Professional Communication: The Corporate Insider’s

ApproachChapter Fourteen

Procedures: Doing the Work of Business

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Procedures: A Definition• Comprise a set of sequential

operations or steps that complete a single process

• Solve a specific problem that always presents itself in the same way

• Need to be done in only one way• Produce the same result each time• Limit introduction of theoretical or

explanatory information• Focus on use

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Measuring Performance• Did we faithfully relate the

technical information?• Did we relate that information in

a manner that allowed the user successfully and efficiently to negotiate the terrain of the task at hand?

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Problems with Procedures• Organization• Presentation• Terminology• Internal

consistency• Numeric

information

• Salience• Comprehensibili

ty• Technical

demands• Level of detail• Graphs and

tables• Navigation

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Procedure Types• Technical procedures—focus on

physical operation and maintenance of equipment and systems

• Response procedures—explain how to react when systems go bad

• Management control procedures—provide for the coordination, interactions, and communications that bind business operations together

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Understanding the TerrainTo get a complete picture of the territory for your procedure, you need to assess

• Management philosophy

• Business circumstance

• Corporate strategy

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Next StepsAssess your procedure using this criteria:

• A bit of judgment—determine whether a procedure is needed

• Negotiation—explain your reasons and method in a way that is respectful to needs and expectations

• Usability—determine whether procedures are accurate, complete, and comprehensible

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Basic Procedure Development Process

• Define the territory• Design the process• Determine the

usability• Document the

thinking

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Ten Defining Questions• What requirements are to be

met?• What expectations are to be

met?• What materials, equipment, and

facilities are to be used?• What tasks are to be

accomplished?• Why must the tasks be

accomplished?

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Ten Defining Questions• Who, other than the user, must be

involved?• When are the tasks to be

accomplished?• Where are the tasks to be

accomplished?• How are the tasks to be performed?• How is completion to be confirmed?

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Design the Process• Get a measure of the whole• Partition the activity to the task

level• Develop the step level• Assess the qualifying conditions• Synthesize the elements of the

process

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Usability Factors• Terminology• Technical

demand• Comprehensibil

ity• Graphs and

tables• Organization

• Internal consistency

• Level of detail• Navigation• Salience• Presentation

style

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Procedures—The LessonsTo prepare procedures effectively, you must recognize numerous factors influencing substance and design:

• Management philosophy• Business circumstances• Corporate strategies• Range of potential users