GLoW Procedures
“The Only Source of Knowledge is Experience” - Albert Einstein
Introduction
This document is one of several documents that are used to describe the Global Library of Wisdom (GLoW) workflow. Refer to the References section in Appendix for additional documentation.
Purpose
This procedure document contains the collective experience of the GLoW team. It describes the specific conduct, methods, routines, processes, and actions used to execute the GLoW workflow. This document is designed as a technical reference manual. There is no fixed reading order so feel free to jump to the sections of interest.
Document Conventions
The procedures in this document are structured as follows.
Note: There is a ready made procedure template in TBG Workspace > Documents > Templates to assist you in creating new business rules.
PN # and Procedure Title
This gives a unique reference number to each procedure and declares the procedure’s name. Either or both of these are used as references in other documents. For clarity, procedures should be named (to the extent possible) according the tasks or sub-processes that make up the GLoW workflow. The procedure title should be carefully selected so that it is simple and clearly conveys the procedure’s content.
Definition
A brief description of the procedure. The language used should be unambiguous and easy to understand. The words used must have unique meanings within GLoW's domain. Important terminology should be referenced in the Glossary section of this document. The definition describes the overall objectives, functions, or tasks that the procedure is designed to accomplish and the circumstances under which the procedure should be used.
Responsibility
Lists units, offices, and individual job titles for those who have responsibility for aspects of daily control and coordination of the procedure, authority to approve exceptions to the procedure (if applicable), and procedural implementation (including responsibility for any required electronic or written documentation). Sets forth the scope of responsibilities under the procedure, the procedural areas subject to discretionary modification (if any), and the responsibility for implementation.
Procedure Details
Using an approach which is customized to the subject (i.e., can be a statement in outline format of each step required, a checklist of what needs to be done, an explanation of how to complete the necessary steps – including screenshots if applicable – or an appropriate combination of techniques), provide the reader with the necessary procedural and “how-to” and "best practices" information to get the job done. Use bulleted lists for collections of tasks that don’t follow a specific order, and use numbered lists for tasks that must be followed in order. Included in this section should be definitions of unique terms or terms subject to different interpretation and copies of all forms needed to complete the procedure.
References
Indicate the sub-processes and business rules that this procedure applies to.
Resources
A table which points users to training material, additional documentation, templates, forms and other sources of help for carrying out the procedure.
What are the characteristics of a good procedure document?
The goal for any procedure document is for the design to be simple, consistent, and easy to use.
Good procedures
Procedures are tied to the business rules and the overall workflow process. Procedures are developed with the customer/user in mind. Well developed and thought out procedures provide benefits to the procedure user. There is a sense of ownership among procedure users. For this reason, it helps to involve users in the development of procedures. The procedures must be understandable. Procedures should be written so that what needs to be done can be easily followed by all users. When feasible, procedures should offer the user options. Procedures which are unnecessarily restrictive may limit their usefulness.
Writing style for procedure documents
- Use the active voice (wrong: the editor will send an approval email to… correct: the editor sends an approval email to…)
- Avoid speaking to the past or the future, speak only in the present.
- Write as if the subject does the action (wrong: a GLoW entry is designed… correct: the Editor designs a GLoW entry)
- Be concise, and use a minimum of verbiage.
- Factual — double-check accuracy!
- Don’t include information that may be quickly outdated (e.g., names, phone #).
- If you use an acronym, spell it out the first time you use it (e.g., Global Library of Wisdom (GLoW) ).
- Include step-by-step instructions. Use numbered lists for instructions that must be followed in order. Use bulleted lists when the order of the list is not important.
- Not too technical — simple enough to be understood by new staff.
- Always include resources (e.g., “include full link to the source document”. Don’t forget to indicate where the reader can get resources. Add such information in the Resources section.)
- Always write from the point of view of a person who has never done the procedure.
Design and layout of procedure documents
- Generous use of white space.
- Presentation is structured so that the user can quickly focus on the aspect of procedure relevant to their decision/task at hand.
- Layout each procedure in a table (provided in the Templates section).
- Use a flexible, modular outline to make the document easy to modify and keep up-to-date.
- Use labels to introduce key points (headings and labels in margins need to be consistent ... i.e., same location on each page, type size, etc.).
Responsibilities of procedure owners
Procedure “owners” are accountable for the timely review, updating, and dissemination of procedures in their functional area. Assignment of responsibility for procedures is accomplished partly through a series of delegations of authority. Alternatively, in the absence of a formal delegation, authority will rest with the unit which has been assigned operational responsibility for an area.
When developing new, or revising existing procedures, procedure owners have an obligation to identify those who will be directly affected by new or revised procedures and to consider a representative sample of their views early in the procedure development discussions. They must also ensure that their procedures adhere to the principles of, and achieve the objectives of GLoW. In addition to documenting the approved procedure, the owner should develop support and training options, if appropriate, for the customers/users who are attempting to adhere to the procedure. This includes, at a minimum, the designation of “experts” to which staff can turn for guidance or to resolve problems.
PN 1
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PN 2
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PN 3
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PN 4
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PN 5
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PN 8
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PN 9
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PN 10
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Glossary
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Business Rules |
Business Rules describe the operations, definitions and constraints that apply to an organization in achieving its goals. |
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Procedures |
Procedures are detailed explanations that staff members follow in order to execute the corresponding business rule(s). Documented procedures are used to describe the knowledge underpinning an organization, allowing it to perform its functions. It covers a wide spectrum of knowledge, skills, know-how and expertise which define an organization. Procedures represents the most important operational asset and covers the following organizational knowledge: documented procedures, methods & policies, compliance with external rules, regulations and legislation, staff know-how and expertise relating to users, products, services, resources, processes, operations and risks. |