The Review Process

You are almost to the finish line! However, there is an important step left. Although the actual writing of a policy and procedure manual is best left in the hands of one person for consistency's sake, top members of your organization should review your work.

Every organization that develops policies and procedures needs a review process. Many groups and companies find it efficient to form committees just for this purpose.

Your review committee can be the organization's board of directors, trustees, officers, managers, or a select group that represents all of these entities. If you have not already done so, ask a representative from your Information Technology (IT) team to be on the review team. Since some of your newer policies may involve technology, this person could offer valuable insights.

The purpose of the review committee is to read and offer feedback on all aspects of the manual before it is finalized, printed, and distributed to employees.

As the primary writer of the manual, it is important to give this committee a few guidelines on what you are looking for in the way of feedback. Otherwise, you may get much more than you bargained for!

To direct their thinking, you may need to begin by clearing up any misunderstandings they may have about the manual. For instance, you can let them know that the policy and procedure manual is not a safety manual, so it does not include all of your company's safety guidelines.

The manual also is not the place for your company's job descriptions. It also is not a how-to manual, offering lengthy of instructions on how employees should perform their jobs.

Let the committee know that the purpose of the manual to provide employees with work rules and procedures. If your company has a safety program, for instance, it should be available in a separate document. In your manual, you can reference that document as well other helpful resources and where to find them.

Next, give the review team a firm deadline by which you need feedback. That way, you will not be left hanging while you wait for their replies.

Here is a sample cover letter:

Dear XYZ board member:

After weeks of research, writing, and review, we have completed a draft of our new XYZ Policy and Procedures Manual. The manual will be distributed to all employees at the upcoming annual meeting, and to new employees at their orientation sessions. We also will have PDF versions available.

We want the manual to be comprehensive, yet easy to read and to understand. We see this as a living document, and we will be making revisions, when needed, to keep it up-to-date.

In order for the manual to be as effective and as accurate as possible, we are looking for constructive feedback from board members. Please read it and offer your comments by way or the attached comment sheet. In order for us to have the manual ready for the October annual meeting, we need your comments to us by Aug. 31.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Your name and names of others on the manual team

Your contact information

To make things easier for the reviewers, you might direct them to four different ways of giving feedback:

1. The draft is fine with no changes needed and no further comments.


2. The draft is fine with a few minor changes requested.


3. The draft needs significant changes.


4. No opinion.

• Do you have the resources to both implement and monitor the policies that affect your department?


• Would you or your staff need any training to carry out your responsibilities as outlined in the manual?


• Is the manual's content and wording clear and unbiased?


• Do you see any problems or concerns that the policies and procedures could cause?