Last week we talked about the top 10 Reasons to Use Bizmanualz Policies and Procedures Manuals. This week it is the top 10 Reasons to Use Policies and Procedures MS-Word Templates. What’s the difference? A Policies and Procedures Manual is made up of about 40 procedure templates. Bizmanualz templates utilize features that others do not provide such as references to regulations, an ISO 9001 conforming format, or a PDCA structure. Below are the top ten reasons for using Policies and Procedures MS-Word Templates:

1. An ISO 9001 conforming layout for easier readability.
   ISO does not require a procedure format but it does specify the procedures are approved prior to use, that changes and the current revision status are identified, that procedure are identifiable, and that suitable identification is used.  Bizmanualz policies and procedures provide for control, identification, and revision in every procedure template in order to conform to ISO 9001.
2. A clear and concise header block to ensure a procedure communicates the purpose and scope.
   Bizmanualz procedures include a header block with a Title, Policy, Purpose, Scope, Responsibility, and Definitions to help people understand your procedure.
   

   policies procedures manuals

3. Clear department responsibilities that identify who does what.
   Every procedure includes a Responsibility section in the procedure header that defines which positions are mentioned in the procedure and provides a synopsis of what is expected for that position in this procedure.
4. Key term definitions to reduce confusion
   If Industry jargon is used in a procedure than it is explained in the definitions section of the procedure to help new procedure users.
5. Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) procedure structure.
   A PDCA structure is used to provide a logical flow that describe the key elements of a process that include the planning steps, what the exact “do” activities are, how you should check the results of your “do” activities to ensure the user is achieving the plan, and the “act” step of what or how to change.
6. Active voice construction to reduce task confusion.
   Subject, verb, object provides clear active voice construction for your procedure.  For example, “Product Management develops project plans” is clearer and contains fewer words than “project plans are developed by Project Management.”
7. References to related documents to improve usability.
   Procedures reference other procedures or forms, which saves you time in looking up those references and helps you train and implement your procedures.
     
8. Listing of applicable laws or regulations to communicate compliance.
   If you are implementing a records retention procedure then references to IRS or equal employment opportunity (EEO) passages provide a brief synopsis and help you implement your procedures.
9. Detailed list of revisions to track edit history.
   Revision blocks are provided to allow for comments and change dates.
10. Forms to ensure proper control and record keeping.
    Just about every procedure includes one or more forms to capture vital records needed for compliance, quality, or accountability.  All forms are provided in MS-Word format for easy editing.

Bizmanualz policies and Procedures MS-Word Templates is going to help save you a lot of time getting the basics down (research before action). It’s packed with good ideas on how to organize your management of a wide range of business processes. Documented sample policies and procedures will save valuable time for any department with limited resources. Bizmanualz Policies and Procedures provide the completeness, time saving and an easy to follow and understand way to get your policies and procedures project done fast.

Top 10 Reasons to Use Policies and Procedures MS-Word Templates from Bizmanualz

1. An ISO 9000 conforming layout for easier readability.
2. A clear and concise header block to ensure a procedure communicates the purpose and scope.
3. Clear department responsibilities that identify who does what.
4. Key term definitions to reduce confusion.
5. Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) procedure structure.
6. Active voice construction to reduce task confusion.
7. References to related documents to improve usability.
8. Listing of applicable laws or regulations to communicate compliance.
9. Detailed list of revisions to track edit history.
10. Forms to ensure proper control and record keeping.

