From manufacturers to hospitals to the military, most organizations need standard operating procedures (SOPs) for a variety of reasons. An SOP describes a procedure and tells an operator how to perform it. SOPs are helpful in most workplace settings, but they are particularly critical for organizations with process-oriented operations, such as life sciences and other manufacturing companies. SOPs, in conjunction with personnel training, help relay knowledge from one department to another. In a medical device firm, for example, research and development scientists pass their knowledge about a product they innovated to the manufacturing department through SOPs.