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Standard Operating Procedures
Table of Contents
Short written steps for deploys and incidents so nobody improvises when the clock is loud.
Key Concept
- SOPs are simple written steps for recurring work - so nobody improvises under stress.
- Short deploy and incident steps beat memory when adrenaline shrinks working memory.
- The checklist is not an insult to competence - it is competence when the clock is loud.
Level 1 - Recognize
Standard operating procedures are short written steps for recurring work so nobody improvises under stress.
Level 2 - Explain
Adrenaline narrows working memory - a checklist is competence when the clock is loud, not an insult to skill.
Level 3 - Use
Post the closing routine on the locker-room whiteboard - ice, tape, log the injury after every match.
Level 4 - Connect
Because the first emergency is the wrong rehearsal, undocumented recurring work turns every fire into improvisation - short written steps beat heroic memory.
Level 5 - Create
Share defaults through Build a Reliable Default and Preparedness - rehearse the evacuation route on quiet shifts so the alarm trip is not the first run.
Examples
- The closing routine after every match lives on the locker-room whiteboard; glad ice, tape, and injury logging stayed written when everyone was exhausted.
- The building guard walks the posted evacuation route he practiced on quiet shifts - written steps when the alarm trips loud.
Note Relationships
| Relationship | Wikilink | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| contradicts | Adaptability | when the script cannot handle the novel case the runbook never saw |
| extends | Build a Reliable Default | SOPs are shared defaults |
| extends | Change Window | Written deploy windows belong in the runbook |
| extends | Preparedness | Write the steps before the emergency |
| extends | Rollback Principle | Rollback steps belong in the runbook, not in someone's head |
| extends | Systems Thinking | Written steps are one visible part of the loop |
| implements | Weekly Review Checklists | Checklists are SOPs for review |
