highimportanceas it shouldbe. Developingand implementing SOPsrequires a
majortimecommitmentto be effective. Withoutadequate encouragementand
timeallotment, the SOPprogramwill fail.
Inadequatetraining
An effectivetrainingprogram is imperativeto effectiveSOPimplementation.
Well-writtenand conceivedSOPscan actually be usedto facilitateemployee
training.If insufficient emphasisis given to training,SOPimplementationwill
not be effective.
22.4.2 SOPfunctionalissues
Inadequatemonitoring and record-keepingprograms
A functionalproblem, whichoftenimpedes effective implementation of SOPs,
is that the monitoringand record-keeping programmaybe cumbersome,ill-
conceived,or ineffective.It should be rememberedthat SOPsare not excitingto
all employees and thereare thoseindividuals that may not religiously followthe
monitoringfrequency and simplyfill out the formsat the end of the day or less
frequently thanprescribed.Supervisionand appropriatechainof responsibility
checks are imperativeto effective implementation.
Improper details
As described above,a majorchallenge in writingSOPsis determiningthe
appropriateamount of detail.Toomuch wordinessand detailresults in SOPs
that are not usable in day-to-day operations. Conversely,SOPs that have
insufficient detail are not effectiveand of limited use. It is imperativethat the
detaillevelis evaluated during verificationand review.
Impactof regulatoryand thirdpartyauditrequirements
While the overallintentand impact of HACCP andSOP regulations and
customer audit requirementshas beenpositive,theremaybe certain negative
aspectsto theseprograms.The effectiveness is directly related to how strongthe
partnershipis between the auditorand the foodhandlingentity.Onemistake,
whichis bornout of lack of trust or partnership,is to purposely writevery sketchy
SOPsthat containlittlegeneraldescriptive termsratherthanproviding data for
parameters (e.g.temperatures,concentrations).Thisis doneout of fear that a
thirdpartyauditoror regulatory officialmay invalidate the SOPif the monitoring
and record-keepingprogram failed to demonstrate compliance withrestrictive
prescribed details.The incorrectand short-sighted philosophy at play here is that
if you do not givethe specificdata,the person doingthe audit has less to
investigate and is less likely to fail you.It is importantto determine through
discussion withthe team,as wellas withauditors, where suchdetailis needed
withinthe goalset for the SOP.
Finally, the veryprescriptivenatureof regulatoryrequirements maydecrease
uniquenessand individual creativity. Excellent regulatoryguidancedocuments
The use of standard operatingprocedures (SOPs) 359