Organizational Processes & Procedures: How to Create & Strengthen Them
Your organization even if small, needs a comprehensive manual.
This essay is one in a series about the importance of plans and
procedures and the role they play in leadership and decision-making.Every Organization Needs Written Procedures and Crisis Plans
Having a plan in place for various scenarios and specific processes and procedures is important for organizations of any size.
For solo entrepreneurs, private practice professionals, small businesses, nonprofit organizations, or corporations, policies, and procedures are essential and serve a purpose.
As the January 6th security failures reminded us, we often don’t discover how important plans and procedures are until there’s a crisis. But that’s what they’re for.
Plans and Procedures for Every Organization
I am going to explain the basics and offer some guidelines.
Most organizations have something in place — a Policies & Procedures Manual. That booklet new employees are required to read and sign off on, attesting that they’ve read it when they likely skimmed it.
Some organizations don’t have a Policies & Procedures Manual or what they have is outdated.
I do not claim to be an expert but I loved this stuff. I have some experience and enjoy assessing organizational structures and procedures, finding gaps, making revisions to strengthen the procedures that are in place, and developing the missing components.
I have been involved in the development of policies for several organizations. I worked on policy and procedure revisions for a well-known music school.
What I provide below will hopefully help you to start developing your organization’s plans and procedures — or assist in strengthening them.
Let’s start with definitions
A Plan is a blueprint that a leader develops (preferably in advance) that is based on an organization’s mission and policies. Plans are needed for various potential scenarios and consist of procedures, that include detailed sequential steps.
A Procedure is one component that contains instructions for how to carry out a Plan. Procedures might be carried out by both leaders and subordinates, each performing tasks appropriate to their role. If a leader is not present during a crisis, the subordinates refer to the Plan and carry out the Procedures step by step. A well-crafted Plan can effectively guide subordinates in the absence of their leader.
During a crisis, subordinates take direction from their leader or supervisor. Or they refer to the plan and carry out the procedures. A well-crafted plan can effectively guide subordinates in the absence of their leader. Ideally, organization employees or members will be well-trained and therefore able to carry out the appropriate procedures without referring to the written manual.
A Crisis: What Do We Do Now?
Having a written plan in place for every imaginable crisis is essential, especially for certain kinds of organizations — like healthcare and law enforcement.
But what happens when we find ourselves in an unimaginable crisis? One we have not planned for because we never dreamed it could happen.
That’s when it pays to have “Leaders Who Have a Plan: Or Create One on the Fly”
That’s when creative problem-solving and decision-making skills come into play. Good leaders have these skills and don’t panic when an unexpected and even unimaginable crisis lands in their lap. That’s when preparedness is important — see “School Crisis Preparedness: Why is it Rare Rather Than Required?”
Who Makes What Decision and When?
The plans and policies of an organization must effectively explain its decision-making process.
Not only are specific procedures essential, but both leadership and staff must be familiar with and trained in how to carry them out.
Chain of Command & Response Sequence
Staff and organization members need to be crystal clear about the chain of command. It must be crystal clear who’s in charge of what in every specific situation — who can make decisions, offer input, etc.
What decisions are delegated? Are they delegated to a specific department? If so, always or under what circumstances?
Everyone must be on the same page, and that only happens when there is a plan in place and all staff has been oriented. Staff members need to understand and have access to the organizational chart and the response sequence for any specific crisis.
That doesn’t mean staff members need to have every detail memorized but they need a general understanding of it. They also need to know where to instantly find a copy of the written procedures.
It’s wise to have not only a full version of the policies and procedures but also a large print, easy-to-scan quick reference sheet (with bullet points and visuals). That version can be laminated and posted on walls.
Some organizations have non-traditional decision-making processes.
For example, Quakers make their decisions as a group using a spiritually-based process that is similar but not identical, to consensus. They use a discernment process in which their decisions are “led by Spirit.” It’s not ideal for quick decisions, as it's a deliberative and reflective process. Having attended Quaker Meetings for Business it’s my sense that it’s a high bar to make decisions guided by Spirit and comes easier sometimes and not so easy at other times. I think Friends could benefit from developing more specific processes and procedures — ones that would not be an obstacle to Spirit-led decisions but would guide them to move smoothly through the process.
Training, Training, Training
Once plans are in place there must be training in order to assure that everyone is familiar with the exact procedures to follow.
Policies — The Foundation
Policies are the guidelines for how an organization operates. They are the rules and regulations as interpreted within its mission and philosophy.
Workplace policies include a statement of purpose that explains the reason the company exists (beyond making money) — usually how your service or product positively impacts those you serve.
Policies should be written succinctly and in plain language. They should represent the values of the organization in how they express the expectations of employee behaviors and performance.
Where possible each policy should include the consequences for violation of that policy and indicate if there is supervisory discretion.
It’s important that an organization follow its policies closely and hold accountable those who violate them. If policies are not enforced they are meaningless. But employees should be aware of the consequences they will face for violating a policy.
The Benefits of Workplace Policies
Well-crafted workplace policies:
- comply with the legal aspects of employment
- represent the values of the organization
- facilitate operational efficiency
- clearly explain the chain of command
- ensure consistent decision-making practices
- ensure uniformity in operational procedures
- explain the responsibilities of staff and management
- include the rights of staff and management
- provide parameters for problem-solving
- offer tools and processes for dispute resolution
- provide stability and continuity
- maintain alignment with the organization’s mission
- provide a framework for strategic planning
- provide tools for evaluating performance
- provide guidelines for what and how to apply disciplinary action
- maintain accountability at all levels of the organization
A Policies and Procedures Manual must be kept up to date. It should be thoroughly reviewed every few years.
Certain specific plans with detailed procedures must be part of your Policies and Procedures.
For procedures that get carried out often and need to be performed with precision, as well as important crisis plans, a large font printed version with visuals is essential and should be posted in an accessible place.
Read the other essays in this series for specifics procedures and leadership:
Procedures Are Everything: The Capitol Police Didn’t Have One for Handling an Attack on Congress
Leaders Have a Plan: When They Don’t They Create One on the Fly
School Crisis Preparedness: Why is it Rare Rather Than Required?
Christine Green helps small organizations create or improve their Policies & Procedures.
