The Power of Standard Operating Procedures
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are essential for ensuring consistent quality and reliable results. From fast food restaurants to the military, SOPs have been relied on for decades. If you go to fast food chains, you may not get the best burger, but it’ll taste the same whether you’re in one state or another, or even in a different country.
The reason for that is simple – because every employee does the same thing, the same way, every time.
Doing the same thing, the same way, every time, ensures consistency, but not necessarily quality. Using best practices—the same way, every time—ensures quality. Consistency alone isn’t enough—if the methods or materials are flawed, the results will be too. Here are a few key reasons why SOPs matter.
• Consistency and Quality Control Following an SOP helps ensure there is no variability in process or quality.
• Efficiency and Time Savings When steps are clearly outlined, employees can work more efficiently— without second-guessing or redoing tasks.
• Onboarding New Employees New team members get up to speed faster, minimizing the need for handson supervision.
• Accountability and Clear Expectations When everyone follows a clear SOP, it’s easier to identify where issues occur—and it sets clear expectations for performance.
That’s why it’s essential to collaborate with your suppliers to incorporate the industry best practices into your SOPs.
Collision repair centers understand the value of SOPs—and many have already adopted them. The real challenge isn’t creating them; it’s making them stick. Training teams and building consistent habits takes time. Technicians have good intentions, but changing long-standing routines isn’t easy. It’s human nature—muscle memory kicks in, just like trying to adjust a golf swing you’ve had for years.
Here are a few keys to successful implementation of SOPs.
• Leadership Buy-In If leadership doesn’t believe or support the SOPs and does not hold people accountable, the odds of successful implementation is almost zero.
• Easy Accessibility Creating the SOP is only half the battle
– they can’t follow what they can’t find. Consider a digital version of the SOP that’s easily accessible with a QR code or directly in the flow of work.
• Visual Clarity
Keep SOPs clear and concise, and include a short video example. Visual learning is more effective for many people – just consider how often we turn to video tutorials to quickly understand something in our daily lives.
Many suppliers have or can help you create SOPs for almost any area of your collision center. Axalta has SOPs that are clear, concise and many have a QR code that helps refresh their memory prior to doing the task. These can be found on the Refinish Support section of the Axalta website axalta.com. Scroll down to “Technical Centers”, choose a brand and you will find Axalta Process SOPs at the bottom of the page.
