In busy research labs, small variations in how a task is performed can quickly lead to inconsistent results. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are the foundation of quality control in laboratory settings because they allow researchers to perform experimental tasks in a consistent manner. As a result, using SOPs ensures that scientists generate high-quality research data.
Keep on reading to find out what lab SOP management is and how it can benefit your lab.
SOPs are written instructions that explain how a specific process, assay, or task should be done, step by step. They are the foundation of quality in research labs. Using SOPs allows laboratories to minimize variability and errors in experimental results when researchers perform the same laboratory tasks. SOPs are a critical component for achieving reproducibility and trusting scientific data. Additionally, with many laboratories implementing tools like lab notebook apps, or Lab inventory management software, clear and accurate documentation of laboratory procedures becomes even more important.
Key Benefits of Lab SOP Management
There are numerous benefits to implementing SOPs in your lab, but here are four of the most impactful ones:
Easier Training and OnboardingÂ
SOPs provide easy, step-by-step instructions for new team members from the very start of their employment. New employees will not have to wait for a senior team member to demonstrate how to perform each task or rely on an informal hand-off that may not always be accurate for every team. As new employees learn the approved manner of performing tasks through SOPs, a consistent training standard is established across teams. Thus, as new employees begin their employment, they are able to quickly become productive members of the team.
Reproducible Science; Trustworthy Results
Standardization of laboratory protocols through clearly defined SOPs reduces guesswork and variability associated with how things are being done in the laboratory. SOPs facilitate the comparison of experimental results, facilitate troubleshooting, and facilitate reproducibility of research results regardless of whether the work is repeated by a different individual or a different team, and/or in a different location.
Compliance with Regulations
Implementing SOPs that meet applicable regulations, such as GLP or GMP, will assist laboratories in incorporating regulatory compliance into their workflow. By implementing SOPs, laboratories reduce the time needed to interpret the rules of these regulations. Teams will know what is required to be compliant with the regulations and will therefore follow the approved SOPs as they incorporate them into their everyday workflow. Also, an organised SOP system will enhance the ability for a laboratory to respond to a regulatory audit request efficiently and confidently.
Reinforced accountability and consistency in your daily work
With defined processes, SOPs ensure that the job is being done properly and safely by establishing procedures for how tasks are to be accomplished. SOPs also provide a resource to measure individual performance, set expectations, and identify any training or clarification required for an individual to do their job correctly.
Having a good SOP management program helps laboratories maintain a high level of quality. By having an SOP management program in place, laboratories ensure that they are complying with the best industry practices and providing easy ways to train more team members as the laboratory grows. By using SOP management together with a lab notebook tool, scientists can thoroughly document both their data and the methods used to obtain the results, thus preserving the critical information which surrounds the data.