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
14-9
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
14-12
Usability Factors• Terminology• Technical
demand• Comprehensibil
ity• Graphs and
tables• Organization
• Internal consistency
• Level of detail• Navigation• Salience• Presentation
style
14-13
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