Policies and procedures are never “done” in the sense that they may be declared “complete” and set aside. These documents represent the “good practices” used by an organization to do its work and evolve as the ways of doing business change.

But establishing a baseline set of policies and procedures to provide the foundation for ongoing development is a task that can be considered “complete” when they cover the core processes the organization uses to do business.

Adopting a standard process for developing policies and procedures reduces the need for recurring discussions about how the process should take place. An organization can adopt a process that works across organizational processes, activities and teams.

Putting an approved standard process in writing before the major effort of developing policies and procedures begins allows authors, subject matter experts and managers to focus on the policy and procedure content of the documents.

A Process Template

A standard process for developing policies and procedures provides the example for the work it authorizes and directs. The details for developing policies and procedures should apply to this standard process first.

For example, if each organizational activity is to be governed by a policy and directed by multiple procedures, the policy and procedure development process also must include these same components.

The standard process document should include the set of topics and that must apply to all other policies and procedures for the organization. These topics may typically include:

• Document Organization
• Document Format
• Subject Matter Experts
• Document Review
• Document Approval
• Document Publication
• Document Distribution

Document Organization

The required policy and procedures documents for each organizational activity or process are identified. This topic provides guidance regarding the preferred document types and hierarchy to be used.

This guidance, for example, may direct that a policy and a set of supporting procedures are sufficient. On the other hand, authors may be asked to develop a policy, a process or activity description, procedures, and work instructions.

These decisions are guided by the complexity of the organization’s activities and the level of detail required to clearly describe how work is to be performed.

Document Format

Establishing a standard format for policy and procedure documents saves considerable development time. Document formats should be used which help readers easily understand the requirements of the policy or procedure.

Download Free Sample Business Procedure Templates

Professionally pre-designed document templates may provide the most efficient starting point for developing policies and procedures. Organizations should be aware that pre-designed document templates are generic and may need to be adapted to their specific needs.

Subject Matter Experts

Identifying appropriate subject matter experts who provide the detail for the content of policies and procedures helps authors develop complete and accurate documents. A policy statement for this topic may establish the level of cooperation requested of subject matter experts.

Since policies often relate to the strategic objectives of the organization, subject matter experts for policy development should be representatives of appropriate levels of organization management.

Often the most knowledgeable experts for the detailed content provided in procedures are the people who already perform those activities on a daily basis.

Document Review

Policy and procedure documents should be reviewed by a senior subject matter expert who can provide the assurance that the documents convey the level of detail and accuracy necessary.

Policy and procedure documents reflect approved organizational practices, or compliance or conformance with regulatory or certification requirements. Making sure they are complete, accurate and timely is worth the quality control effort needed to get them right.

Document Approval

Policies and procedures, to be effective, must carry sufficient organizational authority to encourage employee compliance. While a sign-off from the CEO may not be necessary, each policy and procedure should be approved at a level of the organization appropriate to the subject matter addressed by the documents.

Document Publication

Criteria describing what actions constitute the act of publication of a policy or procedure should be established. The act of publication directly relates to when the document becomes effective and how it is made available to those to whom it applies.

Document Distribution

To have an impact on the organization, a policy or procedure must be available to the members of the organization. The location of documents, information about who they affect, the ways personnel may gain access to them, and other details about document availability, retention and eventual disposition should be provided.

Organizations that implement a standard process for developing policies and procedures, and follow that process consistently, are far more likely to succeed in producing the set of policy and procedure documents they need within a reasonable timeframe.

Dave Baldwin is principal at Dave Baldwin Consulting. He has extensive experience as a professional communicator, information designer and process consultant. Dave has worked with a variety of clients in the Software, IT, Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Public Safety, State and Federal Government, Insurance and Financial Services industries. Dave may be reached through his website at www.davebaldwinconsulting.com.

