What are the most effective ways to review and revise SOPs for continuous improvement?

Depending on the criticality of an SOP, adjust your review cycle timing. Some SOPs should be reviewed annually. Others quarterly. If you're unsure, think about how important an SOP is to your company's operations. What happens without that SOP? If the answer is nothing, it might be a candidate for removal or simplification. If the answer is the business will fail, choose a short frequency such as quarters or months. Pro-tip: schedule the review in advance. Don't rely on memory.

Defined periodicity is important but can at times lead to "Tick the Box" syndrome impacting quality. There are situations especially involving Operations critical to Health & Safety, Financial risks or failure to address External stakeholder considerations which will call for remedial measures post analysis, similar to RCA (Root Cause Analysis). Those are also good "Opportunity in Adversity" moments to evaluate the effectiveness of SOPs.

Effective Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) require consistent refinement. Begin with routine audits, involving employees from diverse perspectives. Establish performance metrics, regularly measuring and adapting based on real-time data. Foster a culture of continuous improvement with feedback loops and employee engagement. Leverage technology for streamlined processes and reduce errors. Prioritize clear communication and regular training to keep the team informed. Conduct risk assessments for proactive issue identification. Lastly, maintain a robust version control system for SOP documentation. These steps ensure SOPs stay dynamic, aligning with evolving organizational needs.

While reviewing the SOPs, I have found it useful to use the lens of "People", "Process" & "Technology" discretely and simultaneously both. With Enterprise Platforms being an integral part of the Delivery chain, there is a tendency to blame them (akin to "Enemy is out there"). I would recommend critical examination of the ability to use such Platforms and the tendency to rush their introduction without adequate familiarisation/ training of end-users by simulating situations and encouraging conversations around Handling Exceptions.

Managers who are tasked with implementing changes should also focus on "Why the change" rather than only push for "What is the change". Delivery of the message with the theme of "Areas of Improvement" rather than "Identified Weaknesses" works better.

A mistake that several businesses make is to revise documents without keeping a record of those revisions. Yes using track changes or suggestion features are ways to record the changes that you have made within a document, but once those changes have been made, it is a best practice to include the revision date in either the header or footer of the document. The updates to the language used in the SOP should be based on feedback received since the last version of the SOP was implemented. The changes to the language should also be free from ambiguity to ensure that all team members are clear on what is expected in that SOP.

Absence of training on SOPs is another mistake that many businesses and organizations make. Oftentimes, HR departments assume that provision of written SOP to employees is sufficient. However, training is a method to ensure that employees have adequately reviewed the SOP and that they have their questions answered. Through training on SOPs, all employees are provided with the guidance that they need to execute the SOP consistently. This is likely to lead to positive performance appraisals, higher morale, and better team performance. When an employee is provided with clear expectations, it increases the likelihood of having a positive organizational culture. Be sure to train your team members on your SOPs!

Leverage modern-day tools that simplify the entire SOP process from creation to usage to management. Historically, Standard Operating Procedures were captured in written format which come with its own structure constraints and limitations. Today, 83% of professionals prefer to learn via video platform and channels given this is the primary way we consume information in our everyday lives. Why wouldn’t the work place them mirror this trend with tools that align with how employees best share and receive knowledge? The companies that seek out simple but innovative tools to improve their operations will have a competitive advantage in even a very competitive landscape, or even in undesirable market conditions. Covid taught us that.