Standard operating procedure

For the 2008 documentary film, see Standard Operating Procedure (film).

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out routine operations.[1] SOPs aim to achieve efficiency, quality output, and uniformity of performance, while reducing miscommunication and failure to comply with industry regulations.[citation needed]

Some military services (e.g., in the U.S. and the UK) use the term standing operating procedure,[2] since a military SOP refers to a unit's unique procedures, which are not necessarily standard to another unit. The word "standard" could suggest that only one (standard) procedure is to be used across all units.[citation needed]

The term is sometimes used facetiously to refer to practices that are unconstructive, yet the norm. In the Philippines, for instance, "SOP" is the term for pervasive corruption within the government and its institutions.[3][4]

  1. ^ “Standard operating procedure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standard%20operating%20procedure. Accessed 15 Jun. 2023.
  2. ^ Nolen, Jeannette L. "standard operating procedure". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  3. ^ In Pursuit of Progress: Narratives of Development on a Philippine Island. University of Hawaii Press. 31 January 2017. ISBN 9780824858902.
  4. ^ "Anticorruptiondigest.com". anticorruptiondigest.com.