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Definition of an SOP — (Standard Operating Procedure)

A written method of controlling a practice in accordance with predetermined specifications to obtain a desired outcome.  SOPs are written steps to explain good manufacturing practices (GMP), plant safety routines, financial controls to secure assets, or IT security measures that employees are to follow.  SOPs are step by step procedures on how to do something that is critical to quality, critical to safe operations, or critical to security.

Why do we need Procedures?

Regulations may require them as part of the compliance (OSHA, SOX, EPA, DOT, FDA).  Some industries have voluntary guidelines that suggest them as a best practice (OSHA VPP “Star” program, ISO quality, GAAP, IFRS, ITIL, to name a few).  Organizations looking to become “World Class”, the best in their industry, demand them as part of defining their standard work.  Company policies, six sigma discipline, or engineering standards determine the need for exacting consistency.

Procedures Protect Workers

Workers who are following established procedures have more confidence that their actions are supported by management, the underlying statutes or regulations, and that they are following industry best practices.  Using standard operating procedures regularly leads to fewer corrective actions.  If there are legal ramifications to your work, then following your procedures reduces liabilities.

Procedures Protect Customers

Customers are entitled to dependable product or service delivery based on established and accepted measures—not on any one worker’s personal values, and not varying from one geographic area to another.

SOPs and Work Instructions

Writing Standard Operating Procedures

Some SOPs may have a two-tiered system that includes both procedures and Work Instructions.  Your procedures provide a general view of the higher level steps, whereas Work Instructions are significantly more detailed.

One advantage of a two-tiered system is that SOPs change less often, whereas work instructions may need to be changed or updated more frequently due to changes in organizational structure, equipment, or application software.

Designing Procedures

Procedures provide a description of who does what, when.  An SOP characterizes relationships and control measures.  It defines the roles and responsibilities to help workers “find themselves” in the business process.  Procedures clarify different decision points and provide the necessary guidance on criteria to make a decision.

When writing a procedure, make sure to answer the key questions:

• Who does what? (role or person responsible)
• What do they do? (tasks, frequency, to what standard or criteria)
• What is the outcome when they do it? (deliverables, measures, objective results)
• Did you answer what needs to happen, clearly?

Writing Procedures

Begin each procedure step with an “action” verb.  Make sure each step is distinct and make decision points clear.  Procedures use third person language and an active voice construction.  Cause/effect relationships should be clearly defined.  The “flow” of a procedure should move forward over time.  Procedures are not focused on “how to” information, so they should not be too detailed (see work instructions below).

Download free policies and procedures SOP template samples

Analyze your audience and the information they need. Think about who will be reading your procedures. Then define the types of information needed to meet your audience’s needs.  Define the organization of the information to optimize user navigation based on their needs.

Visually distinguish related material so readers can find what they’re interested in fast.  The idea is to keep related pieces of information together.  By breaking the information into related groupings, readers can more easily move from general to specifics quickly.  Remember, most workers know how to do their job and may only need to refer to the procedure for less frequent tasks, error conditions, or decision criteria.

Writing SOPs with Process Maps

During the procedure design phase, determine what tasks need process mapping.  Lay out all the steps currently used in the process to complete that task.  Once a task has been mapped, it should be tested in the field to ensure all the necessary detail has been captured. Process Mapping involves taking each step in the task and making it more efficient and easier to follow.  Once you have finished mapping your process, convert your process map to an outline for easier use in writing your procedure.

Using process maps, graphics, tables, and simple diagrams in your written procedures provide a good visual anchor.  Include the process map developed in the design phase.  Diagrams are a good way to communicate high level and detailed relationships.  Provide reference information as needed for clarity.

Writing Work Instructions

Work Instructions define the “how to” information to complete steps in a task mentioned inside a procedure.  Work Instructions are action-focused.  They may include a “list” of steps, a checklist, or pictures of dials, switches, or computer screen shots with annotations.  Make sure to label the information in a way that tells the user what to expect.  Pictures may speak a 1,000 words but it’s the annotations that clarify the meaning.

