By Kiitan Olowoyo, DTG Digital Training Analyst
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are fundamental to pharmaceutical manufacturing. Yet at the PharmaTech Integrates conference last month, panellists raised a common industry challenge: having a procedure in place, and demonstrating that employees have been trained on it, does not necessarily mean that people understand it, remember it or consistently apply it.
In an industry where procedural compliance directly affects product quality and patient safety, this distinction matters. The challenge is not simply ensuring that employees have access to the right information. It is ensuring that information translates into the right behaviours, consistently, in the workplace.
In reality, an employee may read a lengthy technical document, acknowledge their training and successfully complete the required administrative steps without developing the confidence or competence to apply the procedure. And when the objective becomes reaching the final slide and clicking ‘Complete’, the focus risks shifting from learning to compliance with the training process itself. This creates an important question for Quality and Manufacturing leaders: does training demonstrate that information has been delivered, or that behaviour has changed?
Understanding why procedures aren’t followed
When procedural errors occur, the immediate response is often to examine the actions of the individual involved. But investigating the employee’s relationship with the written procedure may reveal more fundamental issues. Was the procedure clear? Did the employee understand why each step mattered? Did the training reflect the realities of the working environment? Had the process changed since the employee was last trained?
Over time, employees may develop their own ways of completing tasks, particularly when procedures are difficult to interpret, access or reconcile with everyday operations. Addressing these underlying factors is essential. Repeating training or reinforcing the requirement to follow an SOP may do little to change behaviour if the original barriers remain.
The way people learn has changed
Outside the workplace, the way people consume information has transformed dramatically. Social media platforms have made short videos, visual explanations and interactive content familiar ways of communicating complex ideas quickly. Yet training in highly regulated environments often remains dependent on lengthy documents and information-heavy presentations.
This is not an argument for simplifying technical requirements or turning critical training into entertainment. It is about recognising that how information is communicated influences whether people engage with it, understand it and retain it. An equipment changeover, for example, involves a sequence of actions, safety precautions and quality checks. A written procedure defines those requirements. Visual demonstrations and realistic scenarios can help employees understand how the steps connect in reality and what might happen if something goes wrong.
The standards remain unchanged. The learning experience becomes more meaningful.
From information to demonstrated competence
This distinction is particularly important for new employees and contractors who must absorb substantial amounts of site-specific information, often within a short period. It also applies to refresher training. Repeatedly presenting familiar material may satisfy a training requirement without meaningfully reinforcing understanding.
Scenario-based learning, practical demonstrations, supervision and competency assessments can help bridge the gap between knowing a procedure and applying it. Emerging technologies, including generative AI, are creating new opportunities to develop realistic visual training scenarios. However, technical accuracy remains paramount, with content requiring appropriate subject matter review and alignment with approved procedures. Ultimately, technology is an enabler, not the objective.
The real measure of effective training is not how many people have completed it, but whether they can consistently make the right decisions and take the right actions.
SOPs establish the standards. It’s effective learning that turns those standards into everyday behaviour.
Find out how we are helping Pharmaceutical companies use AI to translate SOPs into modern and engaging ways of learning by contacting our Training Manager Brian Petrie at [email protected].
