10 Golden Rules to write better operations manuals
Ever wondered ‘how do I write an operations manual’?
In this article we look at 10 ‘Golden Rules’ to help you write better operations manuals and procedures that will drive higher standards and increased performance in your business.
Over the last 20+ years, we’ve written procedures, operations manuals, franchise manuals and training for all sectors and sizes of business (see a list of manuals here).
We’re often asked to write new operations manuals and training to replace ones that have fallen out of use. Many organisations are stuck with ‘legacy’ operations manuals from years ago or little more than disjointed ‘scrapbooks’ of out-of-date procedures collected over the years. Worse, most old manuals use academic language and staid formatting that simply isn’t readable or relevant to modern teams.
Good operations manuals should be incontrovertible, vibrant, readable, accessible, up to date, used every day and integrated with all other operational resources and training in your business – and you ARE missing out if they’re not. Good manuals are blueprints for resources that can enhance your business and increase its success. We can help you, get in touch here.
Here’s 10 golden rules for writing operations manuals:
1) Check if your procedures work before writing them down.
There’s no point creating new operations manuals based on policies and procedures that don’t work, are out of date or that staff don’t use. Good manuals (whether for a business, franchise or social enterprise) only maintain their authority and usefulness if everything is current and proven.
A good operations manual is a tool your team wants to use because it helps them in ‘the real world’ and isn’t just an academic exercise created by management in a darkened office. So, you need to get onto your ‘shop floor’ and find out:
Which of your policies and procedures work (and why) and those that don’t (and why not).
How procedures can be enhanced (i.e. by making them more efficient, less complicated, better resourced etc.). Talk to BOTH your managers AND your team to get their feedback.
If any operation is missing a formalised procedure.
Why staff aren’t following some procedures (or meeting standards).
Things your team gets wrong that create friction, waste, complaints or other losses.
Things your team gets right that need to be shared, written up and celebrated.
What operations, concepts or procedures your team wants more help with.
And more.
Refine procedures or invent new ones that will enhance your business from what you’ve found. Then TEST them and get team (and customer) feedback BEFORE writing them up in new manuals.
2) Consider change, threats & opportunities your operations manual needs to address.
We see many existing operations manuals that are obsolete because they didn’t anticipate or incorporate change. Of course, you can’t get a ‘crystal ball’ to spell out what will affect your business in the future – but you can take sensible steps to future-proof your manuals:
Carefully research current industry best-practice, compliance, regulations, law etc. to ensure your manuals start out as up to date as possible. (You’d be surprised how many large organisations put their businesses at risk by using legacy policies and procedures that have been out of date for years.)
When referring to the operation of major equipment and software, use the latest models and versions (and consider future replacements and upgrades in the pipeline).
Create a ‘road map’ for the future development of your organisation. Then consider if you should anticipate any of those plans in your manuals (i.e. you might create procedures for imminent changes and placeholders for distant ones).
Consider changes in the economic, business and political environment. For example, if your current manuals don’t consider Brexit, they ARE out of date.
Take the time to analyse your business using SWOT (see below). This might seem like an academic exercise but it really can help you think more clearly about strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats you need to address in your manuals.
Fig 1. SWOT
3) Plan a logical structure and creation process for your new manuals.
First, plan out a list of sections and contents for your operations manual in a logical order, usually following each stage of your operation as they would happen daily. Ensure you cover everything because every process (however insignificant) contributes to your success, standards and protection.
Then create a development plan for your manuals that sets out:
What you want your new operations manuals to achieve.
Your target audience (i.e. who you want to read and use your manuals).
Responsibilities and deadlines.
How, where and in what format existing resources and documents are to be collected.
How and when you will observe, test and note existing processes or invent new ones.
The style, language and format of your manuals.
Who will do the writing (and whether in-house or using a professional like us).
How, when and by whom drafts will be reviewed.
How the manual will be published (on paper, in booklets, online, using an App.?),
Training and operational resources that will be created from completed manuals.
How new manuals and procedures will be introduced to your team.
A period to test and review the new manuals after they’re implemented.
4) Create vibrant formats, graphics and designs before you start.
However good the content of your operations manual, it will be ignored if it’s presented in boring formats that are dreary and difficult to follow.
BEFORE you start writing, spend some time creating engaging formats, graphics and designs to use throughout. It’s easier and more rewarding to write into interesting pre-designed layouts than to reformat a long text after it’s finished (and less will get lost in translation).
Create standard graphic formats for different sorts of content. This way, readers can instantly identify what sort of information to expect from pages of the same design.
Keep formats simple, vibrant and identifiable.
Keep readers engaged with photos, step-by-step graphics (some even use cartoon strips), callouts, examples, quotes, warnings, tips etc.
Wherever possible, keep each subject, policy or procedure to one page (and if they must span multiple pages, start the next topic on a new page).
If you’re publishing online, create engaging standard formats and staging for animations and video to include with your manual.
5) Choose the best writers to create your operations manuals (not just the most knowledgeable).
Your most knowledgeable staff are NOT always the best people to write your operations manuals!
