Making SOPs work for you

by Dr. Robert A. Kemp

This is the final article on creating and utilizing a standard operating procedure (SOP) to acquire MRO capital equipment (MROCE).

The first article justified the need for the SOP and defined the five steps to create a SOP as: 1) identify the organizational elements involved; 2) identify leaders with approval authority; 3) delineate responsibilities; 4) map the process; and, 5) gain approval, publish and educate the users. The second article mapped the process for creating and publishing your SOP. This article outlines our last step: Publicize the SOP and educate users on using it for all MROCE acquisitions.

We know that clarity of policy and clearly defined procedures are beneficial to good managerial processes. Moreover, it is clear that many of our organizations could benefit from a good SOP to guide acquisition of MROCE. Achieving these two benefits depends on the education and involvement of the organizational workforce. Education and rollout is a systematic five-step managerial and leadership process. The education process takes place across the five steps outlined below and by interaction (formal and informal) between supply management and the users.

The five steps are:
1) publication and distribution
2) public relations
3) overcoming resistance to change
4) utilization and performance
5) repetition and renewal

My conversations with managers suggest that we cause ourselves plenty of trouble by ignoring or short-circuiting these steps. Ignore any step and the SOP will fail.

Publication and distribution: Most companies have standard procedures and prescribed formats to publish and distribute internal documents. It’s good management to ensure that we support the established processes. Even so, you must make certain that existing procedures include publishing and distributing our new SOP for MROCE acquisition to the intended users and user departments.

Public relations: Our supply management public relations effort must ensure that the intended users received and understand the new SOP and that it was filed for future reference. We should know the organizational elements that are the major users and visit or contact them concerning the SOP to ensure they have it and know how to use it. This is a continuation of the coordination work that we completed as we prepared and published the SOP. Receiving the new SOP ought not be a surprise to the user elements.

Overcoming resistance to change: More than likely, some user elements will want to resist the new process by continuing maverick buying. Resistance to new processes is unfortunate but usual behavior. As we prepared the SOP, we should have identified sources of resistance and worked to overcome the problem. Primary causes of resistance are lack of information, failure to communicate and a lack of understanding of the new process.  Openness and involvement in the change team can reduce resistance.

People want to understand why and how the process works and they want to be assured that their MRO equipment needs will be met, on time and on budget. During our planning process, we should have identified these concerns. We can and should show users how the SOP satisfies their concerns.

Utilization and performance: For many users, the first test of the SOP will be their first request. They will be watching and evaluating the performance of supply management against the SOP. Many of them will be waiting and watching for flaws or less than perfect service. The utilization and performance phase is of utmost importance to supply management. Go out of your way to ensure the SOP works for the users.

Repetition and renewal: This phase ensures long-term success for the SOP. Personnel changes in both the user and supply management elements ensure that learning about the SOP is an ongoing educational requirement. As the SOP managers, it behooves supply management to keep the SOP current and to provide an ongoing repetition of the communication process that ensures users are aware of it and actually use it.

We know that we need a standard operating procedure for the MROCE acquisition process. Similarly, we know that SOPs can range from very formal documents to policy established by precedent. Finally, we know that people and organization elements change over time, so our SOP must be uniformly learned and renewed over time.

It has been said that “education keeps like raw fish.” Similarly, we know that old, faded documents don’t attract much attention or use, even if they are still current. With that comes a word to the wise: Keep your MROCE SOP current, usable and in the hands of the users.

Robert Kemp is a consultant, speaker and the former president of the Institute for Supply Management. He can be reached at kempr@mchsi.com. 

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