Lesson 6.5 - SOP Discipline

“The SOP Exists, but Nobody Uses It”

A team has an incident-response SOP stored in a folder. During a real event, different Dealers use different steps, escalations are inconsistent and important evidence is missed.

The problem is not that the SOP is missing. The problem is that it was not designed as an operational tool.

• Design SOPs that support real-time use.
• Identify the core parts of a strong SOP.
• Use post-incident learning to improve SOPs.
• Avoid overly vague or overly complex procedures.

Purpose → Scope

Scope → Trigger / When to Use

Trigger → Step-by-Step Actions

Steps → Escalation / Authority

Escalation → Required Evidence

Evidence → Closure / Handover

Closure → Review / Improvement

Component	Key Question
Purpose	Why does this SOP exist?
Scope	What is included and excluded?
Trigger	When should the team use it?
Roles	Who does what and who approves?
Steps	What is the required sequence?
Evidence	What data/logs must be recorded?
Escalation	When and to whom?
Closure	What confirms completion?
Review	How is the SOP improved?

• Clear enough for a Junior Dealer.
• Short enough to use under pressure.
• Specific enough to avoid interpretation gaps.
• Linked to real systems, alerts and responsible parties.
• Updated after real incidents and changes.

Trigger:
Abnormal tick/spike, stale quote or inconsistent price source.

Immediate steps:
1. Identify symbol and timestamp.
2. Compare platform tick with quote source / independent sources.
3. Check quote-processing/filter logs.
4. Identify affected orders.
5. Escalate with evidence based on impact.
6. Keep quote and execution monitoring active.
7. Record classification and follow-up.

Real Incident → Post-Incident Review

Review → SOP Gap Identified

Gap → SOP Update

Update → Team Training

Train → Tabletop / Live Drill

Test → Incident

An SOP is valuable only when it guides real behavior. Good SOPs are practical, owned, tested and continuously improved.

Completion Criteria

• Can explain the key risk or operational objective of this lesson
• Can identify the required systems, data, or evidence to review
• Can describe the correct escalation or handling process
• Has completed Shift Leader / follow-up review or practical confirmation