SOP - what is it? Abbreviation decoding

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

There are a lot of different abbreviations in our life. Some of them we know, some we don't. It becomes interesting that some abbreviations have several transcripts. For example, Caller ID can stand for Academy of Social Sciences or Caller Line Identifier. SOP is one such ambiguous abbreviation. This is one of the most commonly used abbreviations in the professional vocabulary of people. Consider the areas in which it is used.

SOP: Deciphering abbreviations in dictionaries

If you look in the "Akademik" dictionary database, you can find the following options: "total social product", "transport organization service", "standard operating procedure", "Union Public Chamber", "subject-oriented programming" and a few more SOPs. The most common transcription example is the Standardized Operating Procedure.

We will consider its meaning in relation to several areas of human activity in order to understand where and what it means. Since SOP is an ambiguous abbreviation.

Medical transcript

There is an SOP in medicine. Decoding in this area is one of the most famous. Beneath those three letters is "Standard Operating Procedure". The abbreviation in this area, as in others, is necessary to save time. SOP is short and to the point. And the phrase "standard operating procedure" is often said, but it takes too long to say it.

In medicine, the decoding of SOPs is instructions, algorithms for performing procedures by employees, which includes doctors, as well as the rest of the medical staff. Each medical organization has its own standards, since institutions differ from each other in capacity, structure, logistics, personnel, etc. SOPs are important in the work of medical laboratories. In order to minimize the risk of errors and increase the reliability of the results of ongoing research, laboratory workers use standards at all stages of their work. Standardization of operations exists throughout the work of the laboratory: pre-analytical, analytical, post-analytical stages.

Aviation sphere. SOP

SOP finds its way into aviation. The decoding is interpreted as follows: "transport organization service". I would like to note that as a standard operating procedure SOP in the aviation industry is also used. It's just that people know less about it than about medicine. More commonly, SOPs in aviation are associated with the transportation service.

SOP as a production service at the airport is providing prompt service. The duties of its employees include processing the data of passengers, baggage, cargo, mail, which are moved by domestic and international air routes. Each production group of SOP personnel is assigned its own responsibilities. The first group, which manages passenger traffic, accompanies the person from the moment the check-in begins until he receives his luggage at the point of arrival. The second group serves VIP passengers and business class. Their task is to provide the greatest comfort. The third group of SOP personnel is responsible for the cargo and deals with the tasks of its reception, storage, movement and documentary support.

Aviation sphere. SOP 2

The second interpretation of SOP in aviation is similar to the medical one - a standard operating procedure that provides the aircraft crew with strictly defined instructions on how to act in a given situation. Standards in aviation are changing along with technological progress and certain events taking place in the aviation environment.

Aviation SOPs should not be too detailed, yet have a lot of options so that the team does not waste time making a long decision.

SOP in pharmacy business

Order of the Ministry of He alth of the Russian Federation No. 647n approves the "Rules of Good Pharmacy Practice for Medicinal Products formedical use", which entered into force on March 1, 2017 and approved the standard operating procedures for the operation of pharmacies.

SOPs for medicines are the activities by which an entity provides pharmaceutical services in a retail environment. Each manager himself approves them for his pharmacy organization. In order to meet the quality, efficacy and safety standards of pharmacy products, all operational processes in the pharmacy function in accordance with the SOP. They standardize all processes in a pharmacy: the procedure for taking medicines, processing equipment, handling complaints and appeals, maintaining internal document management, etc.

SOPs in a pharmacy must meet several important criteria: be accessible, accurate and clear, approved by the head of the pharmacy organization, regularly updated in accordance with changes in the environment.

Do organizations need standard operating procedures

In order for an organization to use SOPs in its work, it does not need to be in the medical, aviation or pharmacological field of activity. If a company often encounters problems such as employees not knowing how to operate office equipment or machines, frequent poor quality work or services, delays in orders, frequent innovations or changes that need to be constantly introduced to employees in the most cost-effective way.

The high quality of the company's activities is ensured using various criteria and indicators set out in regulatory documents. For SOPs to become a true working tool, the process to be standardized should only be discussed with the document in hand if problems arise during its implementation.

Meaning of Standard Operating Procedures

A modern leader always needs to think about improving the efficiency of his organization. He, like no one else, needs to keep track of the changing environment and learn about new management methods. In addition, the manager must monitor whether the methods already used in management remain effective, or whether they need to be changed.

Standards are the starting point for improving how an organization works. At the same time, one should always remember that the implementation of SOPs will not bring an immediate positive effect. It is spread over time. But he is.

Graphic expression SOP

Standard operating procedures together have their own graphical expression - SOC, which stands for a standardized operating card. Some people think that SOC and job description are synonymous concepts. But that's not the case at all. The instruction, as a rule, is drawn up without the participation of the employee, based on certain regulatory legal acts and documents. The job description is subject to little change. SOK is not compiled according to the established model. It is formed by directmonitoring the process, the operations performed. The SOC as a document should be written in the simplest and most understandable language. Each stage of the work described in the map must be coordinated with the worker who performs this work. Only in cooperation with him can a truly effective management tool be created.

So, the most common and used abbreviation for SOP is standard operating procedure. It is used in various fields of human activity: medicine, aviation, pharmaceuticals, etc. The importance of SOP for process management is enormous. It allows you to increase work efficiency, staff productivity, find bottlenecks in ongoing processes, and eliminate shortcomings. The abbreviation SOP has firmly established itself in the Russian language and occupies an important place in professional vocabulary.