SOP

What does SOP stand for?

Standard operating procedure

SOP, or “S-O-P”, is a short form for “standard operating procedure”. It’s frequently used in professional settings, like in company emails or other kinds of business talk.

This term is generally used when talking about a company’s standard way of handling situations or tasks. Companies create SOPs for tasks that are routinely done by their staff. It’s a way of making sure everyone knows what to do and how to do it without having to think too hard or waste time figuring it out.

Having an SOP can make a task more uniform because everyone will be doing it the same way. However, this might also make staff feel like they’re just parts of a big machine that doesn’t care about them as individuals.

Example for using ‘SOP’ in a conversation

Hey, have you seen the new email from the boss?

Yeah, I just read it. It’s about our SOPs.

SOPs? What’s that?

It stands for “Standard Operating Procedures”. It’s basically a set of steps that we follow to get things done.