Standard Operating Procedures
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are a set of procedures that
employees are expected to perform for a given task. By having consistent
methodologies, errors are less likely to occur. If employees followed
their own rules, it would be difficult to track exactly what was done.
Should an employee leave, the company or agency may be left with
confusion. At the local agency I am working for, each investigator
currently has their own methods. This works here because there are only a
few investigators that use the lab. Each case is also handled by one
investigator from beginning to end. However, SOPs can still be useful
for the lab. New investigators who are not familiar with the agency's
procedures can read them like a manual and perform the steps correctly.
If we have a forensic duplicator that a technician is not familiar with,
he or she can look at the SOP, follow the steps, and still complete the
task. SOPs are not procedures set in stone. Not all cases are the same
and may require different procedures to be performed.
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