Writing Effective Policies and Procedures

Courses Syllabus

Introduction

This course will prepare delegates to develop and write effective policies and procedures, important documents, and other related documents such as Specifications and Standards. The focus of this course will be on making these effective within the organisation and consider issues such as compliance, language, and organisational culture. It is important to enhance this skill set because all business activities (public and private sector organisations) are governed by policies and procedures; hence, in order to perform their job and be competitive – practicing professionals must develop such skills.

This course will feature:

• How to create professional documents
• Identify the main clauses that appear in them
• Understand real examples of policies and procedures
• Understanding of methods used in drafting effective policies and procedures
• How to avoid ambiguity and uncertainty

Objectives

• Use highly effective drafting skills, which will be useful tools in all types of documents
• Analyse the clarity of expression in all documents
• Apply methods to highlight potential problems with existing Policies and Procedures and improve their effectiveness
• Illustrate the impact of non compliance and build fully compliant procedures
• Demonstrate ability to reduce risks

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

• Practical activities
• The role of policy and procedures
• What needs to be included
• Who needs to be involved
• The review process
• The approval process

Day Three

How to Implement Policy & Procedures

• Review 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 and relevant tips
• Effective writing
• Commercials
• Drafting exercises

Day Five

Case Studies and Workshops

• Case Studies
• Publication
• Workshop objectives
• Group workshop/exercises
• Group discussion
• Course review/wrap-up