Keeping SOPs Up To Date

0:24: What is an sop? SOP, the operating manual of the business. Why sops need to be updated. 2:59: The difference between a sop and project plan. The difference between an sop and a project plan. Keeping an SOP up to date. 5:25: Do you attach sops to every task on a project? The distinction between assigning sops and trust. Putting more trust in the individual. The broken windows theory with subway cars. Taking out the trash everywhere. 10:01: How often do you keep your sop up to date? Building sop into the culture. How to keep sop up-to-date. 12:31: Would you take out the trash? Taking out the trash and paying for it. Similar to taking out the garbage. 16:59: Keeping up to date with technology. Keeping things up to date is a legacy thing. An sop for the podcast to streamline the delivery of the podcast. 19:38: Should teaching be separate from the checklist? Should teaching be separate from the original video. Teach people how to do the job. 22:37: Pleasure to be alive. A quick recap of the episode. A quick summary of the conversation. 24:53: Organizational structure is key. Organization is key to enforcing SOPs. The 1000 list, brand standards and mission vision. 26:45: Define the culture of your company. Championing the new way of doing things. The importance of clear organizational structure and enforcement. Next step is to make it explicit. Taking out the trash is for everyone.

Topics Covered In This Episode:

In this episode we started with a discussion on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the operating manuals for businesses, highlighting the need for their constant update and distinguishing them from project plans.
Jeff and Mercer debated whether SOPs should be attached to every task in a project and explored the balance between trust in an individual's capabilities and following SOPs. The "broken windows theory" with subway cars was brought up as an analogy.
They discussed the frequency of keeping SOPs updated, emphasizing the importance of building SOP maintenance into a company's culture. It also brought up the metaphor of taking out the trash in relation to SOP upkeep.
The conversation then moved to the importance of keeping up to date with technology and proposed creating an SOP for the podcast to streamline its delivery.
Mercer and Jeff deliberated whether teaching should be separate from the checklist, arguing for the need to educate people on their roles.
We wrapped up by stressing the importance of a clear organizational structure and strong enforcement of SOPs. We highlighted the need to define a company's culture explicitly and reiterated the idea that everyone in a company has a responsibility, likening it again to everyone taking out the trash.