A procedure is like a recipe.  But someone has to write the recipe first.  So what is a good recipe for writing procedures?

Writing a good procedure is an iterative process.  The basic steps include developing a process map, drafting the procedure, drafting supporting documents (e.g. forms, job descriptions), testing the documented procedure with the real users, and then continuously updating your process map, procedure, and supporting documents in a PDCA cycle of continual improvement.

A lot of procedures don’t work.  Making a good procedure is about overcoming the top ten reasons why policies and procedures don’t work in the first place.  How do you make a good procedure good?  Good procedures have ten important characteristics.

Read more...   |    Leave Comments »

NEW Aerospace AS9100 Procedures Can Help

The International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) deadline for transitioning from the current AS9100 (revision B) of the aerospace standard to the newest revision (C) is July 1st, 2012, which means every company registered to AS9100 must have completed their transition.

Read more...   |    Leave Comments »

OnPolicy FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions about OnPolicy

1. Is OnPolicy strictly a document manager or does OnPolicy come with Bizmanualz’s policies and procedures?
OnPolicy is document management software that can be purchased stand alone or with Bizmanualz policies and procedures Word templates.

a. Is Bizmanualz’s policy and procedure library available as a bulk document purchase? Can one buy all the forms at one time?
When you buy the OnPolicy Library you will receive all Bizmanualz documents preloaded into OnPolicy or you can purchase any of Bizmanualz products and we can load your purchase into OnPolicy.

b. Can one buy individual policies and procedures as the company develops them?
Individual procedures are available at PoliciesandProcedures.com for purchase anytime.

Read more...   |    Leave Comments »

Download Editable Templates from the Bizmanualz Policies and Procedures Library

ST. LOUIS, MO — Bizmanualz, Inc., a St. Louis-based Software as a Service (SaaS) provider for the document compliance marketplace, announced the launch of www.policiesprocedures.com, a new website that offers hundreds of downloadable and fully editable policies, procedures and forms.

Many of our website visitors had been inquiring about buying individual procedures, because they didn’t need the whole manual,” explained Christopher Anderson, Bizmanualz President and Founder. “Over the years, our policies and procedures manuals have helped thousands of companies improve their documentation, and providing them a way to download policies and procedures à la carte was really a no brainer.”

Read more...   |    3 Comments »

A “procedure” is a term used in a variety of industries to define a series of steps, taken together, to achieve a desired result.  Procedures explain how to accomplish a task.  A procedure is sometimes called a work instruction.  If you are preparing an ISO 9001 quality management system then the term procedure is used to describe a process, whereas a work instruction is used to describe something more basic like a specific step in a process.  For example, how to fill out a form.  Procedures are known in other ways too.

Read more...   |    1 Comment »

Writing company policy is similar to writing a business procedure, but there are a few differences between a policy and a procedure.  Business policies consist of either company rules, typically about ethics or relationships, or process outcomes defining expected results, kind of like a mission statement.

Company rules are found in your Employee Handbook.  One example would be sexual harassment.  It is illegal in the United States to subject others to unwelcome sexual conduct in a work situation.  If you are going to write a company policy, you would start with the law or regulation issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  The EEOC provides definitions and additional information that will allow us to describe a company policy.

Every company should have a sexual harassment policy in their company manual that reads something like this:

Read more...   |    2 Comments »

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How can I unlock the value in my business?” …you’re not alone.

This question has been on every business manager’s mind since the first company was started.  Large or small, it doesn’t matter.  When it comes to business valuation, people want to know how to get the most for the company.

Today I’m going to tell you.  It’s so shockingly simple, it may take a few seconds before you realize the truth of this statement:  The key to unlocking the value in your business is by documenting your business processes, in writing, for all of your employees!

Read more...   |    2 Comments »

I am going to let you in on an industry secret.  I’m sure you have heard consultants offer to make your organization more money through increased productivity or efficiency.  Then they produce clearly defined job tasks, work instructions, reports, forms, and job descriptions for every employee or business process – also known as a Policy and Procedure Manual.  The thing is these manuals are derived from internal templates.

Well, if you’re like me then you’re watching your budget and you hate paying a lot of money to consultants for delivering templates.  After all, what you really need are the templates themselves.  Right?

Fortunately, there’s a better way…

Read more...   |    2 Comments »

As a leader, you are only as good as the people you lead.  So it’s up to you to make the people around you better.  You need to help them develop themselves, so that they’re smarter, more capable—and ultimately better at doing what needs to be done, like achieving your organization’s goals.  What’s the best way to help the people around you be the best they can be?

Writing Policies and Procedures

I know it may sound obvious, but the truth is you know how you want your organization to run. 

Read more...   |    1 Comment »

Each procedure manual from Bizmanualz is intended to be a simple, top-to-bottom guide, addressing the minimum set of statements for the administration and creation of a Procedure Management System. Most guidelines presented have immediate use and importance. However, by using the MS-Word documents we provide, you can edit the samples and customize them to your company’s individual needs.

Read more...   |    Leave Comments »