Documenting standard operating procedures (SOPs) improves consistency, facilitates process improvement, and contributes to efficient IT operations, yet many organizations struggle to keep their documentation usable and up-to-date.
Visual-based documents such as flowcharts, checklists, and diagrams are more effective than the traditional text-heavy approach and also more likely to be used.
Keep document management practices simple to increase effectiveness and member buy-in. While tools and strategies for document creation, management, and storage will vary, SOPs should be electronic (rather than paper) and web-based (rather than locally hosted).
Incorporate SOP creation and updates into change management processes, and establish clear lines of ownership and accountability.
In this storyboard, learn best practices for:
- Creating effective SOP documentation.
- Maintaining SOP documentation.
- Publishing and managing SOP documentation.
Note: A Standard Operating Procedures Workbook is included to help walk you through the SOP portion of this storyboard. For example, capture the results of the exercises as well as action items for implementing SOPs. A flowchart drawing tool is required to create SOPs as described in this solution set.