A speaker-program SOP checklist lists each rule in a client’s SOP and the moment it should be checked. This one covers 36 common rules across six stages, from the request to close-out and reporting. Each client keeps the ones its SOP has and adds its own. For each rule it shows the action a client most often chooses: block, warn, escalate, require proof, or monitor.
Check each rule at the moment it applies
A rule checked at close-out is a rule found too late. Each stage has its own moment: the lead time when a date is picked, the honorarium cap when a speaker is chosen, the attendance limit when an HCP registers. The checklist is organized by that moment. Go through one client’s SOP with it: tick the rules the SOP has, write the client’s own value next to each, and strike the ones it switches off.
Off The client’s SOP doesn’t have the rule, so it isn’t checked. Strike it on your copy.
The full SOP map, with how each action looks in the product and where OIG’s concerns are checked, is on Your SOP.
36 common rules, six stages, one moment each
Request6 rules
| Done | Rule | What the SOP says | Checked when | Usual action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RQ-1 Lead time | Programs are requested a set number of days ahead, by format. | When a date is picked | Block | |
| RQ-2 Business need | Each request states the business need and the intended audience. | At submit | Require proof | |
| RQ-3 Approval path | Approvals follow the client's path, by format, cost, or expected audience. | At submit | Escalate | |
| RQ-4 Budget line | A request fits the remaining budget line. | At submit | Block | |
| RQ-5 Topic limit | Programs on one topic stay within the client's limit per territory and period. | At submit | Block | |
| RQ-6 Approved materials | Only materials with a current review-committee approval are used. | When materials are attached | Block |
Speaker7 rules
| Done | Rule | What the SOP says | Checked when | Usual action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP-1 Speaker contract | The speaker's contract covers the program date. | When a speaker is chosen | Block | |
| SP-2 Topic training | The speaker is qualified for the topic and trained on the approved deck. | When a speaker is chosen | Block | |
| SP-3 Honorarium cap | The honorarium follows the speaker's tier and stays under the annual cap. | When a speaker is chosen | Block | |
| SP-4 Yearly program limit | A speaker does no more programs a year than the client allows. | When a speaker is chosen | Block | |
| SP-5 Exclusion lists | Speakers are screened against exclusion lists and license status. | When a speaker is chosen | Block | |
| SP-6 Schedule conflict | A speaker already booked that day is flagged. | When a speaker is chosen | Warn | |
| SP-7 Speaker selection | Speakers are chosen for their expertise and approved by the client's medical team, not by sales. | When a speaker is nominated | Escalate |
Audience5 rules
| Done | Rule | What the SOP says | Checked when | Usual action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU-1 Attendance limit | An HCP attends a topic no more often than the client's limit. | When an HCP is added or registers | Block | |
| AU-2 Audience fit | Guests and the speaker's own colleagues are not the audience. | At registration | Block | |
| AU-3 Trained speakers | A trained speaker does not attend as an attendee, where the client says so. | At registration | Block | |
| AU-4 Meal restrictions | HCPs under state meal rules, and government employees, get no meal. | At sign-in | Require proof | |
| AU-5 Minimum registrations | A program has its minimum registrations by a set day, or the host decides whether to cancel. | Before the program | Warn |
Venue & meals4 rules
| Done | Rule | What the SOP says | Checked when | Usual action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VM-1 Venue | The venue is a private room suited to an educational program. | When the venue is chosen | Escalate | |
| VM-2 Meal limit | Meal cost per attendee stays under the client's limit for that meal and city. | At reconciliation | Warn | |
| VM-3 Alcohol | Alcohol is not reimbursed. | At reconciliation | Block | |
| VM-4 Virtual meals | Virtual programs carry no meal costs. | On the request form | Block |
Program night4 rules
| Done | Rule | What the SOP says | Checked when | Usual action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PN-1 Personal sign-in | Each HCP signs in personally, with a signature and a meal answer. | At sign-in | Require proof | |
| PN-2 Late walk-ins | A walk-in added after the program needs a reason. | When attendance is corrected | Require proof | |
| PN-3 Online attendance | Online attendance comes from the meeting itself. | After the meeting | Require proof | |
| PN-4 Minimum attendance | When fewer HCPs attend than the client's minimum, the host records why. | When attendance is confirmed | Require proof |
Close-out & reporting10 rules
| Done | Rule | What the SOP says | Checked when | Usual action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO-1 Required records | Required records are in before each stage, such as a signed sign-in sheet before close. | At each stage change | Block | |
| CO-2 Rep certification | The rep certifies the program after it runs. | After the program | Require proof | |
| CO-3 Speaker attestation | The speaker attests that they presented the approved deck without changes. | After the program | Require proof | |
| CO-4 Speaker payment | The speaker is paid once the sign-in sheet and the host's report are in. | Before payment | Block | |
| CO-5 Speaker expenses | Speaker travel and lodging stay within the client's limits. | At reconciliation | Warn | |
| CO-6 Spend allocation | Each HCP's share of the spend is allocated before close. | At close | Block | |
| CO-7 HCP identity | Before close, every attendee who could receive value is confirmed: matched to one HCP record, or marked as not an HCP. | At close | Block | |
| CO-8 Exceptions | Every exception records who approved it and why. | Whenever a rule is overridden | Require proof | |
| CO-9 Spend per HCP | Spend per HCP exports for Open Payments and state reports. | At reporting | Require proof | |
| CO-10 Outliers | Reports flag outliers: busy speakers, frequent attendees, high spend. | Across programs | Monitor |
Kept on every program4 items
| Done | Item | What Pharmagin keeps | Checked when | Usual action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One record per HCP | Each HCP is one record, matched to the client's CRM, its target list, or the NPI registry. | When an HCP registers or is added | Always on | |
| Close checklist | A program closes only when its checklist is complete. | At close | Always on | |
| CRM update | Attendance goes back to the client's CRM, from approval to close. | From approval onward | Always on | |
| SOP changes | When the SOP changes, open programs follow the new rules, and approved dates are not reopened. | When the client's setup changes | Always on |
Your client’s own rule
A rule that isn’t on this list is set up the same way: the moment it is checked, how strict it is, and the record it leaves. Write the client’s own rules here.
| Done | Rule | What the SOP says | Checked when | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Own rule 1 | ||||
| Own rule 2 | ||||
| Own rule 3 |