Small Business: Why Should I Have Written Policies and Procedures?

A small business owner recently asked me this question. My gut response was, "Why not?", but this comes from a lifetime as a corporate training professional. I had to stop and think about the answer as a small business owner myself. Why would a small business want written policies and procedures, and why would they want to spend the money to have a consultant come in and write them?

First, look at the big picture. What if your small business becomes "not so small"? It's a great problem to have. If you grow, you'll want to have a written Policies and Procedures (P&P) Manual in place to ensure that everything keeps moving ahead correctly and efficiently. Plus, when your small business "grows up", you can use that written P&P as the basis for training programs in the future.

Second, as much as we want to believe we remember everything we do, I'm afraid to say we don't. Did that make sense? Sometimes the small details elude us just when we need them most. Things like who to contact for certain issues or what procedures we used to perform an uncommon task are those details that may go missing. A written P&P Manual would serve as your reference guide. Think about how much time you could save simply by looking up the detail and moving forward - instead of searching for sticky notes around the office or paging through endless emails.

Third, let's face it: turnover is going to occur in staffing. We've seen how our businesses have contracted, sighed, rolled over, or even shut down during the economic downturn. And with those maneuvers came staff changes. If your staff changes, you need to be able to point new arrivals in the right direction in terms of their responsibilities and every day operations. Your written Policies and Procedures Manual will do just that.

Keep in mind that a P&P Manual is a living, breathing work, that is, it must be maintained, updated, and changed as your business does the same. But the hardest part is facing that blank screen when it comes to writing the procedures. But don't worry, because a professional technical writer and training developer can help! This person can come into your business, observe your procedures, your systems, and your processes, and help you come up with a P&P Manual that 's easy to maintain and update. To see how Blue Notebook Communications can help you create a Policy & Procedures Manual, contact us today for a free consultation.