Tom, CEO GembaDocs sat down with Brian Meyers, founder of Fat American Manufacturing and JCR Offroad, to unpack how his team created over 1,000 SOPs and Kanban systems, without slowing down production.
In this Q&A, Brian shares the exact strategies they used to engage frontline workers, simplify documentation, and scale SOPs across every department. Whether you’re starting from zero or stuck in the middle, you’ll find practical, tested advice from someone who’s done it all in real time.
Here’s a breakdown of the questions, with thanks to our subscribers for sending some across!
Read time: 6 mins
Q1: How did you build engagement with the team?
A (Brian): “So we were already working on doing a Lean journey. So we were already doing morning meetings and teaching skills. And the SOP was just one of the first tools that we saw as a real easy barrier to entry for Lean. And it was pretty easy to say, hey guys, check this out. We can do this and we can take a lot of the training out of our day-to-day activities and get it documented so that we don’t have to be the person who trains every single person.”
Q2: Where’s the value for you and the team in creating those SOPs?
A (Brian): “There was one conversation that really kind of stands out, and that was when one of my guys that works in the robots, Lee, I was saying, ‘Hey, you need to get down there and teach Terry how to do this thing, but I need you to start making SOPs.’ And he was saying, ‘I’m too busy.’ So I said, ‘You would rather walk from your office upstairs, downstairs, all the way up in the shop four or five times to show them one thing or do you want to take the time to create the SOP so then you don’t have to show them again?’ And that was where he was like, ‘Yeah, you’re right, I should just make the SOP.’”
Q3: Which SOPs should I do first?
A (Brian): “My approach was anywhere-just start. There doesn’t need to be… like, you don’t need to think five years down the road what this is gonna look like. You can just start, because we can adapt all the SOPs as we grow to change stuff around. But to start at the bottom is the easiest spot, right? Let’s figure out how to make sure that every machine has a QR code on it so that you can turn the machine on, run the machine, operate the machine, create what it needs to create. It doesn’t matter what it is, let’s just start there.”
Q4: How do you resource your SOP effort?
A (Brian): “We actually fell into the trap of having too many people creating SOPs, and it started to lower our production. So we saw that over a month and were like, maybe we need to be a little more careful with that.
Now we use surplus people. We’re scaled for more work than we’re doing, so I use surplus employees to float around and create SOPs. Even front desk staff during their 3S time create cleaning standards. It helps them learn about production and they bring fresh eyes to the process.”
Q5: How do you handle resistance from the team?
A (Brian): “One thing you have to keep in mind is you’re paying them. So it’s part of the job. We’ve had direct conversations saying, ‘You must create these today.’
In packaging, if we wait too long the product is gone, so we push.
In other areas, I don’t force it. I’d rather the people who want to create them do it, and we flex help from other areas if needed.”
Q6: How do you go about documenting complex processes?
A (Brian): “You just start. Step by step.
If it takes 50 steps, it takes 50 steps. Try to be visual. Cut out the words.
Nobody reads the text-just get the picture in. Document what needs to happen.
Even Monty, who doesn’t know the job, can document if it’s laid out right.”
Q7: Do you use process experts or the person who does the job daily to create SOPs?
A (Brian): “We try to let the people that are actually doing the work do the SOP. That’s ideal.
They can do it while they’re doing the work.
Early on, we had people from other departments try the SOPs to test if they worked.
Even with complex ones, we’d let someone run it using the SOP, and 10 out of 10 times they could do it.
So we were documenting hard processes in a way anyone could follow.”
Q8: Do you follow a standard format for creating SOPs?
A (Brian): “Each department kind of defines it themselves.
Everyone wants to create value, so they look at what others are doing and follow that.
For example, in packaging, I created a sample SOP and gave it to everyone to follow.
But really, it’s just start at the beginning and finish at the end.
There’s no strict rule-just enough info to get the job done.”
Q9: How do you support team members with language barriers?
A (Brian): “You want less words. Make everything as visual as possible.
Visual management works for a reason.
We do the same in our SOPs.
We have two Syrian team members-keeping it visual makes it easier for everyone, regardless of language.”
Q10: How do you reinforce SOP standards over time?
A (Brian): “We bring new SOPs into the morning meeting.
If there’s a new one, we review it as a team. People give feedback, and we improve it right there.
It’s not just about creating the SOP-it’s about making it part of daily habits.
We even standardize stretches in our morning meeting using a GembaDoc. That daily exposure to standards helps everyone.”
Q11: How do you standardize the standards, especially with similar products?
A (Brian): “With packaging specs, we duplicate a root SOP and fill in the blanks.
That speeds things up and keeps expectations consistent.
We used to group similar products together and hope the packer knew the difference. Now we show the exact product in each SOP-even if they’re similar-so mistakes are less likely.”
Q12: What’s the return on effort from creating SOPs?
A (Brian): “It’s huge. We used to batch and send out 16 wrong parts.
Now, with better instructions and no batching, errors are way down.
We save $500 every time we avoid a mistake like that.
And with GembaDocs, it’s visual. You’re not just seeing a part number-you’re seeing how to do the job right.”