People sometimes call or e-mail us to ask why they should buy Bizmanualz Policies and Procedures manuals instead of someone else’s.  Here are the top ten reasons why:

1. Handy Procedure Starting Point – No Need to Start Business Policies Procedures Writing from Scratch
   

   Business Policies Procedures

   Using a strong business policies procedure starting point from Bizmanualz can kick-start your business policies procedure writing and improve the usability of your procedures (hence, their usefulness).  It can also reduce procedure confusion and user errors and help you achieve your compliance and control objectives.
2. Easy to Edit Microsoft Word Procedure Templates on CD-ROM
   MS-Word is the business standard for word processing applications. Bizmanualz business policies procedures use basic features of MS-Word (bulleting, page numbering, and title tags for table of contents making, etc.) that help to speed up procedure development.
3. Convenient, Colorful 3-ring Binders with Colored Tabs and Hardcopy Review Pages
   The colorful 3-ring binder is easy to spot on your shelf when you need to refer to your business policies procedures manual.  The entire contents of the manual comes in printed form for your convenience. Each page is easy to insert and remove from the D-ring binder, which lays flat on your desk. Handy D-ring binders won’t curl your pages like C-ring binders will.
4. Immediately Available for Downloading via the Internet
   Business policies procedures manuals are available in hardcopy binders or as compressed “zip” files for immediate downloading over the Internet. You let us know which form you prefer when you order.
5. Fast Same-Day Shipping for Quick Delivery
   All manuals are shipped via UPS Ground or International. Overnight shipping options provide fast alternatives when you need a printed copy quickly.
6. Thoroughly Researched Content Prepared by Quality Professionals
   All procedure manual content is researched by certified quality professionals, subject matter experts, and technical writers who together have decades of business experience. The finished product is thoroughly reviewed by subject matter experts who bring their years of specialized experience to the topics we cover.
7. Easy Reading ISO Conforming Format and Best Practices
   

   ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

   Over 17,000 ISO standards are now available, standards that align companies around the world.  The ISO 9001 Quality standard uses the process approach to describe — and provide a framework for — management systems. Rather than reinvent the wheel, Bizmanualz, an ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company, uses the same process approach and incorporates best practices in developing and implementing procedure manuals.

8. Live Help via Phone or Email to Answer Your Questions Quickly
   Answers to questions about your policies and procedures manual, subject matter, references, or manual preparation are only a phone call or email away. Bizmanualz staff are available Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm, Central (US) time.
   

   business management procedures

9. Integrated Selection of Business Management Procedures for Your Whole Company
   A company is made up of more than a single topic or department. Business management policies and procedures are used by accounting and finance (to control cash), human resources (to comply with federal and state regulations), information technology (to control your data), disaster recovery (to plan for emergencies), security (to protect your assets), sales and marketing (to deploy your strategy), and quality (to operate a complete quality management system and for compliance). Bizmanualz is the only company that provides all of your department business management policies and procedures manuals.
10. Custom Training and Consulting Services, to Facilitate Understanding and Implementation
    Bizmanualz quality professionals are available to personally explain how to plan your procedures project, help you understand your business processes, write and review your procedures, implement your procedures, perform process procedures audits, or develop training materials for successful procedure implementation.

Competitors may be able to match us on a few of the above, but no other company matches or beats Bizmanualz on all ten reasons.  What do you think?  Time to check us out!

Top 10 Reasons to Use Bizmanualz Policies and Procedures Manuals

1. No need to start from scratch
2. Easy to edit
3. Convenient
4. Immediately available by download
5. Same-day shipping
6. Thoroughly researched
7. ISO-conforming format and use of best practices
8. Live help – get quick answers to your questions
9. Procedures for every department in your company
10. Custom training and consulting services, when you need them

Here’s a question we’re asked from time to time: “Are your products ISO 9001 (or other standard/guideline/regulation) compliant?”

The short answer to that is “Not exactly.”  ”Well, why not?!”, you might ask.  Well, the long answer is:

First, the ISO standard does not specify what a document must look like but, instead, specifies what must be contained in the document (as in the “results and action” of a review).  Documents themselves do not comply with ISO 9001, though they can conform to the standard.  Bizmanualz documents do conform in that they include the required procedures, records, etc.; however, compliance comes from how you use your documents.

Quality management systems are what must comply to the standard.  To be certified ISO 9001-compliant, your quality management system, or QMS, has to be audited by an independent external body (certification auditor) who verifies that the QMS conforms to the requirements specified in the standard.

