Standard operating procedures, or SOPs, are critical to quality assurance. Frequently, in an operation with many associates, each one does his or her job as well as possible (because no one wants to do a bad job). Some people, however, will do tasks differently than others—and usually they think that theirs is the “right” way!

SOPs put all this to rest, as they’re officially approved by the responsible department managers and other interested parties, such as the food safety team. SOPs define the correct way to do a task, as established by the company. They are also valuable training tools, as they can be shared with new associates, especially for those new to the task. Associates can then refer back to them once they are working on their own. Even an employee who has been with the company for many years might forget the ins and outs of a task if that person has not done it in a while (and of course, no one wants to ask and look silly). So, having an SOP available allows all employees to discreetly check and make sure they are on the right track.

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