• Procedures management work processes
• Software to guide procedures authoring by non-professional writers
• Software to direct development , format and automate publication of procedures information
• Procedures development teams

Effective procedures can be the foundation of safe, effective operations
Good procedures can drive operations. (sample procedure). They are critical to mandated safety programs. They are critical to capturing enterprise knowledge.

Procedures development can also be a burden
The produce of too many procedures initiatives sit in big binders on shelves and are rarely used. And the reason is simple: The procedures do not serve the user. If they did, workers would be demanding them.

Procedures are often written to provide compliance with mandated programs, typically a safety or quality programs. As a result, content is often focused on objectives other than performance. The resulting procedures may be encyclopedic and make it difficult to find “what I’m supposed to do.” Or they may be so sketchy that operators find them of little help and ignore them.

Effective procedures
Effective procedures are designed to guide performance. They provide critical information users need, in a style and format that make it easy to use.

Effective procedures are efficient. Effective procedures are usable. They are readable and relevant. They are accurate. They are available on demand and in a convenient format.

It’s important to remember the user
Development methods that remember the user and involve the user are the most effective. They are also the most efficient.

Development processes that mobilize and enable the end users provide many benefits. User-developed procedures are more useful and relevant because users are writing down what they need to know. Users are most likely to know the tips and tricks that make work simpler.

User-developed procedures distribute the work load for rapid development
Effective programs are efficient and produce usable procedures. Effective programs are comprehensive. They consider the full range of work and the conditions of performance. They provide directing procedures for every critical task. They provide a simple means for user input and procedures update. They also link procedures to other performance support information, including training. For information about identifying critical tasks, see Task Analysis Software, Work Analysis and Strategic Repertoire Development.

Development techniques and software to mobilize the user
Daniel Follette, Inc. has built a suite of tools to enable non-professionals to develop and manage procedures. Software that guides step-by-step authoring is a key. Breaking the process into simple steps eliminates the “where to begin” anxiety most face with a blank sheet of paper of word processing template.

The software also eliminates the need for formatting that sometimes has been as time-consuming as developing procedure content.