Documents and records are evidence of a system’s conformance to requirements.  Your quality policy, quality manual, and other quality documents and records are all forms of evidence — part of the proof the certifying auditor needs to see in order to verify, or confirm, that your company has a quality management system in place.

Furthermore, it’s not just a matter of whether you have documented processes (procedures) or whether you’re keeping records.  The effectiveness of your quality management system is ultimately determined by how — and whether — your organization uses the information it gathers to continually drive improvement in the system.

Having an effective quality management system means your organization is gathering information from (and about) its processes and is using that information to continually improve:

• The quality of its products and services;
• Business process effectiveness;
• Its quality management system; and
• Its customers’ overall experience.

Second, the content Bizmanualz provides in its policies and procedures (PnP) manuals hasn’t been developed with a specific organization or category in mind.  Our policies and procedures are written in a general tone so that any organization may adapt them to its unique circumstances, issues, and needs, as well as shape them to the requirements that all organizations have in common.

This is exactly what ISO has done — and continues to do — with all of its standards, designing them in a general fashion to assist any organization — not just manufacturers, not just service organizations, not just large or small companies, but all of them.  How much benefit you derive from ISO standards or Bizmanualz PnP products is entirely up to you.

Of course, we want to hear from you on your experiences — good and bad — with our products.  Just like you, we’re always looking for ways to improve our products and services and we need your help.  Like the TV pitchmen say, “Call NOW!”

Getting a job done requires more than just the work.  Often times, there are inputs provided and paperwork handed over, not only before the project, but also between tasks within the project. Now, paperwork may take the form of electronic documents, or records in a database. But either way, handing off or accepting documents is often how we set the boundaries between tasks and transfer control from one party (or project step) to another.

The map used to show the flow of paperwork is one of the seven most-used process maps that we are describing in our process map series.  The document map displays visually what information you should expect to receive, and from whom. It also shows you what information you are expected to produce for someone else. For an example, let’s go back to my family vacation story. One of my usual stops before any family vacation is AAA for a TripTik. You get a custom-printed series of roadmaps showing the territory that you plan to traverse. Tall skinny pages are comb-bound into a book. The route is highlighted, usually with an orange highlighter that is easy to see in daylight and darkness.

Handing off a simple document like a highlighted road map leaves little doubt about what is intended and that control is being handed off from the navigator to the driver.

In our vacation travel example, a TripTik map page could serve as an output document from the navigator to the driver at the “provide directions” step.  Sure, after several hours on the road my wife might just tell me where to go. But she might better show me where to go. With experience, we have agreed that a highlighted TripTik removes all ambiguity between right turns and left and otherwise clarifies the navigator’s intentions.

In this small area of the swim lane map, the navigator "provide(s) directions" to the driver. The navigator is actually handing off a highlighted roadmap, or TripTik, to the driver. This hand-off shows up on the document map shown here. See the previous blog post for the full swim lane map where this example comes from.

Document Maps Help You Recognize Hand-Offs

A simple document map like this one makes it clear what documents are inputs and outputs at each process step. You can see what documents you get, and which ones you need to hand off to others.

Look at the first row labeled “Navigator.” She obtains a TripTik map and tourist brochures (received from outside the process).  The navigator executes the ‘plan route’ process step and produces a ‘highlighted route’ and ‘turn-by-turn instructions’ for the Driver. All four documents are, literally, physical documents, and thus are shown on the map.

Next, the driver uses the documents obtained from the navigator in his ‘driving’ step and produces a status report showing the current location. Notice that a parallelogram is shown instead of a document symbol, indicating that the status report is not a written document, but a spoken one in this case.

The passengers, who don’t really own any process steps, produce a break stop request as part of a pre-defined process called “break process.” That is, the break process comes from somewhere outside of the Driving process. Here, passengers produce a spoken request for a break. Again, a parallelogram is shown, indicating that no actual written document is produced.

