Procedure Manuals: Writing Guidelines

Although many employers design combined policy and procedure manuals, it is vital to know the different guidelines reflect rules while procedures reflect methods and how to complete them. Providing the most useful information to employees for completing it and also concentrating on the process itself is important.

Features

Procedure manuals differ in precise features that are founded on the type of information that is comprehensive. However, the most efficient procedure manuals are those with robust and reliable formatting to permit readers knows how to follow the material. There should be a good flow from one paragraph to the other. You should also use active verbs in describing the steps. Clarifications and options should be given where applicable.

Qualities

A procedure manual should be stress-free to read and use. It should also be constant in all elements together with the style, information, and design. The purpose of a procedure manual is to assist other complete a particular duty. Therefore, it should clear and sound for the readers to follow without trouble.

Scripting style

This should depend on concise and definite language. All procedure manuals should be accurate, and all abbreviations should have an explanation in a comment. Avoid using precise information that may be old-fashioned for procedure manual that will be in circulation for a short period. Will writing a procedure manual, also avoid technical language or jargon which can be unversed to many.

Design

This will largely depend on the type of procedure manual being sketched. However, some design suggestions relate to all procedure manuals. The manuals should offer plenty of indentation and paragraph breaks to avoid shocking off the reader rather than overloading with print. A procedure manual that is operational should have a clear heading with clear sub-headings.

Duties

The writers of procedure manuals are the ones that are responsible for rereading them from time to time. A Material should be removed or updated if it becomes inappropriate. The manual should also be revised, and information that is not helpful to the reader is improved or amended.  The procedure manual should assist the user in completing a task. Therefore, in the case of failure, it should be revised.