Work Instructions focus on “how”—typically on the person new to performing the task vs a Subject Matter Expert (SME).  While procedures usually assume the individual has capability in the general area being addressed – procedures and work instructions are NOT meant to be a substitute for training!

Work Instructions help fill in the blanks wherever information is needed to support processes, procedures, or templates.  Using structured On-The-Job (OJT) checklists demonstrate the proper method of performing tasks associated with a procedure.

The information for procedure or work instruction documents comes from relevant SMEs.  Don’t forget these documents are not just documents; they’re also a way to group important information together.  Procedures and work instruction documents are also auditable for ISO 9001, FDA, financial, or other audits.  If you don’t want it audited, then you may want to consider adding training information that is not auditable.

SOPs and Policies and Procedures

Working in accordance with well-defined Standard Operating Procedures is an important aspect of any quality management system. Your policies and procedures documents are written for Critical To Quality (CTQ) elements within your business with the aim of consistency as the goal.  Your SOPs may have a two-tiered system that includes procedures of the higher level steps and Work Instructions with more details.

Download free policies and procedures SOP template samples that you can use to customize for your organization.  Examples are available from Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Computer & IT, Sales & Marketing, Disaster Recovery, Security Planning, and more.  Take home  your free sample now.

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Office Policy Manual, Your Recipes for Success

Your Office Policies and Procedures Manual is critical to the success of your organization.  In fact, it is your recipes for success.  If you want your business to grow and become successful, then you will have to hire more employees, agents, or workers.  Each employee will need to understand what recipes you want them to use that makes your customers happy with your business.  Without the same recipe, your product (or service) would change, daily, with each new encounter your customers have with each new employee.

Your customers appreciate your great customer service, responsive sales, and support.  But what does that mean?  Do you answer the phone within one ring or two?  Are employees properly trained to answer customer questions correctly, the first time?  Do you respond to customer complaints quickly with quick fixes, replacements, or refunds?

Defining employee standards, communicating regulations, and explaining your business processes are easily accomplished through your office policy manual.  Your employees will learn to rely upon it as their business guide.  It will become their employee handbook that guides them to make better decisions.  Documenting your office policies will help your recipe for success.

• Business policy conveys management’s philosophy
• Company policies improve communication
• Office procedures reduce employee training time
• A workplace procedure manual improves employee productivity
• Corporate policies and procedures strengthen business operations

Have You Documented Your Recipes for Success?

Get started right now.  Stop searching for office policy samples.  Bizmanualz has sample human resources checklists, workplace policies and procedures, example business forms, and other HR tools to help you to quickly create your recipes for success — an Office Policies and Procedures Manual. 

Download free sample policies and procedures templates to get started right away.  Browse through each of the department manuals and decide which one will help your organization succeed.  Then order the business policies and procedures manual that is right for you.

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Procedure Writing

The policy writer must try to put themselves into the position of the users at all times.  It is a good idea to develop manual review criteria, to make sure your procedure document are consistent and correct. While developing policy and procedure statements, some general guidelines for the procedure writer to keep in mind are:

1. Explain new or unusual terms the first time they are used or in the definitions section of the statement.
2. Avoid jargon wherever possible, especially when training new employees.
3. Avoid unneeded words.
4. Avoid complex writing.  If the writer’s vocabulary is unusually large or if they write using complex sentence structures, the writing may be at too high a level for many of the users.  Understanding is far more important than the correctness of the language.
5. Use active verbs instead of passive phrases.
6. Write the way you speak.  Use words and phrases that you would normally use in expressing the same thought orally.

Sexism in Procedure Writing

Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines “he” as used in the generic sense or when the sex of the person is unspecified.  However, many people will not accept “he” being used when referring to people in general.  There have been suggestions that the generic “he” be replaced with “he or she” and “him” with “him or her.”