Document maps should show all the important written documents so that you could audit your inventory of reports for compliance purposes. The document map is not a recreation of the swim lane map. Decisions and process detail can be left out. You are showing the main steps in rough order.

Document maps come in handy in quality systems like ISO 9001, which require that certain records (like product requirements) be created and maintained. Since they show the records your process creates, documents maps remind and remind process owners to generate output documents without having to name someone as the “document police.” And if you’re in the middle of the process, document maps can tell you if you have the inputs you need to do your job.

One way to set strategy is to use your clout.  As the company’s chief executive and majority shareholder, convince everyone else that the direction you want to take is essential to achieving the company’s objective goals – increasing sales, improving customer satisfaction, and complying with government regulations.  Maybe not the best way, but it’s one way.

Realistically, there are better ways to determine company strategy, and no one way is the best way.  Any time you can take more than one route to arrive at a desirable goal, you need to balance the relative value of projects, using financial measures like ROI, or prioritization schemes like Pareto charts.  This post considers the interactions between decisions, projects, and systems – in real life, few good decisions occur in isolation. Decisions must take into account that everyone in your company depends on everyone else for information and work-in-process.

That’s where process maps come in

Implementing strategy without a process map is like navigating a family road trip without a road map. It usually doesn’t work out. Ask my wife about my driving and navigating from St. Louis, Missouri, to Michigan. Fortunately, we had plenty of food and water in the minivan, and the kids were already in Michigan at summer camp.

Today in the article section, we continue our series on process maps by introducing three types of process maps: High-level, Low-Level, and Swim Lane Process Maps.

Consider that before packing the minivan, I might have consulted a map of the United States. Were I to look at the big picture, I would have seen right away that the eastern shore of Lake Michigan is north and somewhat east of Saint Louis and that it’s faster to drive through Illinois and Indiana to get there than say, through Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, and the Milwaukee Ferry. In that sense, the national map is a High-Level Process Map. It shows the major systems (states) and how communication (highways) pass through them.

My wife asks the question, "why do they call this a minivan?"

If you were updating your company’s automation supporting order-to-cash software, you might want to review a high-level picture showing how Purchasing moves a quote to Production, and Production sends finished goods to Shipping. A High-Level Process Map would show you right away that Shipping has to receive materials before shipping Finished Goods to customers. Knowledge of sequence and dependencies depicted in a High-Level Process Map helps you determine what happens first.

Back on the road

Once we were in Wisconsin, the big US map showed that Milwaukee was to the right (er, east) of Dodgeville. Easy enough. Once we got to Milwaukee we searched for the ferry. There, the big USA map was not much help, so I pulled out the more detailed (or low-level) Wisconsin state map.  On it, I looked for the Milwaukee area insert.  Furthermore, had I stopped to ask directions, someone might have advised staying in the southbound lanes of Carferry Drive rather than end up back on Lake Parkway heading toward Chicago.

That is the kind of insight you can glean about your business from a Low-Level Process Map. Credit checks and accounts-receivables reviews happen before granting credit to customers, so you might want to work on the estimating and accounting software packages before redoing the invoicing systems.

Now my family and I are all safely home.  I’m contemplating our next road trip, and I have become a big fan of Swim Lane Maps. Like a Low-Level Process Map, Swim Lane Maps show the functions that must occur for a successful journey, like “Drive” and “Navigate” (and maybe “Keep your hands off your sister’s iPod”).  Swim Lane Maps show responsibility for each activity and when various parties need to accept information from (or hand off to) one another.

All this, and they're still happy campers, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.

Had I consulted a Swim Lane Map before repacking the family in the minivan, it would have been visually apparent that I was responsible for driving, not navigating, and I was supposed to accept information somewhere north of Chicago.

One can come to appreciate that maps get all the information out in the open. And should things go in the wrong direction, you can point to the map. Interested parties can discuss the map calmly, with no need to comment on anyone’s innate abilities such as hearing or sense of direction.

