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For cannabis cultivation farms and businesses, effective standard operating procedures (SOPs) are often the difference between running a streamlined, efficient, and profitable operation, versus one that is bogged down, sluggish, and losing money. Despite this, many cultivators neglect or outright ignore effective SOPs, and instead of putting in place custom, company-specific SOPs, they opt for so-called SOP “templates” that they download — or even worse, purchase — from a random website on the internet. Doing so can be a critical mistake for cultivators, resulting in diminished profits at best and bankruptcy at worst. So instead of opting for a cookie-cutter cannabis cultivation SOP template or solution that does not exist, cannabis cultivators should focus instead on implementing a tailored system that maximizes both their operations and their profits.
What are SOPs, and why are they so important?
SOPs are established procedures that cannabis farms need to put in place to guarantee that processes are carried out accurately and reliably on a regular basis. They are comprised of detailed procedures, policies, and task lists, and additional responsibilities, that guide employees on how to perform their assigned tasks properly and effectively. Once in place, effective SOPs provide standardized, repeatable procedures that ensure efficiency and uniformity, and they can ultimately provide invaluable assistance in helping companies scale their operations to generate even greater production.
SOPs are also required by regulatory and licensing agencies in the cannabis industry to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and quality control requirements. Along those lines, another key benefit of SOPs is that they promote compliance and help reduce legal risk if a cultivation farm is inspected by a regulatory agency.
The bottom line is that SOPs are an essential part of any successful cannabis cultivator or farm’s operations, and they guarantee cultivators and farms have dependable, consistent methods in place to generate a high-quality product, boost production, and maximize profits.
There are typically two components to any successful SOP:
Specific operational areas that each of these SOP components should address within the cannabis cultivation and farming industry to implement effective systems are discussed in greater detail below.
SOPs for cannabis cultivation businesses need to account for certain key industry-specific areas of operation.
Within the cannabis cultivation industry, there are several common operational areas and conditions that SOPs should address to ensure productivity and a successful operation:
Due to the number of operations that SOPs of cannabis cultivators need to address, as well as the overall importance of SOPs in promoting profitability in this highly competitive and regulated industry, cultivators looking for an edge should seek the help of an industry expert like BeGreenLegal to put in place effective, customized SOPs for their operations.
BeGreenLegal is a full-service cannabis consulting agency whose mission is to help its clients build profitable, scalable businesses. One way that BeGreenLegal’s team of consultants, state law analysts, and manufacturing and testing experts accomplish this is by crafting and implementing individualized SOPs for its cannabis cultivation clients. This process starts with BeGreenLegal’s team meeting with the client to gain detailed knowledge of the client’s business model and operations. From there, BeGreenLegal’s team crafts customized SOPs that include detailed written policies, procedures, and checklists that are clear and concise enough to be easily followed in the field.
The checklists are also utilized as quality control forms that serve as a valuable data collection system to help maximize product yield. For example, a common checklist that BeGreenLegal creates and puts into operation for its cultivation farm clients involves step-by-step processes for checking and collecting data points on plant health. This generally requires inspecting each individual plant on a weekly or bi-weekly basis — depending on the nature of the individual client’s operation — which in turn generates a substantial amount of highly useful data that when applied correctly, can boost a grow farm’s productivity and product yield. BeGreenLegal’s industry expertise helps ensure the data collected through its individualized SOPs is utilized in such a way that its clients realize maximum benefits.
The last component of BeGreenLegal’s customized SOP services involves systematic, in-depth employee training on the SOPs, checklists, and quality control systems tailor-made by BeGreenLegal for your individual cannabis cultivation business. This standardized training not only ensures that every employee understands exactly what their job responsibilities are, but it also promotes a safer workplace environment as each employee knows exactly how to perform each operation correctly and safely. BeGreenLegal also incorporates its training programs into overarching quality management systems for its clients that enable its clients to maintain detailed training and employee performance records and constantly monitor and provide feedback on both the employees’ and the business’ overall productivity.
BeGreenLegal has your customized SOP solution.
Simply put, there are no “one size fits all” SOP templates for cannabis cultivation businesses, so stop looking for one! Instead, contact BeGreenLegal today to put in place custom, targeted SOPs for your cultivation business that will increase efficiency, produce better yields, and maximize your company’s ROI. Get in touch with one of BeGreenLegal’s professionals today.
