What are Digital Standard Operating Procedures?

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are step-by-step instructions for how to complete routine production tasks. Digitizing your paper-based operating processes can greatly improve workflow efficiency, increase regulatory compliance, and reduce errors on the shop floor.

Operational managers assign workers SOPs to ensure that tasks are carried out in a unified way, factory-wide. However, many companies still use paper-based instructions, which can significantly limit their effectiveness.

That’s because manual documents become outdated and often get mixed up or lost. Over time, using paper-based processes can hurt worker productivity in ways you don’t even realize.

Implementing digital SOP software instead can streamline your work processes. Read on to learn about the inner workings of electronic SOPs and how they can improve production quality:

Purpose of electronic SOPs
Features of digital SOP software
How digital SOPs can improve production quality

Purpose of electronic SOPs

Digital SOPs can turn difficult-to-read how-to documents into well-crafted interactive workflows.

SOPs should be clear and concise to avoid any confusion. But digital versions can include multimedia elements to guide workers through complex procedures. For example, photos, videos, and charts are the perfect add-on to processes that need visuals to better communicate tasks.

Further, when standard operating procedures are digitized using a connected worker platform, a cloud-based management system enables management to create, assign, manage, and monitor the work being done. This SOP software solution can eliminate the need for paper-based reporting and help keep track of production quality in real-time.

Features of digital SOP software

There are a number of SOP software solutions that can provide management with the tools to document, record, and turn procedures into understandable work actions. Effective software should provide workers with the support they need to boost job performance.

We’ve put together a list of features that basic SOP software should have or perform:

Centralized hub for SOPs: A unified system should have some sort of hub that workers can access to search and find updated documents in a single place. This ensures that employees can find whatever they need when they need it.

SOP approval workflows: SOPs must go through a quality assurance process to ensure products meet requirements before customer distribution. The right program should capture who approves what so that there is a clear audit trail of which procedures were approved and when. This helps to eliminate any confusion surrounding procedures and is a reliable recordkeeping method to reference in case of employee turnover.

Sharing and permission capabilities: Whichever digital SOP software you choose should have sharing and permission privileges while also keeping confidential documents locked from unauthorized access. Having readily accessible procedures ensures quality collaboration among all workers involved in a project.

SOP templates: The software should come with standard templates to use. These will save you time on document creation and give you a better idea of what SOPs look like.

Ability to standardize internal procedures: An operating system should be able to effectively organize and standardize procedures during every step of the document creation process, including updating and auditing. This can drastically improve how manufacturing plants create SOPs and lead to better documentation in the long run.

Employee training and certification module: An effective software program should include a module that tells workers which training courses need to be completed to show they understand the SOP material. Tracking this information also helps management better understand who isn’t following SOP compliance guidelines and how to close knowledge gaps.

How digital SOPs can improve production quality

Paper SOPs are not convenient or economical for your business — and it’s not uncommon for management to delay updating them due to how long it may take to edit, print, and distribute them to team members. In the end, paper procedures become bulky manuals that are forgotten or neglected by busy workers, which can have devastating impacts on production quality.

Think of digital SOPs as your guiding light that can save time on process completion, increase product quality, and ensure compliance.

Cloud-based software can be accessed from anywhere, anytime. This instant visibility prevents workers from having to spend time looking for procedures or waiting for paper updates to complete projects. Having an accountable place to search and find documents can boost worker productivity levels and ensure that production quality is up to compliance standards.

Even small violations can carry tough non-compliance penalties. Digital SOPs make it easier to track completed tasks and provide evidence that workers are following protocols.

Augmentir’s advanced connected worker solution can help your business transition to digital SOPs reporting. Our suite of software tools makes it easy to convert your paper-based SOPs to digital SOPs and drive improvements in production quality.

Let us help you streamline your frontline operations to improve production quality though digitized work procedures. Get in touch with us for a free demo.