Another recent method that is gaining acceptance is the switch to a plural pronoun with a singular subject such as “When someone orders their supplies, they will have to complete a …”

Often it is more practical for the writer to use generic nouns or by recasting sentences to include positions or titles (i.e., Applicant, Manager, Accountant, Driver, etc.) to eliminate the need for most sexism in writing of policy and procedure statements.

Number Usage in Your Procedures

Writing and development of procedures may often times include the frequent usage of numbers in the writing.  The following rules cover how numbers should be used in print.

1. Never begin a sentence with numbers.  “Fifty states have been admitted to the union” not “50 states …”
2. Spell numbers one through nine in words, 10 or larger in numerals.
3. Compound numbers such as fractions in numerals, for example 8 1/2″ X 11.”
4. When showing odds, use hyphens such as 4-to-1.
5. Decimals of less than one should be preceded by a zero, for example, 0.5 percent.
6. Dates: “the 1990s”
7. Spell % as percent.
8. Use numerals with times such as a.m. and p.m.

Organizing Your Procedure Ideas

To help the procedure writer formulate and organize ideas for developing and writing policy and procedure statements, it may be useful to outline the material to be covered.  Outlining is a fast and effective way to show a great amount of information in a concise, efficient manner with a minimum of writing.

To achieve well-written and easily understood policy and procedure statements that flow in a cohesive and logical form, your personnel should first outline their thoughts before beginning to write a statement.

When outlining a policy and procedure statement, the following areas should be defined:

1. What is the objective of the policy and procedure statement?
2. What is the Company’s policy on this matter?
3. Who does the business policy affect?

4.         When is the policy/procedure appropriate?

5.         How is the objective to be accomplished? This should include outlining major areas of your procedure in a step-by-step fashion in chronological order.

Procedure Outlining Technique

There are some basic standard rules for effective and consistent procedure outlining.  It may be helpful to briefly review a few of these that deal primarily with formatting.  These rules concern indentation and numbering.

Standard outline formatting is as follows:

I.

A.

1.

2.

a.

b.

B.

II.

There should always be at least two of each type of character.  For example, there should not be an I without a II, an A without a B, etc.

The four characters to mark each section level, Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals and lower case letters are followed by a period.  Line up the periods vertically for each type of character.  Thus, Roman numerals are shown:

I.

II.

Arabic numerals are lined up as follows:

5.

39.

By aligning the periods, the text is a pleasing, straight vertical line.  Indentation should be uniform, usually two to five spaces for each change in type of line.  The part of a single line carried to a second line should be indented the same number of spaces as the original part of the line.

Effective Policies and Procedures Manual

An effective policy procedure manual is clearly written, easily understood by all the employees in your organization, and establishes a foundation of business controls that comply with established regulations. Clarity and readability are more important than style, perfect grammar and a large vocabulary.  Download Free Sample Procedure Templates to see how easy it is to edit MS Word Templates to build your own policy and procedure management system.

The post Communicating with Your Policy Procedure Manual Audience appeared first on Bizmanualz.

Procedure Manuals Communicate Information

It is important to remember that the true objective of a business manual is to disseminate information in a timely and efficient manner and not to “impress” the reader with intricate headings or fancy printing techniques.  The simplest format is often the best.  A simple standard operating procedure template can be used as a common format, which also allows for the most time and cost effective manner for production and maintenance of the business manual.  It may be best to avoid temptations such as, detailed corporate logos in headings, two sided copies, odd sized paper patterns, expensive and restrictive binding techniques, etc.

Procedure Manual Design

You should be able to determine the estimated length and usage of your Policy and Procedure Manual by reviewing the preliminary listing of policy and procedures with all personnel assigned to each section.   With the guidelines presented in this publication and from your own organization’s needs determine the format of your policy and procedure statements and how you will organize the manual into sections.