Knowing your business doesn’t necessarily make a person good at writing about it. Your most experienced operational staff will naturally be less practised at writing if they’re doers and not pencil pushers. They may also add too much detail when they write, which complicates procedures and confuses readers.
A skilled writer (whether you find one in-house or use a professional like us) will better convey complex processes in simple steps and plain English. They will also observe your practices more objectively than those who ‘live’ them every day, so will spot inefficiencies and opportunities to improve procedures before writing them up.
Obviously, we’d advise you to use professional manual writers to develop your manuals – but not only because we’d like your business. We have experience writing hundreds of operations manuals, procedures or training programmes for organisations of all types in all sectors. So, we add more value than we cost by writing in styles and formats we know work; introducing best practices and procedures that are proven; objectively examining and improving your processes; protecting you from mistakes others have made; integrating training and other resources; and delivering your manuals faster (and often cheaper) than doing it yourselves anyway.
6) Use the right language for your target audience.
We see many operations manuals in academic language or legalese that their authors barely understand, never mind anyone else. Convoluted language makes manuals impossible to read and a chore to use.
We’ve lived for twenty years now in new millennium of sound bites, instant information and tweeting at each other in a limited number of characters. Most of the workforce started their careers this century, so why would anyone expect them to heed stuffy manuals full of dull clauses penned in the 1900s?
Use plain English in your manuals and break things up into simple steps or individual topics. But don’t patronise or condescend. Readers are more sophisticated than they’ve ever been and the YouTube generation is accustomed to learning new skills if they’re clearly explained.
Think about your target audience and what they need. Some sections of your manuals might need to include more detail than others (but still in plain English using engaging formats).
E.g. Let’s say you operate a production line. Operators may only need to know which order of buttons to press on each machine and how to stay safe – telling them anything else just complicates things. But a maintenance engineer might need the specifications and schematic of each machine; a procedure to disassemble, repair and reassemble them; a procurement process for parts; and safety instructions for using dangerous tools; etc.
You should also consider using one ‘voice’ throughout your manuals. A manual is easier to follow if it’s written in the same style (and often by one author) throughout.
7) Divide manuals into sections and make them accessible.
Most organisations need to address their manuals to different sorts of staff with different functions in different departments.
Just distributing a complete set of comprehensive operations manuals to every department is a sure-fire way to make sure no one uses them and they gather dust.
You need to make manuals accessible to all your staff in ways they will use daily. The best approach is to create individual sections for each department AND individual booklets or ‘mini-manuals’ for every role, so EVERYONE is handed a version that’s relevant to them.
It’s at this point that you might sensibly wonder if it’s best to publish manuals as hard copies, as electronic documents, online or as an ‘App’. Electronic versions are easier to update and do offer better access in the field BUT in our experience (as strange as it may seem):
Hard copies are easier to read (you don’t need to scroll to see an entire page).
Staff pay more attention to well-designed printed copies, take greater ‘ownership’ of them, find them easier to follow (because they hold the whole ‘picture’ in their hand) and are less likely to pass them on to competitors (than easily emailed files).
You can impose standards and rules better through printed copies because you (and your team) know you’ve handed them everything in one manual or booklet, so no-one can plead ignorance of any page, as they might using an online version.
And you can still augment your printed manuals with online resources such as video and controlled access to electronic versions.
8) Integrate excellent resources with manuals, to ensure they’re used.
It’s not realistic to assume anybody will read your operations manuals cover to cover.
But that’s not the point of a good manual anyway – instead, it should be a robust blueprint and repository from which you can build the resources your managers and team (and or franchisees) WILL use daily. These can include:
Individual sections, booklets or mini manuals created from the main manual for specific departments, types of staff and roles in your organisation.
Staff handbooks.
Individual procedures and checklists taken from the manual that are then turned into laminated quick reference cards, posters and signage etc.
Automated processes and software.
Videos and animations that augment the manual.
Third party services that support elements detailed in the manual.
TRAINING, including departmental training, procedural training and individual skills training (that we can develop for you and then hand over, so you can run it as often as you like – without additional cost).
9) Keep things that are prone to change separate from the main body of manuals.
Staff lose faith in operations manuals containing ANYTHING obsolete – even if the remaining content is sound.
Keep your most changeable information (such as specifications, prices, suppliers, regularly updated equipment and software, etc.) separate from the main body of manuals. Place them on your server or in separate appendices that you can update at your leisure without affecting the legitimacy of your manuals.
You should still refer to these elements in your manuals and point out where to find them.
10) Review and revise your operations manuals often.
A good manual is an incontrovertible blueprint for the success of your business and will only remain so if it’s kept up to date.
You should create a policy that spells out how and when you must review and revise manuals – then strictly abide by it.
You must review your manuals (and any other resources built on them – such as training) ANNUALLY, at the very least.
We can do this for you.
Following these 10 ‘Golden Rules’ will help you write better manuals and drive improved performance and standards in your business.
We can help you with all this in simple and affordable ways. Our initial consultation is free, and we come to you, so get in touch today.
