SOPs makes the delegation process run smoothly. With SOPs common tasks can be delegated with very little interference on your part. This allows you as the business owner to use your time on matters that really require your attention thereby increasing your income making potential.

Steps to developing a SOP

To illustrate the steps to developing a SOP, I will be developing a SOP for ordering ink cartridge.

Determine your ordering policy

Develop policy to determine what level of inventory/ supplies you always want on hand. An example for ink cartridge would be:

1. There should always be 2 ink cartridges at hand: Whoever is assigned to ordering knows he/she would need to order ink cartridge once there are only 2 cartridges on hand.
2. Receipts must be turned in no later than 7 days after initial purchase
3. Use the company credit card for purchases
4. In cases where the credit card is not available, a reimbursement form must be attached to the receipts
5. Reimbursements are made every 2^nd and 4^th Monday of the month and mailed to the address on record

Determine if procedures or guidelines should be developed to go with the policy

Whether or not you should develop procedures or guidelines depends on the amount of consistency you need with the results. Developing procedures for ordering ink cartridges will not make sense. Rather than procedures, develop guidelines. Guidelines gives the person in charge more leeway to get the best possible outcomes.

Example guidelines for ordering supplies

1. Recommended stores for ordering supplies are Office max, Office Depot or Staples
2. Order supplies in bulk to take advantage of bulk discounts
3. If ordering online, compare prices to make sure we get the best available rates
4. Update the inventory/supply list with the new item count

Regulation

Determine if there are any regulations in place that will affect the SOP process. For example, there might be local laws enforcing recycling of ink cartridges. So the regulation in the SOP will look like this: In accordance with local laws, all ink cartridges must be recycled. Therefore, when purchasing new ink cartridge the old one must be taken back to the store for recycling.

Developing sops all boils down to identifying your processes and knowing the best way to communicate it to affected parties. Regardless of how good your sops are, it has to be understandable and easy to follow if people are going to comply.

With SOPs in place, you can efficiently delegate responsibilities. Your subordinates will know what needs to be done without much interference from you.