Standard Operating Procedures, and how they set you free...

Why the stigma around Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)?

Hubris? Pride? Ignorance? Ego? Whenever they’re mentioned, there’s a rolling of eyes… until they’re needed.

In the military, SOPs take the guesswork out of the repeatable, the risky, and the high-pressure. They give teams a shared understanding of how to act when time is tight and margins are slim. They're also a pragmatic response to the unpalatable – when soldiers get injured and 'turn over', their replacements need ready reckoners for what to do.

It’s not just a military thing.

In offshore sailing – racing and cruising – SOPs are essential. They’re what let us switch from a conventional spinnaker drop to a 'Poleless Zulu' with no notice (sorry team!), reef the main without fuss, and bring in new crew without confusion. In crisis, they’re what stop us flooding the boat, and from starting the engine with a sheet wrapped round the prop (sorry again!). It’s not just about speed – it’s about resilience, recovery, and reducing risk.

And the same logic applies in business.

Whether I’m working with public-sector clients on crisis management, or private sector firms trying to improve operational delivery, the same question gets asked: “When things go wrong or get complex – how will we know what to do?".

The right answer isn’t “We’ll figure it out”.

It’s “We’ve already figured it out”.

Good SOPs:

• Remove ambiguity (Everyone knows the playbook).

• Accelerate onboarding (New joiners don’t have to reinvent the wheel).

• Enable calm under pressure (Because the thinking’s already been done).

• Improve learning (If it’s written down, it can be tested and improved).

This isn’t about rigid bureaucracy; it’s about structured readiness.

On offshore boats, SOPs are readily available and regularly rehearsed. On projects, they might live in a team portal or shared toolkit; even better if they’re brought alive on training days and continuous professional development. Either way, they allow teams to operate with trust and tempo, even when the unexpected happens.

I remember the burst of PKM fire whipping overhead in the Upper Gereshk: dash, down, crawl, sights, observe, fire (or, in my case, recover some dignity after pitching head first into an irrigation ditch).

In a recent project, we helped a business unit redesign its operating model. SOPs were the glue that held it – and an expanding workforce – together.

The very best skippers do the same. They drill relentlessly.

From decision thresholds to crisis responses to how weekly planning gets done, shared procedures allow people to move confidently, without escalating every decision or clarifying every step.

You don’t need a procedure for everything. But for the critical few, yes please!

Because when you’re reefing down at night in 30 knots, when the fog of war kicks in, and when your platform fails – there’s no time to scroll back through an email thread to figure things out.

SOPs, paradoxically, set you free.