Standard Operating Procedures: Tips for Creating Business Systems

You work in a small department where each of your coworkers handles a different function, yet all the parts are interconnected and result in the final finished product or service. Or perhaps everyone in your department basically does the same thing, but each of you has a different modus operandi (that's MO or method of operation). Creating a business system or standard operating procedure (SOP) may be the right move for you.

A good business system summarizes everything you know about your role in the company and how to do your job. If you have a good system, anyone who follows it will get the same result every time. They'll be able to do your job. And if you aren't getting the results you want, all you have to do is change your methods of operating - your system. It's that simple.

Business systems are beneficial, too. They ensure consistency of work results by creating a step-by-step process (a road map, if you will) of your responsibilities so that you are more productive. Additionally, they can also prevent you from forgetting necessary steps. That's especially important for tasks that you handle less frequently - quarterly or annually, for example - or for when you've just come back from a long absence or vacation. Plus, well-documented business systems are a useful tool for training someone new or for meeting regulatory compliance.

Developing a Business System Strategy

It's important to begin by determining what your business system will look like. How will you document your procedures and what resources or tools are you going to use? Whatever you decide, make sure to keep your business system as simple as possible. Let's start by identifying the various tools you have available to help you.

There are several different tools that you might want to use alone or in combination to create your business system. Each offers its own benefits, some are easier to use than others, and all can be completed using technology; either computer software or video.

Checklists and Templates

For instance, you might choose to create a Word or Excel checklist or template. Checklists ensure that all steps or actions occur, not necessarily in a specific order (though that can be part of the process), but rather just that they are completed, while a template is an established pattern - form letters, resume designs - that you can use over and over to produce the same result.

Flow Charts

You might decide a flow chart will better illustrate the logic behind how your business process flows. Software such as PowerPoint, Visio or SmartDraw can aid in the development.

Screen Shot Capture

Another avenue for capturing your business system is to utilize a computer screen shot program such as Camtasia 6.0, which allows you to record your computer screen, creating a video so that observers can actually see you in action as you complete a process. You can add audio, convert PowerPoint slides to video (including exact slide timing, animations, sound effects, narration, webcam video, and any web pages or applications displayed onscreen during the presentation), and you can record podcasts. Naturally, you may just want to utilize a regular old video/audio camera.

Whatever you choose, keep in mind that your systems should be as simple as possible (think of following a recipe), yet detailed enough that someone who has never seen them before can easily follow your system and still produce the desired results.

Three Steps to Business System Creation

To ensure that anyone can pick up your documented business system and figure out what to do, here are three steps to get you going.

Step One: Start at the End. Know your goal first and then define the steps necessary to get there.

Step Two: Test What You Created. Have someone not acquainted with your business system follow the steps to see what happens.

Step Three: Train Others to Use It. Ensure that someone else has been properly trained and can demonstrate their proficiency.

The whole idea behind creating a business system is to ensure that you have documentation of your actions with procedures that can be followed by anyone who has a mind to do so.