Writing Effective Policies & Procedures

Course details

All business activities are governed by writing policy 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 Policy and Procedures, and, in particular, how to avoid ambiguity and uncertainty. This is an area that generates large numbers of errors, and the aim of the course is to reduce the frequency of such errors and associated disputes.

The course will deal with Policy and Procedure documents written in the English language, but will use techniques which have wide application to many types of documents.

The Goals

• 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 ability to reduce the risks

The Delegates

The course will be beneficial to those who find themselves responsible for leading on, or implementing Policy and Procedures mechanisms in both the public and the private sector.

In addition, it will raise the awareness of those who have been allocated 'potential' or specific tasks in maintaining Policy and Procedures but have insufficient time to devote to the subject.

The Process

The delegates will be involved in the latest trends in seminar presentations. The classroom presentations are made up of interactive practical exercises, supported by audio visual material and case studies. Delegates will be expected to participate actively in relating the principles of Policy and Procedure writing to the specific needs for their industry.

The Benefits

• Expanding the expertise of personnel involved in developing Policy and Procedures documents will allow project and general management teams to be more effective
• Policy and Procedures documents should better reflect the commercial and other aims of the business
• Policy and Procedures should be more structured and focused on business goals
• Disputes should be reduced, and those that do arise should be settled more quickly, with less cost, delay and disruption
• Managers should have more confidence in discussing issues
• Dispute avoidance skills will be enhanced
• Improved overall processes

Other key reasons to attend are:

• Gain an opportunity to review Policy and Procedures and understand their importance to business
• Obtain the ability to get a broad view of importance of Policy and Procedures and similar documents and their role in the organisational 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 your strategic thinking on how to develop Policy and Procedures documents
• Learn practical techniques for the drafting of Policy and Procedures
• Improve your understanding of contract wording in the English language
• Identify where things can go wrong, and learn how to avoid problems, or mitigate their effects through well drafted documents and good management
• Improve your ability to interface with other professionals

The Results

• Provide an understanding of how Policy and Procedures are developed
• Consider who needs to be involved in the process of developing such documents
• Investigate issues concerning the use of international technical or other standards
• Improve appreciation of issues in Policy and Procedures and how they relate to other similar documents
• Improve drafting of work documents
• Reduce the risk of conflict arising from ambiguity or uncertainty

Delegates attending this seminar will gain an improved personal knowledge of Policy and Procedure creation in their organisations, they will learn skills to put into place standards, plans and strategies which if successfully implemented will increase their professional reputation and improve their ability to deal with implementation of Policy and Procedures.

The Core 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
• Gain an in-depth knowledge of the key aspects of writing proper Policy and Procedures
• Recognise and prioritise the issues that are most likely to affect corporate reputation and write solid Policies

The Programme Content

Day One

Introduction to Policy & Procedure Writing

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

Day Two

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

Day Three

How to Implement Policy & Procedures

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

Day Four

Drafting Policy & Procedure

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

Day Five

Case Studies and Workshops

• Case Studies
• Groups
• Workshop objectives
• Workshop
• Final wrap-up
• Discussion