Standard operating procedureFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaFor the 2008 documentary film by this name, see Standard Operating Procedure (film!"he term standard operating procedure, or SOP, is used in a #ariety of different conte$ts, including healthcare, a#iation, engineering, education, industry, and military!"he %!S! military sometimes uses the term Standing & rather than Standard & Operating Procedure, because a military SOP refers to a unit's uni(ue procedures, )hich are not necessarily standard to another unit! *Standard* could imply that there is one (standard procedure to be used across all units!Such procedures are a set of step+by+step instructions to achie#e a predictable, standardi,ed, desired result often )ithin the conte$t of a longer o#erall process! For food and drug safety, the related Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures are used!