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SOP

Big Projects Are Made Up of Thousands of Small Pieces

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How Can I Sort Through All of Them and Get Them in the Right Order?

Over the past several weeks we’ve discussed the importance of having a plan when it comes to building anything successfully. This goes for construction projects or businesses. Part of that discussion was focused on having a clear and implementable business operating plan.

We looked at how a standard operating procedure can help you achieve consistent results, reduce costs, increase productivity, and create a higher level of standards. We broke down the things that should be in an SOP. Then we discussed the process of determining the design of your SOP.

It became pretty evident that designing, building, and implementing an SOP is a pretty big project. It’s a lot like building a big construction project, if you don’t start, it will never get built.

The same thing is true for your business…if you don’t start, it will never get built.

I have found myself in several different situations over the past several weeks that have aligned with this whole big overwhelming idea of the SOP. It reminded me of a previous post about being too busy.

Here is an excerpt from that post –

This morning as I was posting in my journal, I started thinking about all of the things that I didn’t get done yesterday. Then I began to think about how many times I have posted this same thing over and over. It sure seems that I spend way too much time feeling overwhelmed and behind. I really want to get more done!

Then I thought about all of the times that I’ve had this conversation with other people. “How is your day going? Man, I am so far behind I don’t think I will ever get caught up. I sure wish there were more hours in the day.” I have heard these or similar comments more times than I can count.

Our lives can feel like a 20,000-piece jigsaw puzzle was dumped out in front of us with no picture of what it is supposed to look like when it’s done.

So how can we get all of these pieces to fit…or can we? This is the big question. It would be nice to know what the finished puzzle is supposed to look like. This puzzle can be tough and frustrating. I think it is especially difficult for those of us who are ‘recovering perfectionists’. We want all the pieces to fit just right. To know ahead of time exactly where each piece is supposed to go. This particular puzzle, called life, doesn’t work like that.

Here are some reasons we struggle with our puzzle and some ideas to help us get our pieces to fit.

  • We pick up too many pieces by over scheduling. There are so many pieces…Start with the corner pieces. Put in the most important pieces first.
  • The puzzle isn’t going together as fast as we want. Sometimes (most times) things just take longer…do as much planning and preparation as we can before we start, but don’t over plan. Spread the pieces out, find the edge pieces and get started.
  • With so many pieces in front of us we lose our focus. After we have put the edge pieces in place…remember that we can only put one piece in at a time. Concentrate on that one. If it doesn’t fit, then pick up a different piece and focus on it.

Life is a puzzle. What really makes this puzzle fun and exciting is that while we are putting our puzzle together other people are doing the same thing and their puzzle connects to ours.

Ideas are great, but if you don’t take action, nothing will get done.

Whatever the project is that you’re working on, find the first next piece, pick it up and put it in place, then repeat. This is the only way you will get the business of your dreams built.

What Should be Included in Your Company’s Standard Operating Procedure?

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Like Everything Else in Your Business, the Answer to That Question is Up to You

Last week we talked about preparing an operating system for businesses and how it can help you build a successful construction company. I pointed out that a standard operating procedure is a set of detailed step-by-step instructions that describe how to carry out any given process.

I discussed that it would allow you to –

  • Achieve consistent results
  • Reduce costs and increase productivity
  • Create a higher level of standards

This all sounds great, but what does it really mean?

Let’s break standard – operation – procedure down as it applies to business.

Standard – Is a consistent basis of comparison, an approved model, as determined by you as the owner and/or your leadership team. It recognizes a level of acceptable excellency. It is the level that the bar is set and where you let everyone on your team know what is expected.

Operation – Is a highly organized activity involving many people doing different things that contribute to the outcome of the whole. It is the performance of practical work involving practical application of principles and processes.

Procedure – Refers to a comprehensive set of instructions that prescribes a certain way of performing a process, or part of a process, in relation to time. It states a chronological sequence for undertaking activities, to achieve the objectives. Procedures are meant for members of the organization, including directors, managers, and workers to be pursued. It states exactly what course of action is to be followed by an employee in a specific circumstance.

Like everything in your company, you get to decide what and how things are done. Your operating procedures are no different. You get to decide…

  • What your standards are going to be
  • How your operations are going to be organized
  • What procedures you are going to implement

Constructing your Standard Operating Procedure.

Here is a list of things that are typically used in a SOP –

  • A Title Page
    • Title
    • Names of people who created the document
    • Dates when the document was created
    • Departments, divisions or people who will use this document
  • Table of Contents
    • A table of contents allows team members to easily find sections and areas quickly.
  • Introduction
    • The purpose and scope of this document
    • Roles and responsibilities of team members who are involved in the process
    • Resources and materials that team members will need to complete procedures
    • Cautions and warnings related to the procedures used in the process
  • Procedures
    • This is the essence of your SOP. Here you describe what needs to be done, the order of the tasks, and methodology team members need to follow. You can list the different steps here and if the process is more complex, include sub-steps to describe all activities in detail. You can include diagrams, images, and/or illustrations when appropriate. Imagery can be an effective way of explaining how to get things done.
  • Quality Control
    • Team members can keep track of performance on a case-by-case basis or over a period of time by consulting with this section.
      • Best practices related to a specific procedure
      • Guidelines on how to measure their performance
      • Samples of previous results
  • References and Glossary
    • Here you can include all the terms, resources, and documents that might be in the procedure section. This is especially helpful if you’re onboarding a new hire, and they’re not familiar with your company and business concepts.

These are examples of things that should be included in your company’s Standard Operating Procedures. Like I said before, it’s your company so you can pick and choose what will be included in your business.

As we go forward on this topic I will continue to go deeper and provide more specific about how to prepare an SOP for your company. Keep in mind that this process is like every other part of building your dream business.

It takes a lot of bricks to build a successful business.

Like I said last week, your company’s SOP is an important part of the Blueprint for Building a Better Business. and is one of the tools that we plan to include in the Business Building Toolbox.