of RFQ, Process sheet & PFMEA reduce the time to produce it during establishing a process for new models as well as understanding all the characteristics & quality parameter of particular process or Equipments.

As I mentioned above, every SOP should have an owner and a systematic review date. When the data comes up, the owner should review and optimize / improve the SOP as needed, update the record, and inform any / all parties involved.

Why optimize a SOP if it is already effective ? Cause even a SOP has really well done, very clear and effective...all around changes, above all in case of your business is scaling. People that have to know SOPs and apply them change, process is not the same it is bigger, systems are not the same the company uses new ones, so if the best SOP could remain the same it will be simply ...older and older. Furthermore, if the company is scaling, the customers will be new, different and challenging and so all our SOP system These two opposite forces, obsolescence and the innovation are the reasons to review the SOPs to be aligned to what the market asks

Don't think of SOP's as a standalone tool, but as a fundamental pillar of "Standard Work" in your Lean vision. And just like your business that evolves and changes over time, so must SOP's that may have worked well (or "good enough") when you were smaller now need to be adapted when dealing with multiple shifts of people that may not have the luxury of getting immediately support help to answer questions. Remember that Continuous Improvement never has an end point!

The most important takeaway when it comes to establishing SOPs is to get started and build up. In other words, organizations get entangled in the complexity of the system and fail to start with basic procedure documentation. These foundational steps will teach your personnel how to systematically file SOPs, give them the confidence to document certain steps, and teach them the value of ownership.

An effective approach to scaling up SOPs in line with the growth of your manufacturing process is to establish a specialized function within the Quality Assurance (QA) organization dedicated to managing SOPs for all functions and departments. This dedicated function should be responsible for the review and development of new SOPs to align with the company's business expansion, particularly in relation to additional manufacturing facilities, more complex SKUs, and other related factors.

Los SOP son la estrategia ideal de fusionar el trabajo en ISO ( 9000, 14000, 22000, etc...) y la implementacion de lean manufacturing ( TPM, TPS, etc...) , si una organizacion logra hacer esta integracion de forma exitosa y que se vea en el GEMBA los resultados en todas las variables o KPI ( P/Q/C/D/S/M ) de cualquier proceso de manufactura mejoraran.

Use software tools such as natural language processing tools like chat GPT to quickly edit and correct and create new SOPs as you evolve. Use SMEs to create and deploy SOPs else you will have problems with documentation. Be smart and use smarter people to make the SOPs to easy to understand and train people.