Both cattle and farm team members appreciate consistency — animals benefit from a regular routine, and employees can streamline their tasks and decisions. Developing consistent operations on a farm begins with having thorough, useful standard operating procedures (SOPs).
When SOPs are well-written, they provide direction for all employees, improve communication between management and staff, reduce training time, and improve work consistency and accuracy, Penn State Extension explains. Farm managers know that SOPs are a set of procedures, but what may be overlooked is that they need to be tailored to your farm’s operations. General industry guidelines can be a good starting place. Then, review your farm’s needs and personnel to find the best fit.
There are three main components to an SOP. First is the overall system addressed by the task, such as feeding, milking, or reproduction. From there, identify the smaller procedures that make up the system. For example, milking is made up of sanitization, preparation, and clean up. Finally, the steps outline directions for completing these procedures. They must be precise and easy to follow.
Crafting the message
There are seven steps to work through while developing effective SOPs for your farm. Begin by planning for the specific results you want to achieve. This is where aiming for consistency comes into play to help you determine what the outcome of the SOP needs to be.
Next, determine the format that will be most effective by asking yourself how many decisions the user will have to make during the procedure and how many steps it will contain. If the task will entail just a few decisions and steps, use a simple steps format. If there will be few decisions but more than 10 steps, it is a good idea to set up the SOP with numbered steps. No matter the number of steps involved, if the task will involve many decisions, use a flow chart.
Whichever format is adapted, make it easy to follow, include a clear and descriptive title, and use a logical numbering scheme to keep track of revisions so the most up-to-date protocol is always being followed.
Determine what needs to be in the SOP by watching someone perform the task and writing down everything they do. From there, you can formulate the steps or flow chart decisions.
To create an effective SOP, focus on writing short sentences in the form of a command. Use as few words as possible, and also keep abbreviations and acronyms to a minimum. Include enough detail to address common concerns, but don’t try to address every possible issue, or the procedure will become long and confusing.
Once you have your draft SOP, give it to everyone who currently performs that job for their review. Ask for feedback on making it easier to understand or more accurate. Then, with any internal feedback incorporated, share the draft with your advisers, such as a veterinarian or nutritionist. They will be able to provide perspective on the task from other farms they work with or industry best practices.
Next, test the procedure. If the person going through the steps is hesitant or confused about any part, consider making revisions. You could have someone who is familiar with the task do this, or you could have someone who has never done the job go through the procedure to simulate a new employee’s perspective.
After all revisions have been made, place the final version of the SOP in an appropriate place where team members can access it. If it is located in the work environment, ensure it is large enough for employees to reference as they are doing the job. Keep all SOPs in a central location, too, for reference. These copies should be reviewed regularly and updated as needed.
While it is great to have SOPs made, they are useless if employees are not trained with them. Explain and practice each step so that they feel comfortable completing the task on their own. Giving feedback that reflects the standards of the SOP provides clarity and helps ensure jobs are being done consistently.
Following this process to develop SOPs takes time, but having a system that all employees understand and follow will make a significant difference in performance and farm operations. Even the process of creating the procedures allows employees, managers, and consultants to come together to address challenges on the farm, fostering collaboration that develops consistency for animals and people.
OCTOBER 2024 issue:
