A Process architecture approach for developing standard operating procedures for manufacturing organization

Abstract

To obtain any authority or certification, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an organization must have standard documentation of the activities occurring on that premises or network. Having standard operating procedures (SOP) enables the company to perform its work to a standard. This paper focuses on developing SOPs for one of the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) organizations in Sri Lanka. This study is expected to help obtain the ISO 9001-2015 certification, which was a problem for the concerned Company. The main topic of this research includes process identification and standard operating procedure development for production, warehouse, and procurement processes. The value-added activities are identified through the impact matrix. The process architecture approach has been used to develop the much-needed operational SOP. Using the process architecture approach is the innovative approach in this study. Data collection for the study was done by using interviews, observations, and company records. By having a good interaction between researchers and participants, it is possible to follow the qualitative methodology. This provides a deeper understanding of the subjective aspects of the research questions. After the identification of critical processes, the qualitative attributes required by them for ISO 9001 - 2015 were recognized and the SOPs related to the existing three processes were developed in this study.