Month: December 2012

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Dell’s Self-Inflicted Reputation Crisis

Business-colleagues-discussing-in-an-office

Has the onetime industry leader completely stopped caring?

Black Friday presents a great opportunity to grab new customers or bring old ones back with exciting deals. As with many opportunities, this one can also be a double-edged sword, as failure to meet expectations can lead to serious crisis management concerns. For example, Dell Computers, whose bottom line is already hurting due to the trend towards tablets and more capable smartphones, created a major reputation crisis for itself when it pulled an (allegedly) unintentional bait and switch on excited shoppers.

Here are more details, from a Huffington Post article by Catherine New:

The Austin-based PC-maker oversold its widely promoted “doorbuster” laptop deal — a 14-inch Inspiron 14z marked down to $299 from $599. Now, instead of canceling or delaying orders, Dell is trying to pass on a different, bigger model to customers.

 

In nearly two dozen emails to The Huffington Post on Wednesday, some anguished customers said Dell’s delayed and minimal response to the issue prevented them from scooping up other laptop deals. Some reported losing out on cash-back deals with their credit cards after Dell switched their orders. Other customers agonized that the confusion and time spent trying to sort out their order has meant lost quality time with loved ones over the holiday.

If you’d like a glimpse of the type of negative sentiment that Dell brought out in its customer base, just have a quick look at the comments on Catherine’s HuffPost article. Suffice to say, people were extremely upset and felt, understandably, that they had been duped into buying an inferior laptop by the promise of an amazing Black Friday deal, especially because it took Dell almost three full days to notify customers of the problem – a move that many felt was designed to have them miss out on other sales.

So where’s the apology from Dell? The promise to honor all purchases, even if some must be delayed? Well, apparently it’s not coming. Dell simply shrugged and blamed computer problems while bringing on extra customer service reps to handle phone lines overloaded with customers futilely trying to get the product they ordered.

The bottom line here is that if Dell can’t even be bothered to care about its own reputation, then losing market share to handheld devices is the least of its concerns. The company needs a change of corporate culture, and fast.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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Testing On Mobile Devices

Man working on laptop while testing on mobile device

Part of a Technical Writers job is to create test plans and to communicate it to the Quality Assurance Team. The Technical Writer will be responsible for the standard test plan (see previous posts) for user acceptance testing to be performed, maintenance of an organized list of open issues, verification of resolved issues, and continuous communication with all stakeholders. Many Technical Writers can gather information and create test plans from working and collaborating with relevant stakeholders, managers, clients, etc. But with the popularity and reliance of mobile devices being a huge part of our industry now, how do we create independent test plans for applications loaded onto them? What should be in these quality check blueprints?

Similar to application testing on a laptop or personal computer, the test plan will involve equipment, functionality, user acceptance testing, interface, data entry, validity, and regression testing. But this is not enough. The standard testing is not just the application any longer. It will also involve content (such as size, language, security), DRM (Digital Rights Management), data risks, the device location, mobile carriers, special features (i.e., screen orientation – rotational ability, voice activation, screen navigation, etc.), audio, the cloud, social media access, simultaneous application behavior, and as usual, various scenarios.

Compatibility

  • Will it be able to coexist with other applications?
  • Will it work without interference or interruption if, e.g., a message or a call is received?
  • Will it work within any device and with any system version?
  • Will it work with any mobile carrier?

Functionality

  • Will it work on touch-screen devices?
  • Will it provide user friendly functionality, e.g., scanning images?
  • Will it provide eye-pleasing displays, movement, and presentations?
  • Will it provide quick keys, menus?
  • Will it provide accurate swiping capabilities?
  • Will it be able to function via wireless technologies, i.e., Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.?
  • Will it function even when coexisting with the maximum uploading and downloading of various applications?
  • Will it be able to upload or download material and objects, i.e., revised content or images files?
  • Will it be able to download all or any entertainment items via the application links if needed, i.e., e book material, games, movies, etc. without conflict?

Consequences

  • What are the effects of haste in jumping from one module or application to another?
  • What are the results of service disruption?
  • What are the outcomes of moving incompatible objects from one module to another?
  • What are the effects on battery power usage?
  • What are the effects of program errors on other applications?

Testing mobile device applications is quite challenging as you are not working off of a network nor have access to any normal desktop features such as viewing via a large screen, nor be able to manipulate any hardware or software. You are solely dependent on your mobile carrier (i.e., cell phone carrier) and your mobile device.

Testing therefore can be difficult. I do not have any experience in using specific testing tools to help as I have only tested my practical needs in determining whether or not a mobile device application works for me or not. But if you are familiar with some mobile application testing tools, please leave a comment.

