What is an SOP?

Rae Knight

2 hours ago

1 min read

When I left veterinary practice over 20 years ago to join the animal health industry, things looked very different. After being onboarded into what was then the early version of pharmacovigilance, there were no SOPs not provided, not available, not even referenced. PV was a much smaller, simpler space.  Today, we’re swimming in SOPs especially in PV driven by evolving regulatory expectations, higher case volumes, and increasingly complex global systems.

What is an SOP - Standard Operating Procedure with Pippins Veterinary Pharmacovigilance Consulting.

With AI everywhere, the question comes up often: Can’t AI just write our SOPs?  

My answer: No.  

AI can generate a template, but an SOP must reflect your system, your workflows, and your controls. A good SOP doesn’t dictate a process it documents the process you actually follow. Otherwise, you end up with a beautifully formatted document that fails an inspection the moment someone asks, “Show me how this works in practice.” AI does not know your process; you own that.  So, what comes first the chicken or the egg? The process or the SOP?  In PV, the process always comes first.

 If you need support developing SOPs that truly match your PV system and stand up to regulatory scrutiny reach out. I’m always happy to help teams build documentation that is clear, compliant, and inspection ready.

By Rae Knight, B.SC., DVM, MRCVS, licensed veterinarian and owner of Pippins Veterinary Pharmacovigilance Consulting, she supports companies through practical PV guidance, regulatory training, and compliance‑focused solutions.