No Policy and Procedure Manual should ever be regarded as “complete” in the sense that it will never change.  The best manual is one that is geared to continuous growth over time and incorporates design features that make this kind of growth possible. In this regard, many people use standard 8-1/2″ X 11″ paper housed in a three-ring binder, which forms an ideal Policy and Procedure Manual.

The three-ring binder procedure manual provides the benefits of allowing a place for statements to be inserted while the manual is being developed and provides for easy updating through simple replacement of pages or superseded statements.  Further, as the organization grows, the use of standard three-ring binders allows additional copies of the manual to be produced on an as needed basis instead of having to be concerned with minimum production runs required for hard bound versions.

Production of policy statementson a single-side, standard size paper medium provides for easy reproduction of the business manual by high-speed copiers.  Use of single-side printing also provides for easy updating of the manual with changes by allowing for one or two pages to be replaced without affecting the order or sequence of the manual.

A window type binder should be used to describe the contents of the company manual on the spine for locating sections quickly from a bookcase.  If desired, the outside of the binder can be imprinted with the company’s name and logo to give the manual a more professional and authoritative appearance.

Divider tabs on heavy stock should be used to separate functional areas or departmental sections for ease in finding a specific statement.

Policy Procedure Management Software

However, if the company manual becomes too voluminous for easy handling, it may be necessary to bind the manual by different sections, utilize two-sided printing to reduce paper volume or move to a completely online policy management system like www.onpolicy.com provides.  Moving everything online reduce paper, speeds up distribution, and provides electronic acknowledgement from each employee.

Procedure Manual Style

The style and mechanics of writing policy and procedures include the paper, typestyle and print quality.

Paper – Some organizations use color to designate different manuals, forms, memos, etc.  While color can create a pleasing appearance, it sometimes becomes too restrictive and may complicate photocopying or printing.  Further, sometimes colors do not provide adequate contrast from the ink color for ease in reading.  Nothing is better than black ink on white paper.

The grade of paper is usually not important since the manual is for internal purposes only and is not intended as a public relations effort.  Regular 20-pound copy paper is adequate for single-sided printing.  A heavier weight paper with greater opacity may be necessary if two-sided printing is used.

Typestyle – Avoid unusual artwork or type styles.  These can be difficult to read and/or reproduce over a long period of time.  You should strive for consistency in the overall appearance of the entire policy manual regardless of what area or department originates the statements by selecting a common typewriter element or word processing typestyle font.  Courier 10, Elite, 12-point times roman and 12-point roman are common typestyles used by many business machines and word‑processing software packages.

Print Quality – Avoid using small print, photocopy reductions, all-capital print or fancy script styles whenever possible as these are tiresome and difficult to read.

Adequate margins should be provided on the page.  Recommended margins are a 1″ top and bottom margin with a 1″ left and right mirror margins plus a 1/2″ gutter margin (for three-hole punching or binding).

Appealing Procedure Manual Format

The policy and procedure manual format and appearance are as important as the organization and content.  An office manual that is appealing to the eye and emphasizes the importance of the policy and procedure statements contained, is more likely to be taken seriously and used by your employees to accomplish their jobs. Download Free Sample Business Procedure Templates to see how easy it is to edit MS Word Templates to build your own policy and procedure manual, quickly and easily.

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Employee Handbook — Your Employee Manual

Your Employee Handbook, which can also be referred to as an employee manual, is similar to a Policy & Procedure Manual except that the focus is different.  Your office Policy & Procedure Manual doesn’t commit anything to your employees; however, your Employee Handbook does to a degree imply a responsibility to your employees.

Your company is presenting business policy in the Employee Handbook as it directly applies to your employees.  Note: Be Careful! A judge might see this as legal “terms of employment”. It is wise for your organization (i.e. management) to comply with the business policies set forth in your employee handbook just as you expect your employees to comply with it too.

