Would an airline operate safely and profitably if they changed the way they calculated fuel consumption every flight? Would employees operate efficiently if they were pointed in the direction of an airplane and were told to “go for it?”

One of the main reasons scheduled airlines have such a low accident and incident rate when compared with other forms of travel comes down to their standardized procedures.

Following established procedures and practices that were developed with considerable effort are at the forefront of air travel safety. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), concise checklists, detailed calculations, and extensive training coupled with good equipment produce a quality result.

The same can be said of automotive shops. Shops in our industry can learn from commercial aviation through implementing SOPs, checklists, calculations, and training. In fact, most financially stable shops already use many of these methods.

WHAT IS A SOP?

A SOP is a structured document used to define step-by-step instructions for recurring tasks and to ensure consistency, safety, and efficient operation. “Flying by the seat of your pants” is almost never a good plan. What areas of shop operation need a SOP in place? All of them.

From the moment a shop is birthed, SOPs will help organize the shop from infancy to maturity.

• Defining organizational roles and responsibilities
• Onboarding new hires
• Assisting customers
• Resolving customer complaints
• Human relations policies
• Shop safety
• Standards for proper repairs

Pro Tip: You can use Microsoft and
AI to create SOPs

Training is another area that will benefit from standardized procedures. An employee should receive training on all applicable diagnosis and repair procedures and demonstrate that they understand the training received before advancing in their duties.

On day one of my employment at an independent repair shop, I was told where to put my toolbox and then handed a repair order and told to “get to work.” There was no discussion about repair procedures, parts ordering, customer intake, or the name of the shop dog (important to know if you are the first one in the building). Two years later, I was hired by a dealership. The onboarding process was only slightly more sophisticated. To not have onboarding procedures in place is to set up a new employee for failure.

Checklists are another must-have for employees of all skill levels. They can be detailed for the newer technician or simplified for experienced technicians who are familiar with a task and can check things off as they go, feeling confident that nothing has been missed.

A checklist for torquing lug nuts may seem unnecessary until your shop experiences a customer’s tire and wheel initiating an unplanned disassembly. Checklists for post-repair test drives and quality control might seem a waste of time until you lose a customer because the car now has a noise it did not have previously.

Checklists can be used to verify one stage of a repair is completed before moving onto the next phase. Checking for exact alignment of the timing chains and proper chain tensioner installation prior to installing the timing covers could be part of a generic checklist for all timing component repairs.

Before the customer is advised of an estimated repair cost, a checklist could be used to verify that the pricing is correct and that nothing has been omitted.

Checklists can take many forms: a poster on the wall with lug nut torque specs and proper tightening patterns, a laminated card, or a PDF on a tablet.

“Flow patterns” can be used to help all employees spot issues and correct them; they are valuable in helping techs spot needed work and bring those discrepancies to a customer’s attention.

A flow pattern starts with a walkaround the vehicle from a distance. Then move to the interior, windows, doors, and lights. The hood is opened and general condition is visually inspected followed by fluid levels and cleanliness.

In the end, smooth shop operations don’t happen by chance—they’re the result of deliberate, standardized procedures applied consistently every day. Just as aviation relies on SOPs, checklists, and training to deliver safe, predictable outcomes, an automotive repair shop depends on the same discipline to protect customers, employees, and the business itself. Standardized procedures reduce mistakes, improve efficiency, support training, and build customer confidence by ensuring every vehicle is handled with the same level of care and professionalism. When a shop commits to clear SOPs and practical checklists, it replaces guesswork with confidence—and that’s what keeps operations running smoothly, customers returning, and the business flying straight and level.