At this point, you might see how Swim Lane Maps could come in handy in your company, when you consider how systems will support people who provide information and work-in-process to each other, and vice versa.  For example, the sales department is supposed to hand off orders to the credit department which, in turn, performs the credit check based on management criteria.  The IT department should want to know about responsibilities, dependencies, and hand-offs — which a Swim Lane Map can convey easily and concisely – before they begin to plan, develop, debug, and roll out software.

So, check out this week’s installment about High-Level, Low-Level and Swim Lane process maps.  An introduction to the series appeared last week in a blog post of ours and in the article site where we posed the question, ‘What is a Process Map?’

I trust that next week, you will find your way back here for more types of maps.

No matter how much you want to please your customers, you will not please every one.  That’s not news to anyone out there (I hope).  But, pleasing customers is especially difficult when there is no dialogue.

Again, not a breathtaking revelation.  It’s just that when I was recently given a rare opportunity by a customer, I wondered, among many things:

• Why is it that only dissatisfied customers get in touch?
• Why are their expectations often far outside the norm?
• What about the “silent majority”?  Why don’t they dialogue with us?

This particular customer — who I’ll call “Hans” (not his/her real name) — did not like that our policies and procedures manual did not contain a complete, up-to-date listing of every national law affecting or related to the subject matter of the manual.  He asked when our product had last been updated.  I replied that it was less than two years ago.

To Hans, this was unacceptable.  For what he paid, he should have received much more than he got, in his estimation.  If new laws were enacted in the last year and a half or so that could impact the way he does business, he needs to know about this.

While I agree in principle with his last statement, I pointed out several things working against us in that regard.  We have an international audience; the number of laws on any given subject must be in the thousands, if not millions, and countries are adding new laws all the time.

(NOTE: This is one reason why we feel international standards — like ISO 9001 — are critically important.  Every market you can think of (but especially food and health care) is heavily regulated in most countries.  ISO standards do a very good job of harmonizing laws around the world: that is, if a company complies with international standards like ISO 9001, it will very likely comply with relevant regulations, too.)

It is not possible for us to keep up with all the regulatory changes that go on around the world, so we defer to established authority.  And, we’re continually getting better with regard to international coverage.  For instance, in the Finance Policies and Procedures manual, we don’t just mention GAAP and leave it at that.  We also include reference to IFSB and explain its importance.  Rather than restate the applicable rules, regulations, guidelines, etc., we include links to some web sites.  (I invite you to check out a few legislative web sites.  If we tried to be all-inclusive, we might never get a product to market and if we did…imagine the shipping charges!)

We can’t possibly include everything on every subject covered in our manuals.  In fact, we caution purchasers in our manuals against assuming that our P&P manuals have everything they could possibly need.  That, and we caution them to have qualified legal counsel check their work prior to implementing and distributing it.

Finally, I told Hans we design our products to provide the greatest good for the greatest number.  It might be prohibitively expensive for many of our customers if we were to tailor the P&P manuals to their unique circumstances.  We can do that — and have done it — for companies on a for-hire basis.  Still, many companies, I suspect, purchase our products because they are a low-cost alternative and provide a solid framework for their unique circumstances and documentation requirements.  I closed by apologizing to Hans that our product could not meet all of his needs.

Now, it’s your turn.  What do you expect of our products?  Surely, there’s something you feel like we could be doing better…but what?

Last week we launched a new product: a procedure writing guide that helps you become familiar with all stages of the policies and procedures writing process. Generally, when you write policies and procedures for your organization, you go through these five stages:

• Plan
• Write/Format
• Implement
• Communicate/distribute
• Revise

Our guide, entitled “How to Write Policies and Procedures”, gives you a general overview of policies and procedures development.  It covers topics like purpose, content, organization and revision.  In addition, the guide includes useful discussions and tips, like avoiding procedure writing errors, encouraging the use of policies and procedures, and the importance of management commitment.

At $12.99, this 34-page policies and procedures guide is an excellent value.  Prepared for electronic distribution only, it’s available for instant download as a PDF file.  So, whether you’re thinking about writing procedures or you’re in the middle of a policies and procedures project, we think you’ll find this guide an invaluable resource.