Your Employee Handbook contains your business policies for:

• Company Philosophy, mission, vision and purpose
• Employment Procedures
• Work Schedules, hours, and shifts
• Dress Code Policy
• Pay And Compensation Policies
• Attendance and Sick Leave Policies
• Insurance Programs For Employees
• Vacation and sick leave Policies
• Employee Benefit Policies
• Employee Transfers And Separation From Employment Policy
• Workplace Policies and Regulations
• Drug-Free Workplace Policy
• OSHA and Safety Policy
• Transportation And Travel Expense Policies
• Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Conflicts of Interest Policies

Revisions to Your Employee Manual

Once your employee manual is written, it will need to be reviewed frequently for changes.  Every organization is dynamic and in some steady state of change, which will lead to changes in your business policies from time to time.  Revisions should be completed and sent to all personnel who hold a copy of the Employee Manual.  The revision should have an effective date and of course should be distributed in advance of the effective date.

When making a change to your employee manual, be cognizant that the language might have an indirect impact on other business policies. And finally, make sure that there is a clear record of revisions made and that all employees have current information in a timely manner using some type of employee acknowledgment.

Employee Handbook Acknowledgment

Employee Handbook

It is essential that all employees sign an acknowledgment form, which confirms that your workers have read, understand and been issued a copy of the employee handbook.  The employee handbooks should be assigned a number when printed and this number should be recorded when issued to an employee so that you have traceability.

View Free Sample Business Policy and Procedure Templates

The employee must sign a statement that they have received the policy manual, understands that it is supposed to be read, agrees to ask an individual in authority if there are any questions about stated business policies, and acknowledges that deviations from the employee manual policies can result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment with the company.

The original signed acknowledgment form should be retained in the employee’s personnel file with a copy of the signed form given to the employee. This record-keeping step prevents the employee from claiming, at a future date, that they were not aware of company policy.

Your Employee Handbook is not intended to represent a company Policy and Procedure Manual.  A “Policy and Procedure Manual” is intended to set forth a definite course or method of action to guide employee’s present and future decisions in the daily course of their job.

So, the purpose of a policy and procedure manual is to provide companies, managers and supervisors with a systematic approach to implementation of policies, plans and operational routines, some of which are found in your Employee Handbook.

The purpose of your Employee Handbook is to communicate to employees the company expectations, workplace guidelines, and the fair and equitable treatment of all employees.

Download Free Sample Business Policy and Procedure Templates to see how easy it is to edit MS Word documents to build your own office policy and procedure management system.

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Good Business Practices

For example, how many times have you called customer service at a company only to be forwarded around from one customer service agent to another because they could not handle your call.  Good business practice and common sense suggest that customer service representatives should be able to handle a customer’s problem with the authority to resolve the problem on the spot.  A production team should be able to diagnose a quality problem, formulate a solution, consult with engineering, and resolve the problem on the floor right now, without having to go through the “proper” channels.

Front line workers gain empowerment to make effective, time-saving decisions through policies and procedures that affect their functional area.  An effective policies and procedures manual provides appropriate methods for interdepartmental communication, to allow staff to work together to resolve day-to-day business problems without requiring unnecessary supervisory involvement.

The goal of your policy and procedure manual should be to organize the contents to reflect your company’s ways and means of communicating, getting the service performed, or the product manufactured at the lowest cost in the least amount of time, with the added benefit of maintaining job satisfaction and high employee morale.

Company Policies and Procedures

Company Policies and Procedures Manuals

Therefore, all employees in your organization should be educated in Company policies and procedures and always have ready access to a policy and procedure manual.  Due to the cost of producing and maintaining a policy manual, it is not necessary to issue an individual printed manual to every employee – however, a manual should be readily available either in a designated area in each functional location or online using a policies and procedures management system.

Download Free Sample Company Procedure Templates to see how easy it is to edit Microsoft Word Templates to build your own company policy and procedure management system.

The post Who Uses a Policy And Procedure Manual? appeared first on Bizmanualz.

