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A very strange incident got reported today in the news. An Aircraft just took-off while approx 50 passengers were waiting at the boarding gate for the coach to drive them to the Aircraft.
In my understanding, a small lapse in following a simple procedure, coupled with lack of communication/coordination within the ground staff and aircraft crew, plus bad attitude towards customers must have caused this major embarrassment for #gofirst and inconvenience for the Customers.
This post is not to criticise the role of the airline or their staff, but sharing some knowledge about importance of effective Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and the impact of now adhering to well defined procedures.
An SOP is a simple yet well defined document with step-by-step instructions to execute a specific task or a set of tasks in any project, department, business unit or an Organization as a whole.
Any organization which is looking to scale multifold, operate from various locations, dealing with a huge customer base or just planning to be successful, needs to look at a robust SOP structure, covering all departments, relationships, projects and objectives.
Once a robust SOP structure is defined and documented, the next important task is to train all employees, stakeholders and affected parties on the importance and use of SOPs.
Effective standard operating procedures (SOPs) are essential for ensuring consistency and efficiency in the operations of any organization. They provide clear and detailed instructions for performing specific tasks or processes, which helps to minimize errors and improve overall performance.
Here are a few key benefits of having effective SOPs in place:
Improved Quality Control: SOPs help to ensure that tasks are performed consistently and correctly, which can help to improve the overall quality of the products or services provided by an organization.
Increased Efficiency: By providing clear and detailed instructions for performing tasks, SOPs can help to streamline operations and reduce the time and resources required to complete them.
Better Compliance: SOPs can help organizations to comply with regulatory requirements by providing a clear and consistent framework for performing tasks in a way that meets legal and industry standards.
Easy Employee training: New employees or temporary staff can be easily trained by providing them the SOPs which would help them understand the process in a better way.
Reduced Risk: By providing clear and detailed instructions for performing tasks, SOPs can help to minimize the risk of errors and accidents, which can save organizations time and money.
Overall, Effective SOPs can help to improve performance, reduce risk, and ensure compliance, it is critical for any organization that wants to operate efficiently and effectively.
When employees fail to follow SOPs, it can result in a variety of negative consequences. Some possible examples include:
Reduced productivity: When employees don't follow SOPs, they may take longer to complete tasks, make more mistakes, or produce lower-quality work. This can lead to increased costs, delays, and customer dissatisfaction.
Increased risk of accidents and injuries: SOPs are often put in place to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries in the workplace. When employees don't follow these procedures, it increases the risk of incidents occurring.
Poor quality of products or services: If SOPs aren't followed in a manufacturing or service setting, it can lead to poor-quality products or services, which can result in customer complaints, returns, and lost business.
Legal and regulatory violations: Some SOPs are put in place to comply with legal and regulatory requirements. When employees don't follow these procedures, it can result in the organization being fined or facing other legal consequences.
Loss of trust and credibility: When employees don't follow SOPs, it can undermine the trust and credibility of the organization with customers, partners, and other stakeholders.
It's important to keep in mind that, it's not just the individual employee who will be impacted by not following SOPs, but the whole organization and other stakeholders as well. It's important to have systems in place to ensure that SOPs are followed, such as training, regular audits and checklists, clear communication, and appropriate disciplinary action for non-compliance.
Checkout my "Oper-fection" model for existing organizations and startups to help them define "effective SOPs" in the organization to help build a strong foundation for the future.
