Creating an effective SOP manual: Where to start

Several decades ago, I recall coming back from vacation and my boss telling me how happy he was that I was back. He said the office had been a disaster without me. I have to admit, I felt rather irreplaceable—and I probably wasn't the only administrative assistant who felt that way in those days. Knowing we were the only ones who knew how to run the office gave us a feeling of job security and value.

Of course, nowadays that would never work in an office, where the culture fosters teamwork, collaboration and sharing information with one another. We need to let our co-workers know what we're up to, and when we take vacation, or have to be away unexpectedly, someone else should be able to step in and cover for us. No, we are not irreplaceable, but we can be seen as indispensable by documenting what we do in a procedures manual. In today's office, that's what will get you noticed by your boss as exceptional.

Follow these tips to start creating an effective procedures manual:

1. Arrange your duties in a logical format in a table of contents to map out how you want to place each item. Once you have the table of contents completed, you can go back and fill in the details.

2. Document what the job requirements are and provide instructions on how to perform each task. For instance, if you are responsible for taking minutes for a senior management team, it's likely you also need to organize the meeting, draft the agenda, take the minutes and follow up on action items.

3. Keep a master copy of the procedures manual in an electronic format since it's a living document and will need updating regularly as information changes. Also, an electronic version is useful since you're able to search it easily, although having a printed copy at your desk is handy to thumb through when you need it.

4. Have a quick reference manual in hard copy at your desk. This should include emergency contact numbers, information on vendors, catering companies, the landlord, the photocopier repair company, the alarm company, couriers, instructions and other information you need at your fingertips. 

5. Review and update your manual at least every six months, but ideally every three months. The more often you review it, the less work updating it will be and your manual will always be current—the only thing worse than not having a manual is having an out-of-date one. As you review your manual, it also helps reinforce your knowledge about your job duties.

With a procedures manual in hand, you and your organization will have the peace of mind of knowing that someone could step in and fulfill your responsibilities without causing a major disruption to your department or to business operation

Source: By Patricia Rob, Office Management