Policies and Procedures Manual Foreword

The Foreword serves as an introduction to your policies and procedures manual as a whole by presenting a concise summary of the company’s operating objectives and management philosophy.  Sometimes the foreword can be in the form of a letter from the company president emphasizing top management’s philosophies and support for the company policies that follow.  This serves to unify and signify the importance of the operations manual and helps to determine the “theme” of the procedures manual.

Policies and Procedures Table of Contents

A table of contents must be provided in order to allow employees to quickly find their area of interest and to outline the organization of the operations manual.  The table of contents should be placed at the very beginning of the manual, where it will be seen immediately.  The table of contents should, at a minimum, list headings of major groups or classifications of policies and procedures.   A secondary table of contents should then be prepared for each section of the procedures manual, listing individual policy and procedure statements and their location.

As an alternative, if the length of the manual and the frequency of revisions will be kept to a minimum, it may be useful to list the individual policy and procedure statements under the major headings on the main table of contents. This will allow employees to determine the location of the section and policy and procedure statements quickly from the front of the manual.

Organization of Policy and Procedure Statements

Your operations manual should be organized according to functional areas or departments.  This will facilitate easier use of the policies and procedures by employees relating to their area.  This also allows the procedures manual to be subdivided into volumes in order to deal with large quantities of policies and procedures.  Each volume becomes a department policies and procedures manual.

A policy manual grouped by departments or functional areas also allows for the authorization of new and revised policies and procedures to fall under a department head or supervisor and ensures the consistent approach to policies and procedures within areas.

View Free Sample Procedure Templates

Optional Sections to Your Manual

You may also want to include additional sections to each department policies and procedures manual that relate to other operational matters in your company such as organization charts, job descriptions, company forms, and internal reports.  The addition of these sections can provide one cohesive and informative source for employees to access for all questions relating to the operations of the company.

Policies and Procedures Manual Index

Depending on the length of the resulting procedures manual, it may be appropriate to have both a table of contents at the beginning and an index at the end.  The index comes in handy primarily when the number of policies is so voluminous that it would be time-consuming to have to search through the entire table of contents to find a particular area of interest.

An index is also useful when it is unclear what heading a particular policy and procedure statement might fall under or when a policy and procedure statement applies to multiple functional or departmental areas.  An index allows employees to cross-reference areas or to find the topical area of interest by searching an alphabetical listing.  Of course, if your procedures manual is large, then you should consider using policies and procedures management software to control all of your documents.

The index should not be completed until the majority of the policy and procedure statements have been written and approved.  An easy method for accomplishing development of the index is to review the final draft of the manual and write the subjects covered under each statement in a spreadsheet with the description of the statement and page number.  Then sort this list into alphabetical order for development of the index.  Microsoft Word also has various advanced functions for creating indexes and tables of contents.

When you are in doubt as to which word or words a specific policy should be indexed under, put yourself in the user’s place and decide which subject an employee would be most likely to look under first.  If there is no clear indication, then the index should have multiple entries.

Download Free Sample Procedure Templates to see how easy it is to edit MS Word Templates to build your own policy and procedure management system.

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Business Policy Conveys Management’s Philosophy

Your workplace policies and procedures manual communicates your corporate vision and mission.  Individual business policies and appropriate standard operating procedures (SOP) outline steps for achieving your company’s objectives in your company’s style and format.   What is the difference between policies and procedures you may ask?

Business Policy

A definite course or method of action to guide and determine decisions; a guide to decision making under a given set of circumstances within the framework of corporate objectives, goals, and management philosophies. A policy may also be referred to as: a business rule, management philosophy, company mission, company culture, “the way it’s done around here”, a standard, a principle, and even a procedure (although a policy is different than a procedure).

Business Procedure

A particular way of accomplishing something; an established way of doing things; a series of steps that, when followed in a definite, regular order, ensure consistent results.  A procedure is also referred to as: a best practice, standard operating procedure (SOP), work instruction (although work instructions are different than procedures), business process documentation, guide (i.e. style guide), checklist, workflow, rule, or standard.

