SOP — Standard Operating Procedures · Tyshchenko Lean Academy

Definition and goals

SOP — standard operating procedures — are documented instructions that describe the specific actions needed to complete tasks to the set standards.

STANDARDIZATION AIMS TO:

Reduce deviations from process requirements and deliver stable, predictable results no matter who performs the operation

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For workers

Higher productivity through clear instructions

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For supervisors

Easier process management and faster onboarding

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For improvement teams

They use the SOP as the baseline for Kaizen and further improvement

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For the business

Less impact of the human factor on results

7 goals of standardization

①Lock in the best practices for operations across the plant

②Improve the quality of production operations

③Make results more predictable

④Minimize the impact of the human factor

⑤Shorten and improve training for new employees

⑥Raise employees’ knowledge and skills

⑦Visualize each step — pictures instead of words wherever possible

5 stages of writing an SOP — in order

1

Determine the takt time

TT = Net available time ÷ Customer demand

2

Determine production capacity

Capacity = Net working time ÷ (CT + changeover)

3

Determine the number of operators

Operators = Σ(work elements) ÷ takt time

4

Define the standard procedures ⚠

First: eliminate waste → draw up a plan → set the checkpoints

5

Lay out the SOP chart

→ Repeat the cycle (Kaizen → new standard)

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McDonald's — the world’s gold standard for SOPs

Hundreds of pages of operating standards · 40,000+ restaurants · 100+ countries

McDonald's is the best-known SOP example in the world. Its operating system is so precise that a teenager with no experience can work a station after a couple of days of training. A burger in Tokyo tastes the same as one in Chicago — that’s not magic, that’s SOP.

~1 min

Standard grill time for a patty, start to finish. Going outside the set window = an SOP violation

11 sec

Bun toasting time is fixed to the second — not “about right.” It’s written into the global standard

165°F

Minimum internal temperature after cooking. Checked on a set schedule and recorded in the control log

30 min

Maximum time finished food may sit in the holding cabinet. After that, it is thrown out. No exceptions

2 days

Time to get a new crew member productive thanks to SOPs and the training system. Any person, any country

Lesson for a Lean Architect: McDonald's proves that SOPs remove dependence on “irreplaceable people.” Your best operator goes on vacation? With an SOP in place, the process keeps running.

SOP: Changing the film on a packing line

SOP-PACK-001 · Rev.2

Tray sealer

Equipment

6 min

Time (with SOP)

15 lb

Film waste/wk

SEQUENCE OF OPERATIONS:

1

Stop the line — press STOP on the control panel. Make sure the conveyor has stopped

2

Open the top guard (OPEN button). Wait for the yellow “Safe to access” signal

3

Cut off the rest of the old film — the knife is stored to the right of the reel. Take the roll off the shaft

4

Mount the new reel on the shaft. Check the unwind direction (arrow on the reel = forward)

5

Thread the film through the 4 guide rollers following the diagram on the sticker inside the guard

6

Close the guard. Press START. Check the first 3 packs for seal integrity by hand

Before the SOP

9 min

Changeover time. Film waste of 40 lb/week from incorrect threading

After the SOP

6 min

−33% time. Film waste down to 15 lb/week and stable. Every operator does it the same way

SOP: Organizing the parts warehouse

SOP-WH-003 · Rev.1

Warehouse

Department

2 min

Find a part

100%

Addressed storage

SITUATION:

Everyone stored parts their own way → finding one took 10–20 min → line delays → picking errors

FIX (THE STANDARD):

1

5S: sort every item. Anything unneeded goes to a red-tag area for 30 days, then gets disposed of

2

Address system: every slot = a code (Row-Section-Level), e.g. A-03-2. Mark it on the shelves and the floor

3

Layout plan: frequently used parts go in zone A (near the entrance). Rarely used ones go in zone C (far end)

4

Minimum stock: each slot has a min/max sticker. Below min — a reorder is triggered automatically

5

Weekly audit: the storekeeper checks physical stock against the map. A gap of more than 5% — an A3 investigation

Before the standard

10–20 min

Time to find a part. Line delays several times a week

After the standard

<2 min

Any part by its code. Line delays caused by the warehouse — 0

Practice: Fill in an SOP card for one of your own processes. The tool will generate a finished chart.

OPERATION NAME AND CODE

PURPOSE OF THE OPERATION

EQUIPMENT

TIME (min)

OPERATOR

STEPS

BEFORE / AFTER RESULT

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Purpose

—

From the army to McDonald's — standards save millions

1

1940s

The U.S. Army — SOPs as a weapon of victory

In WWII, millions of new soldiers had to learn complex tasks in weeks. The Army developed Technical Manuals (TMs) — the forerunner of the SOP. The result: a young farmhand from Ohio could learn to maintain a Sherman tank in a few weeks. The principles then moved into industry.

2

1961

Ray Kroc — McDonald's sold a standard, not a burger

Kroc’s team wrote an operations manual that spelled out every task down to the second. By 1965 there were 700 restaurants, all the same. Today there are 40,000+ in 100+ countries. Kroc had no secret recipe. He had a standard — and that changed everything.

3

Today

SOPs save lives every day

The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist (2008) — an SOP for surgeons — cut surgical deaths by nearly half in its pilot study. Aviation, nuclear plants, operating rooms. The principle is the same: document the best way → train → monitor → improve.