Standard operating procedure: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 22:49, 1 April 2022

Revision as of 22:07, 4 April 2022

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The [[military]] (e.g. in the U.S. and UK) sometimes uses the term '''standing''' (rather than ''standard'') '''operating procedure''' because a military SOP refers to a unit's unique procedures, which are not necessarily standard to another unit. The word "standard" can imply that only one (standard) procedure is to be used across all units.

The term can also be 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.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/In_Pursuit_of_Progress/wFkEEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=sop%20%22operating%20procedure%22|isbn=9780824858902|title=In Pursuit of Progress: Narratives of Development on a Philippine Island|date=31 January 2017|publisher=University of Hawaii Press}}</ref><ref>https://anticorruptiondigest.com/2016/11/24/philippines-sop-corruption-in-police/</ref>

==Clinical research and practice==

In clinical research, the ''[[International Council on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use|International Council for Harmonisation]]'' (ICH) defines SOPs as "detailed, written instructions to achieve uniformity of the performance of a specific function". SOPs usually get applied in pharmaceutical processing and for related clinical studies. There the focus is always set on repeated application of unchanged processes and procedures and its documentation, hence supporting the segregation of origins, causes and effects. Further application is with [[triage]], when limited resources get used according to an assessment on ranking, urgence and staffing possibilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/about/contracting/rfqs/support_ant/docs/environ_health_safety/usap_sandh_policy_man/mcmurdostandardmedicalsop-311.pdf |title=McMurdo Station Medical Standard Operating Procedures as of 2006/06 |format=PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304225955/https://www.nsf.gov/about/contracting/rfqs/support_ant/docs/environ_health_safety/usap_sandh_policy_man/mcmurdostandardmedicalsop-311.pdf|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Study director is mainly responsible for SOPs. The Quality Assurance Unit are individuals who are responsible for monitoring whether the study report and tests are meeting the SOP.

SOPs can also provide employees with a reference to common business practices, activities, or tasks. New employees use a SOP to answer questions without having to interrupt supervisors to ask how an operation is performed. The international quality standard [[ISO 9001]] essentially requires the determination of processes (documented as standard operating procedures) used in any manufacturing process that could affect the quality of the product.<ref>[http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/management_standards/quality_management/iso_9001_2008/guidance_on_the_documentation_requirements_of_iso_9001_2008.htm Guidance on the Documentation Requirements of ISO 9001:2008] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015230555/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/management_standards/quality_management/iso_9001_2008/guidance_on_the_documentation_requirements_of_iso_9001_2008.htm |date=October 15, 2011 }}</ref>