View Free Sample Procedure Templates

Business Policies Improve Communication

A well-drafted business policy and procedure manual serves to transform your Company’s business philosophy, objectives, and goals into results oriented actions.  A well‑designed policy manual is a valuable communication device for efficiently driving your business operations within every department and for reducing gaps that exist between departments.   Business policies and procedures build consistency into your business operations.  Many companies today are simplifying how their policies and procedures are communicated by putting them online using policy management software.

Office Procedures Reduce Employee Training Time

Policies and Procedures Documentation

Your office policy and procedure manual is a training guide for new employees and will also work for retraining current employees.  It will reduce issues that result from insufficient understanding or inconsistent approaches when employees change positions.  Company job descriptions act like a position policy.  Your procedures provide the detail that explains “how” an employee achieves what you defined in the employee’s job description.

Company Procedures Improve Employee Productivity

Well-developed policies and procedures speed up employee decision making and serve as an  authoritative source for answers to common company questions.  Properly documented company policies and procedures help with your compliance with statutes and regulations concerning your business (e.g., Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)), as well as industry standards (e.g., ISO, GAAP, ITIL) and guidelines.

Policies and Procedures Strengthen Business Operations

A comprehensive company policies and procedures manual covering all departments within your organization will become your “quality” manual for your company.  This will help ensure optimum business operations and consistent delivery of your products and services from your company.

Download Free Sample Procedure Templates to see how easy it is to edit MS Word Templates to build your own policy and procedure management system.

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Survey: Accounting/Finance and Information Technology Expect …
Human resources professionals and hiring manager in the accounting, finance and information technology sectors expect the overall economy to improve in …
www.staffingindustry.com/…/Survey-Accounting-Finance-and…

What’s the point of universities producing accounting/finance …
What’s the point of universities producing accounting/finance graduates every year when there is no jobs?
answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid…

Lean Forums – Accounting/Finance Leader Standard Work
I am seeking some examples of leader standard work for leaders/supervisors/ managers in finance/accounting. Recently I taught a class on Leader Standard …
www.lean.org/FuseTalk/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=49…

Avoid HIPAA Sanctions with Security Policies and Procedures …
If you think your health care organization is immune to financial penalties following a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
news.aapc.com/…/avoid-hipaa-sanctions-with-security-policies…

Ask the policy expert: Financial Aid Office Policies and Procedures …
Q: Does a school have to publish its Financial Aid Office Policies and Procedures manual so that a student may view it? A: While it is not necessary to publish the …
www.tgslc.org/…/ask-the-policy-expert-financial-aid-office-po…

Accommodation Policies and Procedures – USCIS Policy Manual …
Chapter 2: Accommodation Policies and Procedures. USCIS has established policies and procedures for handling and processing accommodation requests, …
www.uscis.gov/…/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartC-Chapter2.ht…

Attend the Business Assistance Policies and Procedures Public …
The City of Fort Collins is hosting a public workshop on the tools and process the City uses when offering business assistance, on Wednesday, January 16, 4-6 …
www.fcgov.com/news/?id=4650

NIH Releases New Document on “Policy and Procedures – Office for …
NIH has released a new document on “Policy and Procedures For Promoting Scientific Integrity” as a response to guidance issued by The White House Office of …
osp.fad.harvard.edu/…/nih-releases-new-document-on-“policy…

Spending policies and procedures help | PTO Today Message Boards
Hi, We are formalizing our Family Association and are trying to formalize the policies and procedures for spending our money (yay! we have some money!…
www.ptotoday.com/…/162281-spending-policies-and-procedu…

NIH Policies and Procedures for Promoting Scientific Integrity
Ensuring the integrity of science and science-based policymaking is at the heart of everything NIH does in fulfilling its mission. NIH strongly supports appropriate …
ors.umkc.edu/…/nih-policies-and-procedures-for-promoting-s…

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