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Believe and be a bit more regal

A-man-and-a-female-colleague-working-together-on-an-assignment

So many messages this holiday season are around the importance of believing. I’m reminded of the classic movie The Polar Express in which one of the little boy’s messages to learn and embrace is to believe. Just this past evening I watched a Hallmark movie called The Wishing Well. It had a similar theme for the wishing well in order to work. First those making a wish must really believe in it and second it needs to be the right wish.

A few days ago when I was visioning with a colleague on a upcoming project that we are both passionate about, a beautiful cardinal kept landing on this tree just outside the window. Its bold red color against the white snow background made for a spectacular scene. What lesson does the cardinal want us to learn? Here’s what I found out.

The cardinal reminds us to hold ourselves with pride – not ego pride. Rather, the cardinal asks us to stand a little taller, be a bit more regal, step into our natural confidence as if we were born to lead with grace and nobility. Those who attract the cardinal as their totem are naturally energetic, love life, and happily help others where/when they can. Call upon the cardinal when you are feeling low (especially if you have the winter blues). Also call on the cardinal when you need bolstering for an event you are nervous about – the cardinal is better than B-12 for giving energy and vitality to those who need it!

Our hope is that as you close out the year you’ll be grateful for all your wishes come true this year. Our wish for you is that you have the faith to really believe in all of the great things for this upcoming year. Stand tall and step into this next year with confidence and nobility.

Thank you for investing your time in our blog. We hope that it’s enriched your life in some way and we thank you for enriching ours.

Many blessings to you and yours…

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.

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Your CFC Application & Tax Reporting (990) – Size Matters

Tax files and concept

As the year-end approaches, and since most non-profits use the calendar year for their tax returns, I wanted to highlight a few important aspects of a charity’s CFC application, and its financial management practices.

First, in terms of applying to the CFC, there are three size categories with different levels of financial reporting required. These size categories apply to all types of CFC charities: local, national, and international and are based on the financial size of the organization – with the requirements more stringent for larger non-profits.

The size categories are:
   •  Revenue greater than $250,000; an audit is required to be submitted
      with the CFC application.
   •  Revenue is less than $250,000 but more than $100,000. The charity
      must use the accrual accounting method and have an audit done
      annually by an independent CPA, but this is not submitted with the
      CFC application.
   •  Revenues less than $100,000, the non-profit must make financial information available in a timely manner, but accrual accounting is not required.

Full requirements for the 2013 CFC application are found at: opm.gov/cfc.
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§ Organizations with $250,000 or more in annual revenue, as reported on the IRS Form 990, are required to submit an annual audit of fiscal operations by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS). The audited financial statements and IRS Form 990 must be prepared using the accrual method of accounting and cover the same fiscal period that ended not more than 18 months prior to January 2013 (i.e. ending on or after June 30, 2011).

Include as Attachment C a copy of the auditor’s report and the organization’s complete audited annual financial statements. The audited financial statements must include all statements and audit notes as required by GAAP. The Independent Auditor’s Report must include the signature of the auditor or the auditing firm.

The organization must certify that it accounts for its funds in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and has an audit of its fiscal operations completed annually by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with GAAS.*

§ [For] Organizations with total revenue of at least $100,000 but less than $250,000: the certifying official must certify that the organization accounts for its funds in accordance with GAAP and has an audit of its fiscal operations completed annually by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with GAAS. The organization is not required to submit a copy of the audited financial statements with the CFC application. However, the information must be provided to OPM or the LFCC upon request.*

§ Organizations with total revenue of less than $100,000: the certifying official must certify the organization has controls in place to ensure funds are properly accounted for and it can provide accurate timely financial information to interested parties. It is not required to submit financial documentation with the CFC application or maintain its financial records in accordance with GAAP.

* Note that GAAP requires the use of the accrual method of accounting. No other basis of accounting is acceptable under GAAP. The cash basis, modified cash basis, modified accrual, and any other methods are not acceptable. (Emphasis added by author.)
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If your non-profit has been just under the $100,000 size and has now grown to above $100,000 it has two new requirements in terms of financial management:
      It will need to have an audit performed by an independent CPA and
      it will be required to use the accrual method of accounting.
It can be argued that this transition is more significant to an organization than at any other level, so it is important to plan for it, and budget for it.

