How We Transformed the Standard Operating Procedures of a Major Australian Bank

Case Study

Ethika was tasked with the challenge of uplifting SOPs enterprise wide for their client to ultimately strengthen operational resilience.

The bank faced:

- A fragmented and outdated SOP framework.

- Mounting regulatory pressures, including new compliance mandates.

- Inefficient manual processes, consuming valuable team resources.

- A need to align operational processes with strategic goals under tight deadlines.

- A 2 year manual uplift of SOPs in varying length and consistency with an audit and Board imperative to address these issues for the benefit of the bank and its customers.

- Significant reliance on key subject matter experts who possess in-depth knowledge of all SOPs, with no centralised repository to store and safeguard critical corporate intellectual property.  

How Ethika Solved It

01. Discovery & Assessment

Conducted a comprehensive review of hundreds of SOPs represented by thousands of documents to identify gaps and inefficiencies.

02. AI-Powered Uplift

Leveraged AI to automate the review and standardisation process, reducing errors and ensuring regulatory alignment.

03. Effective SOP Uplift

‍Enhanced the SOPs for usability, rewriting them in plain English with executive summaries, clear applicability, and accountability sections. All documents aligned with the bank’s corporate voice for consistency.

04. Technical SOP Review

Conducted by human advisers from Ethika’s talent network, this phase included:

• Identifying and addressing technical vulnerabilities or gaps in existing SOPs.
• Categorising and risk-rating the SOPs, assigning each an initial compliance score.
• Defining success criteria and establishing benchmarks for what “good” looks like.

05. Advisory Excellence

‍Worked closely with the bank’s teams to prioritise and address critical risk areas.

06. Collaborative Implementation

Deployed experienced risk professionals to support the internal team, ensuring seamless execution and knowledge transfer.

07. Change Management & Training

‍Developed comprehensive training materials and systems to support change management, ensuring all staff could implement and sustain the updated SOPs effectively.

The Result

Time Savings

Reduced SOP review and update time by up to 50%, enabling the team to focus on higher-value tasks.

Compliance Confidence

‍Met regulatory requirements ahead of schedule.

Operational Efficiency

Enhanced SOP clarity and usability across departments, improving process adherence.

Strategic Enablement

Positioned the risk team as a proactive driver of organisational resilience.