Analysing factors responsible for the deviation from standard operating procedures, and recommending a system to prevent this deviation, and ensuring SOP's continuous up-gradation

Abstract

An organization is a going concern and needs to be process-oriented for the continuation of the business. To implement this, the concept of 'Knowledge Management' came to the surface. Standard Operating Procedure is the prevailing mechanism for the knowledge management system and can be defined as the collection of best practices and guidelines to execute the processes effectively on a continual basis. Standardized content of the SOP includes SOP's objective, the task list to be followed, recommended procedures for execution, accountability, and responsibility of various team members, and measurement parameters to verify the implementation. Being an integral part of the organization's knowledge management system, SOP improves productivity, ensures standardization and safety, controls quality, and transfers the knowledge across the organization. Even though being an essential part of the organization's knowledge management system, it has been found that ground-level processes have deviated from the SOPs. This report describes the multiple factors responsible for the deviation from the SOPs by conducting the FGDs and literature reviews. It also identifies and analyses the industry-specific dominant factors which are responsible for deviation from SOP by conducting secondary and primary research. After analyzing the industry-specific dominant factors responsible for deviation, secondary research and experts’ interview have been conducted to propose recommendations that can prevent the deviation from SOPs and ensure the continuous up-gradation of the SOPs.