When an SOP is not followed, inspect a real deviation before rewriting the document or repeating training. Establish what the person was expected to do, what happened, and which condition prevented or discouraged the intended action. Keep required controls in place while the cause is resolved.

Start with one observable case

Record the procedure and version, task, assigned role, expected step, actual action and resulting output. Speak with the person who performed the work and inspect the relevant evidence. Avoid treating a repeated question as proof of poor performance or a skipped step as proof that the step is unnecessary.

Match the correction to the cause

Evidence Possible cause to investigate Useful correction
The user cannot open the procedure or form Access or location problem Repair permissions and the approved entry point
Current software no longer matches the step Obsolete instruction Confirm the correct process and approve a revision
The user can find the instruction but cannot perform it Skill, terminology or prerequisite gap Demonstration and supervised practice
The task cannot be completed within actual capacity Workload or resource constraint Resolve capacity or scheduling with the responsible owner
The step conflicts with another instruction Policy or ownership conflict Obtain one authorized decision and reconcile both instructions
A deliberate shortcut bypasses a required check Incentive, supervision or control failure Preserve the requirement and address the underlying cause

These are hypotheses to investigate, not automatic diagnoses. Several causes may coexist.

Rewrite only the part that is wrong

Replace vague instructions with an action, object and expected result. For example, “check approval” becomes “open the approval record linked to this request and verify that its amount and version match the proposed action.” The business still supplies its actual authority rules.

Move lengthy background to a linked reference when that helps use, but keep stop conditions and required decisions visible at the relevant step. Do not remove a control simply because it adds time or was introduced by a former manager.

Retest the corrected route

Use permitted work to confirm access, action, output and escalation. If the issue was a missing role permission, another prose rewrite is not the test. If it was misunderstanding, observing the task is more useful than counting document opens.

Record the outcome and any remaining restrictions. Set follow-up according to the process’s frequency and consequence; there is no validated five-step, three-click or two-week threshold for adherence.

Use the training worksheet for practice, the audit guide for wider process gaps and SOP maintenance to keep the corrected version in circulation.