Quality & standardsStandard Operating Procedure

What is SOP?

An SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is a documented work instruction that describes how a task is performed correctly: steps, responsibility, equipment and critical control points. SOPs are the backbone of quality management and a basic requirement in ISO 9001 contexts.

The difference between an SOP that works and one that gathers dust: the effective ones are short, visual, placed at the point of use and written with those who do the work. The dead ones are long text documents in a folder system no one opens.

The SOP documents the standard; standard work is the practice. Paper without trained behaviour is compliance theatre.

Related concepts

Standard work

Standard work is the currently best, agreed way of performing a task — documented so precisely that deviations can be seen, and improvements have a fixed starting point. Without a standard there is no deviation; without deviation, no learning.

ISO 9001

ISO 9001 is the world’s most widespread management standard: it sets requirements for a quality management system that ensures the organisation consistently delivers products and services meeting customer and regulatory requirements — and improves continuously.

Quality at the source

Quality at the source is the principle that errors should be detected and stopped where they arise — by the process and the employee that create them — instead of being caught by inspection further down the chain. No defect is passed on.

From concept to practice

The methods only work when they are anchored in daily routines and leadership behaviour. The operations check shows in 4 minutes where your operations stand — and what the next step is.

Take the operations check