Blog : Process Maps Or SOPs Which Is Better To Document Your Organization

We are often asked by potential clients to develop a standard operating procedure, SOP, to document the firm work. Because we are a process-mapping firm, we often document workflows, but in a way that is different from what customer-initiated expectations are. We know from extensive experience that SOP is a poor, cumbersome way to work in any organization. In summary, the following are several reasons that process maps provide better documentation.

Time to grow - SOP takes sufficient time to develop, often 40 hours, or more for a business process. For uniform descriptions, and understanding process maps can usually be created in a few hours.

Ease of maintenance - Because SOP types are instructions, they are hard to maintain and require extensive amounts of time. Process maps are visual diagrams, which are easily modified using icons, symbols, and stencils.

Employee Engagement - SOPs are usually written by staff members who interview the workers, then write descriptions of what they have learned. The process map is best made in workshops that work by asking those who work to participate in a diagram of that task. The workshop method increases employee engagement and understanding of work.

Ownership - SOPs are rarely understood and are owned by those who work, as they are usually carried out by staff members who place them in file cabinets to access when necessary. Process maps are incorporating into their workflows, which facilitate high employee ownership and easy identification.

Documentation volume - The amount of documentation required when using SOP is extensive. This is because all the works have been preparing through written narratives and written instructions. Process maps are largely expressed through visual models and require very few words and documentation to understand.

Conclusion - Process maps can be quite handy with many aptitudes and exercises. When corrected, there is very little difference in map creation, including tasks, decisions, inputs, and outputs. In observation, SOPs can be very long-drawn, take many days to finish, and hold thousands of words, leaving them wide open for interpretation. Because of their unclear connectivity and lack of formation, SOPs can take many hours to read and follow.