Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are step-by-step instructions that act as guidelines for employee work processes. Whether written up in numbered steps or formatted as flow charts, effective SOPs are complete, clearly written, and based on input from the workers who do the job. When employees follow the SOP for a particular job, they produce a product that is consistent and predictable.
If creativity is key to your business functions, SOPs may not work for you. Strict adherence to standardized rules can restrict creative flow. However, if your goal is to produce the same product over the long term and increase your business productivity, the implementation of SOPs can have many benefits*.
Unfortunately, creating Standard Operating Procedures costs time and energy that an already busy and growing business often can’t afford.  While there are templates available online, the truth is that someone still has to collect the information that goes in them.
Nevertheless, if your business has plans for expansion, or government contracts, or even if you don’t want to keep recreating the wheel every time you hire a new person,  Standard Operating Procedures are not optional.
That’s where I come in.
From my experience as a documentary filmmaker, I know how to skillfully conduct and transcribe interviews with owners and employees that I can then translate into clear and comprehensible procedure manuals. And my experience as a writer and editor assures that the manuals are written and formatted with excellence.
While creating a manual can feel like a drag on company resources, I’m just geeky enough, and methodical enough, to find the process a genuine joy. It’s that strange niche we all hope to find, that thing that we’re good at, that people need, and that we enjoy. So if you, or your company, knows you’ve been needing Standard Operating Procedures, but just haven’t gotten around to creating them, get in touch and let’s talk about making it happen.
Email HanleyVega@gmail.com and let’s have a conversation.
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