An SOP, or standard operating procedure, is a controlled document that describes how a process runs from start to finish: its purpose, its scope, who is responsible for each part, the main steps, and the records it produces. It answers "what happens, and who does it" for a whole process, such as receiving, calibration or handling nonconforming material. The detailed, task-level steps usually live in work instructions that the SOP points to. Like any controlled document, an SOP has a number, a revision level, an owner and an approval.
Example: A receiving SOP says that the dock clerk logs each delivery, quality inspects it against the receiving checklist, and a nonconforming lot goes to a hold area with an NCR. It then points to separate work instructions for checking material certificates and for measuring parts.
When a process has no SOP, each shift and each new hire runs it a little differently, and nobody can say who owns a step when something goes wrong. Auditors use SOPs to check that the documented process matches what people actually do.
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