Building Procedures with the SOP Toolkit #2

Getting Started

Considerable planning, on several levels, goes into developing an SOP documentation system. There is no “cookie cutter” approach. Your SOP needs may be similar to other organizations, but they will never be the same. Personnel at several levels and in several areas of the organization should work together to determine your needs. The process will involve asking some important questions.
Let’s look at some of those questions…

What is an SOP?

Here’s one definition: An SOP is an accurate, approved document that provides steps for accomplishing a task according to established standards, formats, level of detail, and policy. An SOP is accurate. Above all, an SOP is a procedure that works. It achieves the goal specified in its title. All aspects of the procedure have been verified by the appropriate subject matter experts (SME). The SOP has been checked and (to the extent possible) tested to ensure it is accurate.
An SOP is approved. The appropriate levels of authority have checked the SOP to ensure it conforms to organizational policy. It has been accepted as the approved method of performing the task. It has been adopted into the organization’s systems.

An SOP is a document. Typically an SOP is a paper document, for portability. But increasingly, SOPs are both paper and electronic documents. This adds functionality AND complexity to its creation and maintenance.An SOP is standardized. SOPs must be written in a consistent, accessible style, to ensure they are usable. The document structure must be predictable so that information is easy to find, and simple to follow. The language used in an SOP must be understandable by all personnel, whether they are experienced or inexperienced, technically inclined or not, and whether or not English is their first language.
An SOP must follow a standard format. All SOP documents should follow the same format, and as much as possible look the same. All headings must be consistent in order, style and format. For practical purposes, the document style and format must be established, documented and maintained in style guides.
Most importantly, an SOP is a LIVING DOCUMENT. It must be seen as an entity that can and must evolve.

Building Procedures with the SOP Toolkit – #1

A wise old philosopher said “The only constant is change” and this has never been more true than in the water and wastewater treatment industry. Even if we only look back twenty years we can easily see tremendous changes. Technology continues to evolve. Environmental concerns continue to grow. Public expectations of safety, quality and service become more demanding. Workforce demographics shift.

These, and other factors, are driving public utilities to deliver more services at a ever more demanding levels of quality and accountability, while contending with limited budgets and an aging and increasingly mobile workforce. Utilities grappling with these challenges are looking for ways to remove inconsistencies and risk from their operations and processes. One of the solutions is to capture and retain the knowledge, skills and best practices, and use them to standardize and train personnel to as high a level of consistency as possible.

Standard operating procedures, or SOPs, are a key tool in these efforts. Utilities, institutions, corporations and organizations of all types see the value in capturing, standardizing and documenting the activities and tasks performed by their personnel. However, that process presents its own set of unique challenges. Most organizations do not have the necessary in-house expertise to design, research, write and produce documentation. Nor do they have expertise in managing documentation processes. And most organizations have not factored the time needed for developing documentation into their staffing strategies.

Presenting at the SWWA Conference

Yes, I know it’s short notice, but I hope we will get a chance to meet you at the Saskatchewan Water and Wastewater Association conference on November 3 to 6 in Saskatoon. We don’t have a trade show booth this time around but we will certainly be there, mingling and trying to learn more about the industry.

If you are already signed up for the conference you may know that we will be presenting twice. On Wednesday morning at 10:40 am we’ll be presenting “Developing Plant Documentation”, a 45 minute technical session that will provide an overview of the considerations and processes involved in creating operations manuals, SOPs and other documents. We’ll approach the subject from the perspective of lessons we have learned in real life project situations.

On Thursday, Nov 5 at 1:00 pm we will be presenting Introduction to Building Procedures with the SOP Toolkit. This 3 hour workshop picks up from the technical session and explores how to use our SOP Toolkit to get you started in creating standard operating procedures.

Hope to see you there!

News: Now located at Innovation Place, Saskatoon

We’re pleased to announce that we are now settled into our new office at Innovation Place (102F 116 Research Drive, Saskatoon).

An interior view of the Concourse Building, near RCJC offices

Innovation Place was recently named the 2009 Outstanding Research Park by the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) in recognition of their role in supporting the growth of science and technology related economic development.

Our new location will support several new initiatives that we are currently implementing. As we incorporate new clients and additional staff, and embark on our new marketing plan, we expect the move to enhance the services we can offer.