Every company or agency, of course, has SOPs to adhere to. This time we will discuss examples of company SOPs that are widely used and how to make them.
But before reviewing examples and how to make company SOPs, we will recall what SOP itself means.
What are SOPs?
SOP is an acronym or abbreviation of Standard Operating Procedure, which, when translated into Indonesian, is Standard Operating Procedure.
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According to one expert, namely Rudi M. Tambunan, the meaning of SOP is a guideline which contains operational standards within an organization.
Then, according to Moekijat (2008), SOP is a sequence of steps in carrying out work starting from how, where, and who does it.
The standard referred to here is the procedure that forms the basis or reference for the implementation of each activity.
While the organization in question is not just an association, but also business entities and organizations within the bureaucratic structure.
With this SOP, there are many benefits that we can get in running business operations and organizations.
For businesses such as companies, for example, SOPs are interpreted as written guidelines for employees as a whole in carrying out their activities.
These guidelines contain detailed procedures and must be followed, in order to realize the vision and mission of a company or organization. The SOP of the company itself is all the guidelines or rules that must be obeyed by employees in carrying out their activities within the company.
What are the benefits? Here are some of them.
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Benefits of Having SOP in the Company
With SOP in a business entity or company, there will be many benefits that can be obtained. These benefits include:
- There is a standardization of work performance that must be achieved by employees in all divisions
- Minimizing work errors, so employees can also be more confident
- Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of employees, either individually or as a team within a division
- Being a control tool for the company over employee performance, as well as improving company performance in the midst of business competition
- As a legal basis for mistakes or violations made by all employees in a company.
- Become a benchmark and basis for finding solutions to every problem
- With examples of company SOPs, it will be easier for each employee to understand their respective obligations, authorities and workflow
Of course standardization like rules will not be able to run according to its function if it is not implemented.
Companies generally use HR applications to help them evaluate the performance of their employees based on predetermined SOPs.
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Examples of Widely Used Company SOPs
So that you can more easily understand the Standard Operating Procedures of the company’s work, in the following we present some examples of company SOPs that are often used.
1. Production SOP
The following is an example of a bakery production SOP.
- The goal is to produce the best quality bakery in terms of taste, appearance as well as the quantity of production every day
- Production SOP covers all those involved in the bakery production process
- Every employee involved in the production process must understand the terms mixing, rounding, resting, filling, final proofing, finishing and packaging
- In the production process, every employee must pay attention to cleanliness, work safety and security, as well as packaging neatness
- All decisions regarding production are under the authority and control of the head of production. So that the flow is right and the quality of production is maintained.
2. SOP of Quality Control Division
This SOP is commonly used as part of an example of a trading company SOP.
- The purpose of this SOP is to ensure product quality meets the specified efficiency standards
- Its scope includes all personnel of the QC ( Quality Control ) division
- Responsibilities fall under the head of the QC division
- Work procedures include:
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- Product inspection at least once a month
- Tracing errors in the production process to identify the cause of the error
- The Production Manager receives and passes on feedback from the head of QC
- The head of the QC division provides a product quality report to the head of production once a month
- The SOP is made by the head of the QC division, known to the Production Manager and approved by the Director.
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3. SOP of the Internal Audit Division
Then there are SOPs for the Internal Audit division, the contents of which are as follows:
- Aims to evaluate the company’s operating system in terms of product quality and distribution.
- The main goal is not to look for weaknesses but to find ways of prevention and problems effectively.
- Aspects covered by internal audit include:
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- Quality management
- Personnel
- Buildings and Equipment
- Documentation
- Complaints and Withdrawals (Recall)
How to Make the Right Company SOP
After seeing the company SOP example above, now is the time to learn how to make one.
Because of the importance of this SOP, it cannot be arbitrary in formulating or compiling it.
SOP must be made by a person who is competent in the field for which the guide will be made.
If you want to create a company SOP, here are some steps to implement.
- Prepare a drafting team that is independent and acts as an evaluation team when it is implemented later
- Fulfills the overall SOP principles, such as easy to understand, aligned, dynamic, can be used as parameters, effective, oriented to the vision and mission of the company
- SOP preparation is carried out after the compiler has conducted a thorough analysis of all existing divisions
- Conduct trials on the implementation of SOPs to determine suitability, before being approved by the company leadership.
- After the SOP is established or ratified, socialization is carried out to all employees. Do not forget to also evaluate periodically to see its effectiveness
- The appearance of the SOP must meet elements such as the name of the company, objectives, scope, person in charge, implementation procedures, implementation and approval
Company SOP is an important component that needs to be considered by business people in running their business.
Because with this SOP, it will be easier for every business to determine the operational flow in order to achieve its goals.
Good goals in making a profit, achieving a minimum production, produce products with quality according to standards and also meet market demand.
The following are the basic functions of SOP in a company or organization that are important for you to understand.
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SOP function
Actually there are many functions of the SOP that can adjust the scope or field that applies it.
Because the correct SOP is dynamic, aligned and also oriented to the vision and mission of the company.
So you can be sure that one company and another will have different objectives and SOP functions.
For example, as an example of a startup company SOP with a food company. From the goal to the procedure is clearly different.
But in general or fundamentally, the functions of SOP are:
- As a reference for the most appropriate or updated operational implementation, following business developments, market needs or other factors that require changes
- As a media documentation of all operational activities of the company. Where this will be needed during the evaluation or audit process.
So, up to this point we can see how important SOP is in an organization or company.
Not only to maintain order and smooth operations, but also as evaluation material with existing performance indicators and considerations in several conditions.
With SOP, the company can ensure that each existing department or division has concrete evidence of each of its activities.
From there, all policies related to company operations for each division or as a whole are based on existing data.
With real data from the field and not just estimates, all policies or decisions will be more on target.
Thus a brief review of SOPs, especially company SOPs, that we can convey.
Hopefully an explanation of the meaning, function, how to make and also examples of company SOPs can help you to understand it better.
That way, you can implement it and get benefits for your business.