Converting SOPs to e-Learning

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are essential to the functioning of many enterprises. Some organizations – for example, in the pharma sector – have thousands of them floating around with employees receiving constant reminders of an ever-updating list of documents and PDFs that they must make themselves familiar with.

SOPs are written and promulgated to regulate and control processes. Yet, even in the largest enterprises, they represent a vulnerability – they come in so many shapes and sizes, via multiple media, that the control of their uptake is patchy at best. Some high-visibility SOPs already get converted to conventional full-blown e-learning.

But more than 80% remain in static or semi-static documents, PDFs, and PowerPoints. Yet, by definition, this is mission-critical information. It is essential that the relevant staff come to know the information that is in an SOP – otherwise it would not be in an SOP.

Everyone who creates an SOP would like better ways of transmitting the vital information it contains. Everyone would like to know that learners have engaged with the content and taken it on board. Everyone would like better ways of verifying this. Most organizations know that even when a PDF is uploaded into a learning management system (LMS) and laid out in attractively designed pages, learners struggle to get through the information, and only minimal shell-level tracking occurs. Timed PowerPoints are only marginally better. You cannot see which sections learners are struggling with or encourage them to interact with the material in a tangible way. Most organizations know that converting their SOP to an e-learning module would help resolve these problems. But until now, there has been no easy way to do this.

Addressing the obstacles to converting SOPs into e-learning

The main reasons more SOPs are not converted into e-learning courses that would assure engagement and knowledge transfer are:

  • Cost: It is traditionally quite expensive to commission an e-learning company to custom-build your content.
  • Time: Generally, when the need for a new SOP becomes apparent, you want it done in days, not in months.
  • Revisions: Some SOPs need to be revised every few months. It is not practicable to do this with a traditional custom-built e-learning module.
  • Organizational obstacles: There will be no enterprise-wide program of conversion because SOPs are found in multiple formats on multiple platforms, and are owned by people from a wide array of job functions. So, the individual SOP creator cannot wait for a company-wide initiative to roll out new information.

Using e-Learning Convert makes the conversion of SOPs into e-learning that much easier

Recognizing the real need for organizations to make their SOPs more accessible to employees, Laragh set up e-Learning Convert, a service offering designed to address this problem. e-Learning Convert is not aimed at getting enterprises signed up for a multiyear custom e-learning contract. It is aimed at helping learning managers and process owners within large or small organizations address a local conversion need quickly and cost-effectively.

We save on cost by streamlining the process and restricting the course layout to one of three formats that have been designed to address almost any need. Each conversion is supervised by experienced instructional designers, which ensures that the product’s cost-effectiveness does not sacrifice quality.

We save on time by streamlining the process. For this service, our assumption is that the creator of the SOP knows exactly what the course needs to communicate. We do not enter into a recursive series of development steps with you as we would when building e-learning from scratch. We simply convert what you have created into e-learning. We provide a clear and quick mechanism for revisions. Where the SOP we have converted to e-learning is subject to amendments, we offer a quick and reasonably priced revision service.

Because the e-Learning Convert service is modular, it means you do not have to wait for organization-wide changes in how SOPs and other information transfer is handled. You can do the best for the learners local to you. With a range of course file formats available, you can load the course on whatever platform is currently available to you. And because the cost is low, you can give the conversion service a test-drive without waiting for strategic direction changes.