Since our inception in 2000, Gas Certification Institute (GCI) has provided fundamental measurement training to more than 3,000 measurement professionals.
Now, many of those measurement professionals have advanced in their careers to become managers, supervisors, and directors who oversee operations.
One of the most important next steps is understanding how to review and update the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that guide and direct the actions of personnel. A key starting point is using a checklist.
Use Checklist for Standard Operating Procedures Review
When we work with energy, midstream, and production companies in the oil and gas industry, we often re-encounter GCI students who are seeking reliable SOPs for their company.
Perhaps their company’s SOPs have not been reviewed in several years, certain chapters are missing, or the SOPs have not been updated to incorporate the latest BLM Onshore Order.
When performing your review, utilize this checklist to evaluate the completeness, thoroughness, and accuracy of critical SOP components:
- SOPs should reflect company contracts.
- SOPs should provide guidance to both experienced and new measurement personnel.
- SOPs should link to your internal measurement training program.
- SOPs should provide guidelines to third-party measurement vendors.
- SOPs should reference recommended industry standards (AGA, API, and GPA).
- SOPs should provide proof of following best practices for audit purposes.
- SOPs should provide documentation of adherence to the BLM Onshore Order.
This review may take time. You should gather all available documentation (paper, digital, or both), ask questions internally to gather feedback, and consult with your compliance or regulatory team.
Upon completing your review, determine the areas that require the most attention. Prioritize updating these areas to ensure compliance and operational integrity.
Consider Utilizing GCI SOP Templates
Following the review of your company’s SOPs, you may determine that you need to fill in gaps or even start from scratch. GCI is available to discuss the quality of your SOPs to determine the best course of action.
Our main goal is to follow the tenets of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) to create compliant SOP manuals. We start with SOX-compliant templates that address the most common procedures. Then, we adapt the templates to your company’s operations or procedures.
If you are a former GCI student now in a supervisory role, contact our team to discuss the quality of your SOPs. We can help review your standard operating procedures checklist and determine next steps to achieve confidence operating with integrity.