SOPs help reduce costs and improve network stability because they ensure everyone is using the same process for any given procedure. Documented SOPs, even for interactive or manual procedures, can vastly reduce the margin of error when performing any procedure, especially on a server. A well-designed SOP will also supply a contact point for reference if something goes wrong during its operation, letting your staff intermix their skills and rely on each other when issues arise.
But technical staff are not well known for documenting and standardizing procedures and operations. Often, technicians find it easier to simply keep everything in mind and to know who to refer to if a specific problem arises. While this approach works and has given proven results, its major drawback lies with the availability of key personnel—when this personnel is no longer available, the knowledge disappears from the enterprise. On the other hand, it is often difficult for organizations to budget for SOP documentation. It is a time- consuming process whose benefits are not always immediately apparent to management.
Because of their proven value, SOPs will be used here as much as possible. Whenever a procedure must be outlined, it will be done through a standard operating procedure. Thus, you can save considerable time and effort by simply adapting the enterprise-ready standard operating procedureswithin this book to the conditions of your particular situation.
A standard operating procedure is a documented set of instructions to be followed to complete a given procedure. It focuses on maximizing efficiency during operational and production
requirements. Once implemented, SOPs can help support guaranteed service levels and become the basis for the elaboration of service level agreements.
When well defined, SOPs allow an organization to measure the time it takes to perform a given task. SOPs are also used to simplify problem troubleshooting, since every process is the same everywhere. Finally, SOPs provide redundancy and reduced costs in administration, since all network technicians and administrators use the same processes wherever they are located and no retraining is required. Thus, the SOPs you write will also become the core of any technical training program you provide to administrative staff in your enterprise.
SOP Best Practices
There are several concepts to keep in mind when writing or adapting SOPs:
• Incorporate safety and environmental variables into the traditional how-to steps you write.
• All SOPs must meet the definition of an SOP (see the previous paragraphs). • The actual SOP should include no more than 6 to 12 steps to be effective. If an SOP
goes beyond 10 steps, consider these solutions:
• Break the long SOP into several logical sub-job SOPs.
• Prepare the longer comprehensive training SOP first to get a picture of what training is required. Then decide how to break it into shorter sub-job SOPs. • Make the long-form SOP a training document or manual to supplement the
shorter sub-job SOPs.
• If you write shortcut SOPs, explain the reason behind certain steps to provide understanding of the importance of following all the steps in the proper order. • Write SOPs for people who perform under different interpersonal circumstances:
• For people who work alone
• For two or more people who work together as a team • For people who will supervise other people doing a job
• For people who are not familiar with rules generally understood by your employees • Consider the age, education, knowledge, skill, experience and training, and work
culture of the individuals who will be performing the SOP steps.
• Forecast future effects and steps at certain points in the SOP to tell readers things they should know in advance (upcoming steps that require caution, precision, timing, and personal attention).
• Once the SOP is completed, have several coworkers test it and give you feedback. • Review the effectiveness of SOPs after a few weeks, and make necessary changes if
in-the-field practice suggests that descriptions should be improved: a. Review and update SOPs when processes and equipment are changed. b. When new equipment is installed, take the opportunity to write a new SOP,
incorporating the good from the old, and adding what is necessary to satisfy the new equipment.
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• Rely on the expertise of your staff to create and test the SOPs. You can, of course, supplement this expertise with external help.
• Ensure that all SOPs have a designated owner and operator.
• Illustrate the steps in an SOP as much as possible. It is always easier to follow a diagram than written instructions.
There, now you have the organizational tools required to begin your new network design process. The structure of an SOP is illustrated in Figure 3-7.
To assist in the process of designing the new network, a sample SOP is described in the following section. It serves two purposes. First, it demonstrates how an SOP should be put together. Second, it outlines the steps to follow to design the logical architecture you’ll need to upgrade to the new operating system.