Problems manifest themselves in many ways but to truly solve a problem you must make sure you have found the root cause.  A good place to start is by understanding the top ten root causes to most business problems you will encounter.

The number one root cause management usually jumps to is (1) Poor Training.  Yes, training is a root cause to some problems but, it is not the sole reason why things go wrong.  Many times employees may not be (2) following procedures.  Unused procedures are not effective.  Why aren’t they following procedures?  Perhaps because they are (3) poorly written procedures.  If a procedure is unclear it is a lot harder to follow.  Even well-written procedures are not perfect.

(4) Poor employee placement can result in mistakes too.  Your employee may not be the right person for the job.  Better screening, job descriptions, or testing can help you to place the right person in the right job.  Yet even with the right person you could have (5) poor methods that have been outdated but not changed, or at least the changes were poorly communicated.

We are half way through the list of the top ten root causes.  Next, (6) poor inspection causes mistakes.  This is really about attention to detail, understanding your product, and caring for the output that you are passing on to the next step in the process.  Pay attention and take the time to inspect your product and you will reduce a very common root cause.

Related to inspection is (7) poor maintenance.  If you neglect your equipment then it is more likely to malfunction.  Lean thinking focuses on preventive maintenance, which means regularly maintaining your equipment to ensure it does not break down in the middle of something important you are doing.  Of course it could be breaking down because of a (8) poor engineering or design in the first place.  Focus on designing in quality by doing it right the first time and you will avoid this root cause.

Are you selecting (9) poor inputs or materials because the price is right?  If so, then perhaps your management has (10) poor rewards or incentives in place?  I am not talking about just money.  Recognition of good quality or pointing out poor quality performance may be all that is needed to send the message that quality is important and thus preventing many of these root causes in the first place.

Top Ten Root Causes of Business Problems

1. Poor training – Mistakes are made due to the lack of proper training.
2. Poor procedure usage- Mistakes are made because procedures are not or cannot be followed.
3. Poorly written procedures – Mistakes are made due to unclear procedures.
4. Poor employee placement- Mistakes are made because the employee is not physically capable of executing the procedure and is in the wrong role or position.
5. Poor methods- Mistakes are made because employees are following outdated methods that used to produce quality product but, conditions have changed and the method has not been updated.
6. Poor inspection- Mistakes are made because inspections are either not performed at the right time or with the right scrutiny, or not performed at all.
7. Poor maintenance- Mistakes are made because the equipment is not sustained or preserved, either by neglect (see 2) or ignorance (see 1).
8. Poor engineering or design- Mistakes are made because of a bad initial design.
9. Poor inputs or materials- Mistakes are made because of poor quality raw materials.
10. Poor rewards or incentives- Mistakes are made because of either a lack of emphasis on good quality performance or the failure to reject poor quality performance.

People don’t make mistakes. Systems make mistakes.  If you have a system for training, well-written procedures, following-up on procedure usage (i.e. internal auditing, metrics, rewards), developing competent employees for the role they are placed in, updating and innovating methods, attention to detail, disciplined maintenance, quality designs, constant rewards and incentives for good work, and supplier validations, then you would have eliminated 80% of all of your failures or mistakes.  The last 20% is left to the individual’s ability to operate the system you have just created.  What do we call such a system?  A Quality Management System!

We’ll be releasing our updated ISO 9001 QMS Policies, Procedures, and Forms manual this week.  The ISO 9001 standard, “Quality Management Systems – Requirements”, was updated for the first time in eight years and released last November.  The changes to our manual go quite a bit further than merely substituting every occurrence of “2000” with “2008”, of course.

We now offer you a leaner manual in more than one sense.  There are fewer pages and fewer procedures in our soon-to-be-released product than in the previous version, reflecting our “lean” philosophy.