All CFC Applications Require a Full/Complete 990 to be submitted, even if your non-profit (i.e., religious organizations) is not required to submit a 990 to the IRS or can use one of the shorter forms (990-EZ). The CFC application requires at least a pro-forma 990, signed by the authorizing official, as if it were to be submitted to the IRS. With modern tax preparation software, this is not usually hard to do, but more information is required for a complete 990, even if the full 990 is not submitted to the IRS. Just remember to have your tax-preparer prepare a pro-forma 990 in addition to the one required by the IRS.
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We’ll be taking a break until January 8th. All of us posting to the Fundraising Blog wish you and yours a healthy, happy….
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During his 25-year career in the Federal sector, Bill Huddleston, The CFC Coach, served in many CFC roles. If you want to participate in the Combined Federal Campaign, maximize your nonprofit’s CFC revenues, or just ask a few questions, contact … Bill Huddleston
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

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Crisis Management Preserves Paper’s Reputation

Business-colleagues-discussing-in-an-office

Potential disaster headed off by strong crisis communication

Ethical reporting has been a hot topic recently, and this quote, from a PRDaily article by Gil Rudawsky, describes a perfect case study for media organizations to preserve a paper’s reputation and come to the unfortunate realization that one of their writers or reporters has been less than honest. When The Cape Cod Times discovered that reporter Karen Jeffrey had made a habit of fabricating sources, they made the difficult decision to print the whole story in what we say was a brilliant crisis management move.

The Cape Cod Times covered the news like it would any other breach of ethics. In a 1,024-word apology to readers, editor Paul Pronovost and publisher Peter Meyer (in a bylined story) offered a complete look at how they found out about the fabrications—including examples of her fabricated sources—while trying to explain how it happened. They noted that the reporter no longer works for the paper.

“How did this happen? Or more important, how did we allow this to happen?” Pronovost and Meyer wrote. “It’s a question we cannot satisfactorily answer. Clearly we placed too much trust in a reporter and did not verify sourcing with necessary frequency.”

Taking a page from classic crisis communication strategy, they offered a personal apology without making any excuses and holding themselves to the same scrutiny as the paper does other members of the public:
“This column is our first step toward addressing what we uncovered. We needed to share these details, as uncomfortable as they are, because we are more than a private company dealing with a personnel issue—we are a newspaper and we have broken our trust with you. We deeply regret this happened and extend our personal apology to you.”

The reporter in question was found to have been inventing sources dating back to some point in the 1990’s, with Cape Cod Times editors admitting that they have been unable to locate at least 69 “sources” used in 34 stories, and they aren’t even looking at dates prior to 1990, when the paper’s articles began to be digitized. While many organizations’ first instinct upon discovering an inside problem is to bury it, The Cape Cod Times was able to both honor the journalistic ethics code and turn what could have been a seriously damaging discovery into a way to elevate its status as a trusted source among readers. By essentially telling readers that they knew they’d messed up and were awfully embarrassed about it, the paper positioned itself as well-intentioned and honest in the court of public opinion.

No matter what your organization does, when you find a problem the very last thing you want to do is bury it. If you behave dishonestly then (and this may come as a shock to some people out there!) you are dishonest, and that stigma will follow you regardless of what colorful story you piece together to explain your actions. Stakeholders can accept that you made a mistake, especially if you put a human face to your admission as The Cape Cod Times did with its editor and publisher, but they are much less understanding when they find that they’ve been deliberately duped. It may be more difficult in the short term, but, and we’re speaking from experience, the end result will be much more positive.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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Fund Raising Philosophy For Start-Ups

Young male presenting a fundraising plan for start-ups

There is a philosophy, widely subscribed to in the n-p sector, that views nonprofit start-ups as having a responsibility to the sector and to society to prove themselves viable before looking to raise funds from (too far) outside of the founding group.

Just because they may have a valid purpose, and may come to serve a real need in society, doesn’t mean that they are viable. The broader community should not be asked to fund a start-up until the founders have proven that the NPO can-and-will survive.

Many (most) foundations operate on the premise that there are too many needs and too many needy people to waste resources (money) on those NPOs that can’t survive.

Unless a new NPO has a “guarantee” of sufficient income from government support, fees-for-service and/or a huge endowment, there will, at some point, have to be a reliance on fundraising.

If a group of “founders” can’t or won’t (financially) support and get those people close to them to support their own organization, why would any individual or foundation want to risk their resources on an organization that’s not proved its viability?

There have been too many organizations where the “founders” have bragged about giving of their time, effort and heart; but they steadfastly refuse to commit their own funds.

That is the stage in the life cycle of an NPO where they are most likely to fail — where they (the founders) won’t give, but expect others to support what they consider important !!??

There’s no rule that says that every NPO has to survive, or should !! As “rich” as society might be, there are limited funds available for NPOs, and only those that prove themselves viable, should get some of society’s resources.

An NPO that cannot prove its viability (probably) shouldn’t be seeking broad support … and probably shouldn’t survive.
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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Contact me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

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Are You Ready to Apply for a Federal Grant? – A Checklist

A to-do list to help you apply for a federal grant

Once you have decided to apply for a federal grant, you must focus your nonprofit organization’s people and resources on the application process, which is likely to take at least a month. However, first you should determine whether you have all the requirements in place to apply.

This financial checklist will define (suggest) the steps you need to take before you can apply for a federal grant.

□  Is your organization incorporated?

