INGENIEUR
Worker on an oil rig performs standard operation procedure
Therefore , an SOP can be viewed as a tool to add value to the company and an important key to achieve manufacturing excellence .
An SOP must be drafted with great care and by a team of experienced stakeholders who may be knowledge managers , supervisors , engineers , technicians or high-performing employees . There are a few steps that need to be considered when drafting an SOP such as ;
● Identify the right stakeholders to draft the SOP ,
● Determine the purpose and goals of creating the SOP ,
● Define the end users of the SOP ,
● Identify the right instructions to be included in the SOP , for example , step by step actions to complete a task ,
● Decide the appropriate safety instructions like PPE , tools , do and don ’ t actions , and precautionary steps . and
● Training for workers . Changes in processes , machines , material or customer expectations may cause a revision to an SOP . Existing manual processes replaced by automation due to technology advancement , an added or simplified process when the product design is modified , present materials replaced with alternative advanced materials , are some of the common examples which may affect an SOP . Therefore , an SOP must be revisited from time to time depending on the needs . In addition , it is necessary to review an SOP whenever a problem is encountered that is related to an operation . Almost all operational related problems , can be traced back to the SOP .
A 3P cycle may be applied to investigate the problem . This consists of the following investigation steps :
1P – Is an SOP available ? If not , then an SOP must be established . If available , then proceed to the next step .
2P – Is the SOP perfect ? If not perfect ( example - inaccurate , a missing step , or a mistake )? Revise the SOP to address the imperfection that caused the problem . If the SOP is perfect , then proceed to the next step .
52 VOL 90 APRIL-JUNE 2022