The most important SOP to create right now

The WHY behind everything you do in your business is important - this you probably already know.

Well it's also true for the things you do behind the scenes, especially your SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).

Why?

Because the way you create an SOP and the final form it takes depends heavily on its purpose (aka the why).

Here are two examples to illustrate why the why is so important:

1. You wouldn’t train a new employee by handing them a simple checklist because it just doesn't provide enough detail to help them do what they need to do.
2. Similarly, you wouldn’t implement a repetitive quality control check by recording and watching an in depth video - it would take way too much time to watch each time and not allow for any interaction. 

So let's talk about why you might want to create an SOP in the first place:

• Do you want to outsource something that only you know how to do?
• Do you want to more efficiently train new hires?
• Do you want to improve quality and consistency?
• Do you want to automate something that’s done manually right now?
• Do you want to document how something happens so that it can be optimized or improved?

It’s not uncommon to say YES to all of those things, but try to pinpoint just one to focus on for a very specific SOP you want to create.

What is the most important SOP to create RIGHT NOW and why?

Focus on creating one SOP at a time so that you, or a member of your team, can implement it well. Then you can start from the beginning and create another (and another).

Once you've got your first SOP in mind and you know the why behind it, you're ready for the next step of the process, the HOW. 

Check out the other articles in this series:

1. What the heck is an SOP?
2. The most important SOP to create right now
3. 4 questions to answer before you create an SOP
4. My SOP for creating SOPs
5. 5 time-saving hacks for creating SOPs