App workflows
Create and use SOPs
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in xPlant are living reference documents attached to your lab's transfers and stage work. They capture what you do so that the next person — or future you — can reproduce it exactly.
Why SOPs matter in tissue culture
Consistent procedures
When a procedure is written down and referenced during transfers, every team member follows the same steps — reducing variation between operators.
Complete execution history
Each SOP log records when it was run, who ran it, and what the outcome was. You can view the full execution history from the SOP detail page.
Onboarding and training
New lab workers can read the SOP before their first transfer. Managers can review execution logs to check that the procedure is being followed correctly.
Traceability for troubleshooting
When contamination or poor growth happens, you can check whether the correct SOP was used and whether any steps were noted as skipped or modified.
Creating an SOP
Go to Dashboard → SOPs and click New SOP. Build the procedure step by step — add a title and description first, then add individual numbered steps in the order they should be executed.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Name | Short, specific name — e.g. 'MS Multiplication Subculture' |
| Description | What this procedure covers and when to use it |
| Steps | Numbered steps in execution order |
| Notes | Optional cautions, material requirements, or variant notes |
| Tags | Optional tags for grouping by stage type, species, or media |
Keep SOP names short and specific — you'll be selecting them from a dropdown during transfers, so they need to be scannable at a glance.
Logging an SOP execution
SOP logs are created in two ways:
- Automatically when you attach an SOP to a transfer — the log is created with the transfer date and linked to the explant
- Manually from the SOP detail page — useful for standalone procedure runs that are not tied to a specific transfer
| Log field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| SOP | Which SOP was used |
| Executed on | Date and time the procedure was run |
| Outcome | Success, partial success, failed, or skipped |
| Notes | Deviations from the procedure, observations, or follow-up flags |
| Linked transfer | Optional: the transfer this execution was part of |
Reviewing SOP history
Open any SOP from the SOPs list to see its full execution history: every log entry, date, outcome, and operator. This timeline is your primary record for verifying compliance and identifying procedure drift — instances where notes indicate the steps were modified or skipped.
The SOP detail page also shows which plants and explants the procedure has been applied to, so you can trace backwards from a contamination event or unusual growth outcome.