The Streamlined Business Blog is all about getting—and keeping—Operations Under Control by implementing good business systems, processes, and standard operating procedures. Our staff experts blog regularly on a range of topics including: Operations Mapping approaches, systems-based management, standardizing operations, calculating costs and ROI for systems improvements and a whole lot more.
Writing tips: standard operating procedures
Tip – Be SPECIFIC when Writing Step by Step Instructions
If your goal is writing policies and procedures that get read and used, pay special attention when writing step by step instructions. Tell the reader exactly what to do when you give instructions. Do not assume that your readers will know what you mean. Chances are they won’t. Vague instructions only confuse and frustrate people. […] READ MORE
Tip – Provide both the ACTION and the RESULT of Steps
Here’s another tip for writing policies and procedures and employee manuals that get good results. Provide the RESULT as well as the Action in your steps. This is an simple but powerful way to keep people from taking a wrong turn and getting confused, or worse still making a costly error! Unless you tell your […] READ MORE
Tip – Use Specific Rather Than Abstract Words
If your goal is to have your organization’s employee manuals and training guides read and used, keep this tip in mind when writing policies and procedures. Don’t be vague! Abstract terms are harder to understand and frequently boring and lifeless. When you use vague generalized words, you’ll either bore or frustrate your reader. Vow to […] READ MORE
Tip – Avoid Weak Adverbs and Adjectives
Here’s another tip to make your company procedure manuals clear and reader-friendly. When writing policies and procedures, avoid using weak modifiers such as very, long, little, slowly. These weak words don’t provide useful information and can be confusing and open to interpretation. Don’t ask your readers to guess what you mean. Be specific. Instead of […] READ MORE
Tip – Banish Worn Out Cliches from Your Manuals
Clichés are those tired overused phrases you hear a lot but don’t communicate much anymore. Cliches are often just verbal clutter and can make your writing boring or annoying which won’t help the readability or credibility of your company procedures manuals and training guides. It’s good advice any time, but especially when writing policies and […] READ MORE
Tip – Avoid Jargon in Your Employee Manuals
Jargon are words and phrases that are common to specific jobs and industries, but that many people won’t understand—also known as “Geek speak”. Examples of jargon are everywhere. For a fun list check out The Original Hacker’s Dictionary. Here’s our favorite new term from that list: “BOGOSITY n. The degree to which something is BOGUS […] READ MORE
Tip – Beware Acronym Overload
Acronyms are short hand abbreviations for longer terms and phrases. e.g. IRS is the acronym for the Internal Revenue Service. Although there’s nothing wrong with using acronyms—they can save time and ink—beware acronym overload and use acronyms with caution. Too many acronyms can become confusing alphabet soup. Sometimes it’s clearer and more reader-friendly to write […] READ MORE
Tip – Every Word Counts. Even the Little Ones
When you are writing policies and procedures, job aids, and work instructions, clarity should always be your first consideration. Remember that people in your organization turn to the company procedures manuals and new employee orientation training guides for two main reasons: 1) they have no idea how to perform a task or 2) they are […] READ MORE
When Should You Repeat Yourself When Writing Policies and Procedures?
Deciding how—and when—to repeat information is a common problem that most writers face especially when writing policies and procedures. Obviously, being concise is important. Repeating detailed information throughout your content increases the length of your employee manuals and makes updates more difficult. However, judicious repetition is necessary to emphasize important facts, instructions, and warnings and […] READ MORE
Tip – Keep Sentences Short
In an earlier post, we recommended that you keep this mantra in mind when writing policies and procedures for your organization: Time is money and people are busy! Your colleagues don’t get paid for plowing through long-winded prose in your company procedures manual. Cut to the chase and keep sentences short. When possible, limit the average […] READ MORE
