5 Ways to Finally Get Your Procedure Manuals Done

We’re amazed at the number of people who really want to develop better standard operating procedures for their organization, who clearly understand the benefits of standardized procedures, and who even have management mandates and funded projects to develop or update their policies and procedure manuals.

Despite all that, they never manage to actually do anything about it. They have good intentions. They hold meetings. They discuss requirements. Sometimes, they even open up the word processor. But that’s as far as they get. Momentum grinds to a halt. 

If this sounds familiar, maybe you need some better strategies to get back on track.

Here is a list of five simple strategies that work to break the logjam and finally get your procedure manual project off the drawing board and across the finish line.

• Start Small. Don’t try to do everything at once–you’ll get overwhelmed. Instead, pick just one key task or operating process. Develop just that content and then publish it and start getting feedback. You’ll get a quick win. Then, go on to the next task and the next, piece by piece, in bite-size chunks.
• Divide and Conquer. Many hands do light work. To cover a lot of ground rapidly, involve a large pool of subject experts to contribute first drafts. Then edit their work. Each person has only a small part to do, but the combined effort gives fast results.
• Set a Timeline. There’s nothing like a deadline to provoke action. If your CEO demands that the Operations Manual be done by October, you’ll figure out a way to get it done. So, if you’re stalled because there is no external deadline, set one and stick to it.
• Learn from the Experts. Sometimes, projects bog down because the task is new and your team lacks experience and confidence. Consulting a third-party expert can often jumpstart your momentum. Consider staff training or enrolling your team in some educational webinars.
• Get the Right Tools. If your project is stalled, the problem might be that you lack the right system. Traditional word processors and general-purpose software have proven cumbersome, ineffective, and costly for creating and updating effective corporate policy and procedure manuals. Investigate if there are better tools for your needs. Comprose created Zavanta software to provide a faster, better way to get high-quality results.

Additional Resources

• 5 Things You Must Know Before Writing a Procedure
• 11 Key Elements to Writing Good Work Procedures
• Avoiding Common Pitfalls: Don’t Mix up Policies and Procedures