SOP (standard operating procedure)

A standard operating procedure is a written set of steps for one recurring task: how to close a job, order materials, onboard a client or open the shop. A good SOP names the owner, the tools and the standard for done, and is short enough to be used rather than filed. Many include a short video recorded on a phone or screen.

For British Columbia owners the case for SOPs is practical. Training a new hire personally every time is the owner's most expensive habit. Quality that varies by who is on shift costs customers. And a business whose processes exist only in people's heads is worth less to a buyer, because the risk of the owner leaving is high. Documented procedures are among the first things a serious buyer asks to see.

In practice SOPs are written by watching the person who does the task best, writing it in their words and testing it with someone who has never done it. They live where the work happens, as checklists in scheduling or CRM software and documents in a shared drive, not in a binder. Each has an owner and a review date. A small company needs fewer than it fears, often ten to twenty for the workflows that touch revenue, safety and quality. Ali Sedighi's team writes SOPs with the client's staff and builds the review rhythm that keeps them true. Playbooks cover situations, SOPs cover tasks.