b'and assess those steps for gaps in Training Tools back received from the employees that productivity, safety, efficiency and quality,SOPs also prove their worth by streamlin- operate and utilize the machinery daily.before going back to the expert opera- ing the training process for new workers. The highlights of Becks SOP pro-tors for testing.SOPs are utilized for training pur- cess are focused on the employee, giving Dont assume that something thatposes in employee onboarding, analyzingthem an opportunity to share their insight sounds good on paper will work in thethe effectiveness of current processes,and concerns around a process, using facility, Trevathan says. and to provide a record of changes toemployees ideas to improve or make In a large company, its a mistake toensure errors or inaccuracies are notchanges where applicable, Dixon says. create SOPs based on a single location,repeated, Dixon says. AgReliant also wants employees no matter how efficient it is.The goal is to have employees that areto challenge that standard. Ive heard Its even better if you can havetrained and knowledgeable enough topeople say that SOPs take all the brain experts, if not from all locations, from astep in and successfully run a process bypower out of a task, but to us, thats the group of locations, to have them reviewfollowing the SOP. furthest thing from the truth. Were creat-everything together, Trevathan says.We want to develop deep benching a standard to work within, but if they But, perhaps the biggest mistake isstrength, where we are two or threehave an idea to make the business more making SOPs too complicated, and unfor- employees deep on every role. Thatsreliable, we invite them bring that up so it tunately thats really easy to do.possible when we train using SOPs,can be tested, he says. You really have to make the format asDuBois says. Sometimes one suggestion can be simple as possible. Perhaps you skip someIn the seed industry, companies maymultiplied over to similar processes, so an of the wording by adding a photo, or addhave four shifts with four different opera- improvement in one place can make a big a video to go with it, DuBois explains. Ittors working on conditioning, treating andimpact across the whole company. Thats has to be approachable and usable andpackaging. If those folks are all doing thewhy its important to make the process scalable. job differently, operational excellence infor changing an SOP accessible enough it impossible.can be done at any time. Implementing Issues The trick is to pinpoint the one doingWe want to give those people credit, Once created, DuBois suggests housingthe job the most efficiently and create thatTrevathan says.all company SOPs in a common, easilySOP, essentially duplicating those higher accessible database, and completingperforming employees, Trevathan says. Consistent Not Complacentregular audits. Complacency is one of the hardest things But the best and most current SOPsA Must to Maintain to combat in the safety world. will still fail if they arent followed correctlyHowever, SOPs are not a standard toThese workers come to the same every time.follow until the end of time. Regular main- place and do the same job. Every human If we dont focus on the safest andtenance is critical, especially at first.being is subject to fall victim to com-most efficient ways to operate equip- In the beginning, its going to changeplacency when that happens, but SOPs ment, then an employee could get injured,a lot, no matter how much you vet theare the single best way to combat that, equipment could be damaged, we couldprocess. Be prepared to rewrite an SOPTrevathan says. produce a product that is less than satis- multiple times within the first year,Its still difficult, but when you outline factory, or our productivity would suffer,Trevathan says, recalling one SOP forthe expectation very clearly, it leaves very Dixon says.stacking bulk seed boxes that changedlittle leeway for leaving out a step, and Trevathan says implementation comesthree times within the first three months.thats when things can go wrong.back to creating the correct SOP in theWe found gaps we just didnt knowDixon agrees. first place. we had, he says.SOPs and best operating practices Everyone has to do it right every time,After that, revisions are less frequent,need to be shared, reviewed, and updated and to do that, we have to have it outlinedunless new technology is introducedto make sure we are operating equipment with exactly what the expectation is, hesomewhere within an organization.as safely, efficiently, and to produce the says. That can really be a catalyst,best quality product as possible, Dixon DuBois also recommends explainingTrevathan says.says.why SOPs matter to improve employeeAnd, more than just annual revision,For DuBois, its about truly creating buy in. successful SOPs need to be open for con- consistency. It isnt to micromanage. Its about cre- stant critique from those using them. The single biggest thing we can do ating standards that take away risk andDixon says Becks makes improve- for our business is to be painstakinglyvariability, he says.ments to their SOPs based on the feed- reliable.SW124/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2022'