Standardize the procedure and quantify the criteria

Our logical thinking and judgement are built on age, culture, education, experience and position. Having the expectation that all involved would think alike is not practical. If the manager’s instructions are not clear enough, the manager is in fact requiring his employee to second guess them. Then I surely can tell this company not only has a high turn over rate but is also inefficient because it is risky to work based on the result of mind reading. i.e. A fish farm hire scientist, not psychics.

This also means that business owners or leaders must regulate their emotions, and separate personal feelings from business management. To plan a management program, consider each facet of the operation thoroughly and carefully. More importantly, convey the thoughts to paper and be firm about it. Moreover, standardized procedures are not only for certification preparation but also a sign to avoid inconsistencies that cause conflicts between the employer and employees.

Another frequent misconception is that SOPs are saved only as e-files, with no hard copy being printed or equipment served for employees to read. I once interviewed five QA personnel at a processing plant about one sanitation procedure, I got five different answers. Obviously, their sanitation SOPs are not effectively in practice, at least, not in the required fashion. The true value of a SOP is being followed by all concerned.

Furthermore, instructions must be precise. It is necessary to provide measurable requirements for all procedures. An ambiguous order always results in errors. For example, an SOP stipulates to activate emergency air pump when dissolved oxygen is low in water. What level is considered low? Could this be 4, 5 or 7ppm? Staff need to know for certain at which point the switching should be done. More importantly, there should be a gauge to measure the input and output.

The idea of quantifications is adopted in major international aquaculture certifications. Certain clauses require management to define upper limits of time period of fasting, crowding, time out of water and maximum biomass. Many clients have stated that “animals are returned to the water as fast as possible during grading, weighing or transporting without delay.” They questioned why a limit has to be indicated. The answer is, for example, the upper limit of time out of water is at 3 minutes, that doesn’t mean we will keep the animals in the air for 3 minutes before returning them to the water. It is an index to prioritize the procedure when we have a large volume of animals to process.

Even though we try to consider all possible situations, it is not possible to cover all contingencies that may arise. SOPs not only standardize steps and actions; they serve to direct a lead operator to make decisions consistent with management perceptions.