Do you enjoy long and complicated procedures and wasting time and energy? Definitely not! Procedures
What is the procedure and when do organizations need it?
Policies are very similar to procedures – can be painful! Sometimes the procedures are very dry and restrictive, and sometimes they are not clear and detailed enough. But if one day your co-worker fails to show up for work and you have to submit payroll for a limited time, it would be a good idea to have a well-written, well-written procedure available to help you. Slowly do your homework well.
Procedures, if well written, will have a significant impact on the organization. Properly covered, it will withstand a lot of adverse conditions. If your people know what to do when and how you can reduce frustration in your organization and save a lot of time and energy.
Writing an accurate, legible, concise, and useful procedure is not a difficult task. With a little knowledge and practice, you can learn the skills needed to write an effective procedure and identify great opportunities to improve the quality of how things are done.
What is the procedure?
Procedures drive a company’s operations. While policies guide how individuals make decisions, procedures show how a task or process is performed and completed. Procedures are action-oriented and are based on the actions that need to be taken in practice.
Determine the steps to be taken and the order in which these steps must be followed. Procedures are often educational and may be used to educate and guide individuals. Well-written procedures are accurate, explicit, consistent, realistic, concise, and helpful.
Many procedures are black and white, or in other words, zero and one, and explicitly specify how to do a task: “Do A first, then B, then C.” But sometimes it is necessary to be so dry and precise and to provide space for personal decisions.
When a procedure is too dry and inflexible, it can cause confusion. Since life events are not always simple and straightforward and predictable, it is necessary to consider a place for individual decisions in some procedures.
When will we need a procedure?
The first rule of thumb in writing a routine is to make sure there is a good reason to write it: Maybe your people are missing out on some tasks, maybe they are always doing something wrong, or maybe the tasks are so long and complicated that they are just right. Doing them requires a checklist.
Writing a procedure is only necessary when we are faced with an important issue or process that will create significant value or cost if not done properly. Before you start writing a procedure, ask yourself if people need to know more about it.
You will need to write a procedure when a process:
- It is long (example: end-of-year warehousing).
- It is complex (example: managing employee benefits).
- Also, It is routine and repetitive, but it is very important that everyone does their job
- accurately during that process (example: payroll).
- Needs follow-up (example: follow-up budget request).
- Includes documentation (example: disciplinary action against an employee).
- Includes significant changes (example: installing a new computer system in the
- company).
- If done wrong, it will have serious consequences (example: safety rules).
In a company, many things are done without having written procedures and based on unwritten rules and informal procedures. But sometimes these unwritten rules have to be put in the context of a procedure, such as:
- Similar questions are frequently asked by individuals.
- People seem to be confused about something.
- Procedural people (informal and unwritten) interpret and implement a task in different ways.
How to write a procedure?
Procedures must not only convey what readers want, but they must also convey well what they need to know. Procedures may need to teach readers how to do the process correctly, faster, and more efficiently.
Procedure readers may be interested to know why they must do a task in a certain way and what happens if they make a mistake in the process. Make sure your procedures also clarify technical issues well for people.
It is very important that you go into enough detail in your procedures. In this case, the following questions can be considered:
- Do users have enough information to complete the task at hand?
- Is there enough information available to users to help them make a professional diagnosis in their work?
- The level of detail on the subject appropriate and acceptable?
- Is the level of detail appropriate to provide comprehensive and sufficient information to readers?
- To what extent can readers easily become fully acquainted with the subject?
Step 1: Gather information.
Before you start writing a procedure, you need to gather detailed information about the process for which you want to write the procedure. Talk to experts in the field as well as those who have the key information you want.
People such as experienced employees of the organization, shareholders, employees of technical departments and people who will use your practice in the future.
Take as many notes as you can and then work on the information gathered and organize it. As a procedural writer, you need to have a clear understanding of what is going to happen in your process and all the details.
Then summarize the information gathered and separate the information needed by users that will help them have a better understanding of the process (the best tool for organizing the details is a mind map that helps you make sure that no Do not miss any necessary and correct information).
Step 2: Write the procedure.
When writing your initial draft of the procedure, do not worry at all about the exact choice of words and their general form. The main goal is to cover all the required information, then you can work on the words and adjust the text. The following steps will help you develop good practices:
The actions that are actually taken during a process must be followed in exactly the same order. Start with the first step and finish with the last.
Do not use too many words. But articulate the content in a way that the reader can relate to well.
Use an expressive and effective tone.
Example: Instead of saying, “It’s better to put the file in the admin box,” say, “Put the file in the admin box.”
Use lists, signs, and symbols (such as underlining important points and…) in your procedural text.
Avoid excessive brevity that reduces the transparency and clarity of the procedure.
Explain your hypotheses and make sure they are valid.
Use terms related to your class as well as slang terms carefully and cautiously.
Choose the right level for your text. The text should not be too heavy or simplistic.
Step 3: Determine the design elements
You may conclude that words alone cannot explain the procedure to the reader. Sometimes other elements can help to provide procedural content. Some common ways to do this are:
1. flowchart
Flowcharts depict a process in the form of a diagram. Using a set of symbols and arrows to identify actions and workflows, you can give a brief overview of a process and make it easier to follow a process. Be careful not to confuse your flowchart with the overuse of symbols or sentences. If you need to use additional descriptions and symbols, divide your flowchart into a set of several smaller flowcharts. For more information, read our tutorial on flowcharts.
Tip: You can use Swim Lane Diagrams when completing a task that requires actions by multiple individuals or departments in the organization.
