Writing Effective Policies & Procedures

Introduction:

All business activities are governed by writing policies and procedures. Much effort is spent on looking at how to draft documents, and, while this is important, it sometimes overshadows the importance of the Policy or Procedure, and related documents such as Specifications and Standards.

The course will look at how these documents are created, and some of the main clauses that appear in them, all using real examples wherever possible.

The course will then consider methods to be used in drafting Policies and Procedures, and, in particular, how to avoid ambiguity and uncertainty. This is an area that generates large numbers of errors, and the course aims to reduce the frequency of such errors and associated disputes.

Targeted Groups:

• Quality Assurance Professionals
• Human Resource Professionals
• Policies Owners and Writers
• Managers at all levels who wish to consolidate, refresh and reinforce their knowledge and skills

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course the participants will be able to:

• Increase recognition of the use of Policy and Procedures
• Develop drafting skills, which will be useful tools in all types of documents
• Improve clarity of expression in documents
• Increase working knowledge of implications and potential problems with Policy and Procedures
• Better awareness of the commercial impact of drafting issues
• Improve the ability to reduce the risks
• Gain an opportunity to review Policy and Procedures and understand their importance to business
• Obtain the ability to get a broad view of the importance of Policy and Procedures and similar documents and their role in the organizational management
• Understand the different roles of documents
• Learn drafting skills that will be usable in a wide range of situations
• Have the chance to practice drafting skills in a non-threatening environment
• Improve their strategic thinking on how to develop Policy and Procedures documents
• Learn practical techniques for the drafting of Policy and Procedures
• Identify where things can go wrong, and learn how to avoid problems, or mitigate their effects through well-drafted documents and good management

Targeted Competencies:

• Report writing skills
• Implementation of procedures
• Project management skills
• Management techniques and practices
• Specialist Policy knowledge and awareness
• Preparation and planning skills
• Problem-solving and analytical thinking
• In-depth knowledge of the key aspects of writing proper Policy and Procedures

Course Content:

Unit 1: Introduction to Policy & Procedure Writing:

• Why they are important
• What makes a good Policy
• The structure of Policy and Procedures
• Writing styles
• Incorporation of other documents

Unit 2: The Governance and Roles Involved in Policy:

• The role of Policy and Procedures
• What needs to be included
• Who needs to be involved
• The review process
• The approval process
• Publication

Unit 3: How to Implement Policy & Procedures:

• Review of examples of Policy and Procedures
• Avoiding ambiguity
• Standards –ISO
• Communications
• How to ensure staff compliance
• Maintenance

Unit 4: Drafting Policy & Procedure:

• Drafting guides
• Best practice
• Useful tips
• Effective writing
• Commercials
• Drafting exercises, based on the documents reviewed

Unit 5: Implementation of Policy & Procedures:

• Change Management strategies to ensure effective implementation
• Differentiate between visual clarity and visual clutter
• Enabling users to locate information efficiently
• Publication formats and related technology
• Checklist: Is your document format designed for readability?
• Coordinating and communicating the changes

Unit 6: Evaluation:

• Management of the Revision cycle
• Evaluating the need for changes in policy or procedure
• Revisions with minimum disruptions inclusive of acceptance
• Do’s and don’ts of electronic policies and procedures
• Case Studies on Policies and Procedures