How can you keep SOPs relevant in a changing business environment?

SOPs are often written like a legal document. They should be written in realistic, to the point, matter of fact format, with input from those whose job description is most affected by the SOP to ensure the updates are practical. When specific documents are expected to be used as part of the SOP a link to the document and/or having the document as an Appendix should be included.

SOPs only work when they are realistic. Ideally, the staff who have to work within the realms of the operational procedures should weigh in their thoughts and real-life scenarios to improve day-to-day tasks. Mundane SOPs with no clear direction doesn’t help anyone.

A good SOP is written from a bird’s eye view. Too much information within the SOP will be detrimental to compliance. This means many things should be left vague, such as calling out that a SAS system or QMS may be used but not the system itself, as an example. This way, if changes to the software are needed or new systems are implemented, the entire SOP won’t necessarily need to be revised.

Consider reviewing the SOPS annually. Will they need revision every year, not likely, but by reading them through you may find reference to a position that was eliminated in the past year which can cause confusion. Other common minor changes are titles of executives or departments. Using a controls sheet on your SOP that requires you to document that it was reviewed and any updates (even minor ones) are notated is important for employee confidence that the SOP they are reading is still current.

In my experience, a review period of 2-3 years is adequate for SOPs. Given the number of documents in a typical organisation, a review period of less than 2 years is not practical. However, in addition to the 2-3 year review period, a review should also be carried out as required if a major concern or change is identified sooner. Individual, minor updates (e.g. spelling or formatting) should not necessarily trigger an ad hoc update but instead they should be documented in a separate log and incorporated during a major update or at the next period review. A common sense approach to period reviews will ensure SOPs remain current without too much of an administrative burden (and cost).

Consider using an electronic document management system (eDMS) to manage your SOPs. In simple terms, an eDMS is a software solution that is designed to ensure the effective management of documents. It will ensure consistent and robust control of all your documents. The system can be set up to monitor required reviews, approvals, distribution, training, obsoletion. It can also be set up with compliant electronic signatures. Predefined period reviews can be scheduled as well predefined reviewers and approvers. An eDMS is usually part of a larger Quality Management System (QMS). If effectively implemented and validated, an eDMS will take care of a lot of the administrative compliance requirements for documentation in most industries.