The Quality Manual reflects lean thinking most of all.  Rather than borrow the text of the standard verbatim, we stripped the Quality Manual to the bare essentials.  It’s not going to be for everyone – some will, no doubt, still insist that their Quality Manuals parrot the text of the ISO 9001 standard, so that they’re sure their Quality Management System documentation covers every aspect of ISO 9001.  Putting in a lot of verbiage that’s not required by the standard, however, can make your Quality Manual less user-friendly, less useful, and less likely to be improved.

There are fewer procedures in the new and improved ISO 9001 QMS manual.  Procedures retained are ones that many organizations consider important or critical (e.g., Internal Auditing, Corrective Action).  Those procedures are modeled on the Deming Cycle — they have a Plan, Do, Check, and Act phase.  Some procedures that aren’t typically high priority and/or that didn’t amount to much more than simple work instructions (e.g., Serial Number Designation) have been omitted.

Throughout the updated manual, we refer to ISO 9001 requirements.  The six required procedures are highlighted in the Quality Manual; they’re also the first six of the twenty-three procedures we provide.

We’ve done something new with the “Forms and Records” section at the end of each procedure.  We’re still providing sample forms for you to use, but now they’re categorized as “required” or “other” and we tell you which ISO 9001 clause requires the record.  For example, in the Internal Audits procedure, there’s a form for audit reports; the Forms/Records table tells you the report requirement is in clause 8.2.2.

We think this is a much improved product, one that will smooth the bumps in your organization’s road to ISO 9001 compliance and certification.

As always, we eagerly await your comments.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

There is a lot to do for visitors like you at the Bizmanualz website. You can read informative blog posts or articles, download policies and procedures samples, or simply browse our products and services. You can also ask us questions about your policies and procedures projects or business improvement initiatives through our blog or other social media channels.

Different visitors ask different questions, but there are a few questions that have become quite common. In this post, I will try to answer some of the most common questions we’re asked from our website visitors:

Question: Can I edit these procedures?
Answer: Sure! The whole point of the procedure documentation that we provide is to give you the starting point and flexibility to develop policies and procedures that fit your specific situation. All our policies and procedures come in easily editable Microsoft Word format. Once you have these files in your computer, you can customize it in any way you like.

Question: Can I download my purchase?
Answer: Absolutely! All our policies and procedures manuals are downloadable. You just have to pick the right option when you place your order. The smaller procedures are available via download only, while the bigger policies and procedures manuals come with the option to download, receive hard copy shipments or both.

Question: Are the procedures applicable to my country?
Answer: Yes! The policies and procedures manuals are based on best practices that companies should follow regardless of their geographic location. While some US regulations (OSHA, GAAP, SOX) might be the guiding principle behind some manuals, the bulk of the content is still generic enough to be applicable to a wide range of locations and situations.

Question: Is my purchase really risk free?
Answer: Yes! If you purchase a hard copy product, you have 30 days from the date of purchase to review the material and, if it does not meet your needs, return it for a full refund (less shipping). For downloaded products, the review window is 48 hours.

Question: What kind of discount(s) do you offer?
Answer: Bizmanualz offers you several ways to get maximum value out of your purchase. We offer automatic multiple-manual discounts for all of our policies and procedures manuals. So, the more manuals you buy, the more you can save. Bizmanualz Management Procedures Series are another excellent way to save. By purchasing pre-bundled manuals, you can save up to 42%. And if you download a sample and take a brief survey about your experience, you’ll receive a discount coupon at the end of the survey.

Procedures manuals from Bizmanualz provide you a fast and easy way to plan, develop and implement your policies and procedures. Over the years, thousands of companies have used our manuals to develop well-written and effective policies and procedures to grow their business.

Do you want to share your experience with policies and procedure? Do you have any questions that you’d like us to answer?

Bonus Offer: If you leave a comment or ask a question on this post, I will personally send you a 10% off discount coupon that you can use to buy any product(s) off the Bizmanualz website. This offer is valid untill the end of June, 2009. So hurry! Keep your questions and comments coming.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…