Figure 7 : PDCA Cycle for SGA
operating procedures . This is to ensure the improvement can be sustained and prevent recurrence .
As described , the SGA is a continuous activity leading to continuous incremental improvement through participation of employees . Therefore , once management adopts the right strategy , the results attained by SGA will progressively add value and strengthen the company ’ s competitiveness .
PRINCIPLE 4 : STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
In a manufacturing plant , there are many tasks which need to be performed by workers when making products . The tasks must be performed in a specific proven way so as to reduce variation which is the root cause of mistakes , trouble or defects . One of the effective and widely used approaches is by establishing standard operating procedures or SOPs . By definition , a standard operation procedure is a set of step-by-step instructions to guide employees to complete tasks smoothly and meet the desired targets . Besides serving as work instruction , an SOP also contributes other tangible benefits such as :
● Adherence of employees to the most efficient and effective way to go about a certain task ,
● Enhancement of work safety where employees act according to the given work instructions ,
● Support for good communications between upstream and downstream workers , and
● Maintaining the organisational knowledge since the work content , best practice and experience gained are documented . It can become an effective onboard training material for newly recruited employees .
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