□  Has the Internal Revenue Service classified your organization as a tax-exempt entity?

□  Has your Board of Directors formally decided that it is appropriate for you to seek and accept government grants?

□  Is your Board of Directors aware that you intend to apply for a specific federal grant?

□  Are your organization’s financial records audited annually by an independent outside public accountant? Was the most recent auditor’s report a “qualified” report?

□  Have you reviewed the grant guidelines to determine the financial requirements? Can your organization meet them?

□  Is there someone in your organization who can put together the financial components of the grant application – the budget and budget narrative?

□  Is your organization aware of current federal grant policies and procedures that relate to the use of government funds?

□  Do you have the organizational financial policies, procedures, and practices in place to use government grant funds legally and ethically?

□  Is your organization prepared to be audited by a federal agency before a grant is awarded or at the conclusion of the grant period?

There are two basic components of any federal grant. One is programmatic and the other is budgetary. Before you apply for a federal grant, you should ensure that you have the ability to properly manage and disperse federal grant funds.
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Dr. Jayme Sokolow, founder and president of The Development Source, Inc., helps nonprofit organizations develop successful proposals to government agencies. Contact Jayme Sokolow.
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
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If you’re reading this on-line and you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting. If you’ve received this posting as an email, click on the email link (above) to communicate with the author.

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Improve Salesforce Security and Speed by Optimizing Firefox

Person working with a mouse on a desk laptop

Guest Author: Grace Beckett

Tips and Tricks

Mozilla’s Firefox is the recommended browser for optimum usage of Salesforce and the official Salesforce community vouches its reliability. Users have reported that the performance of the Salesforce platform magically improves when you use it with Firefox. There might be something in Firefox’s source code that is particularly compatible with Salesforce. There might have been certain modifications also made by the Mozilla development team to ensure that Salesforce will run smoothly on the browser. However, there are certain small tips and tricks that will increase the security and the speed of Salesforce while being used with Mozilla Firefox. Here are some of them.

Enable JavaScript

JavaScript is one of the most widely used programming languages for the designing of web pages and web applications. Salesforce is also developed using the JavaScript console and you will find that enabling this particular option will ensure that the Salesforce platform will work more smoothly than it already does. Depending on the version of Firefox that you have on your system, you will find the instructions for enabling JavaScript on the developer page of the Mozilla Group.

Accepting and Retaining Third Party Cookies Until Expiration

It is a well established fact that browser cookies are a threat to your privacy and security. That is the reason most users choose to reject the cookies and even delete them if they find that any have been saved. However, most people do not understand that cookies also help in some sites’ performance. They will retain essential information and with the help of this information, the response time of the site will also improve significantly.

When you instruct the Firefox browser to accept and retain the cookies, you will find that the performance of Salesforce platform also improves. This is because the Salesforce site also needs cookies for optimum performance. Once the cookies expire, there is no need to retain them and you can easily discard them by clearing the complete history.

Usage of SSL 3.0

SSL 3.0 is the latest secure link protocol that is being used by the Salesforce site. When you do not use this actively in your browser, you will find that compatibility mode will restrict the performance. On the other hand, using tools to enable SSL 3.0 will not only increase the performance but also boost the security of your site exponentially.

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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About the Author:

Grace Beckett is a CRM and Cloud Applications expert. She writes extensively on emerging trends affecting the cloud and social media. One of her favorite cloud solutions is Cirrus Insight, the leading application for integration of Salesforce and Google Apps.

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Servant Leadership in Spiritual Communities – Part 1

mature-couple-meditating-lotus-positing-home

Crystal Davis read my blog posts last year and emailed me inquiring about other resources related to Spirituality at work. She’s doing her dissertation on Servant Leadership. I’ve enjoyed exchanging ideas with her over the past year.

I invited Crystal to share some of her dissertation topic for our blog posts this month. Here is a brief summary she wrote on Servant Leadership and how she’s researching it for her dissertation.

Enjoy!

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What does self-transcendence have to do with servant leadership? This is the question that has sparked deep interest for me well over three years now. My doctorate proposal will ask this question to find out if a correlation exists between spirituality (self-transcendence) and servant leadership within an organization called Centers for Spiritual Living. There have been several other studies that used faith based organizations and these studies found mixed results. In a study conducted in two African American rural churches in North Carolina reflected concerns about the demonstration of servant leadership and the potential problems extending toward new lay leaders. The demonstration of effective servant leadership is important for new lay leaders, and the pastors of the churches should establish a training program for lay leadership. Further research could focus on the perception and practice of servant leadership in other denominations and among other ethnic groups, other characteristics of servant leadership, and the cultural, political, and social factors that influence servant leadership. My study will take these concerns to heart and look at servant leadership in another faith –based denomination. To date, no study has been done with Centers for Spiritual Living.

More attention is being devoted to the theory of servant leadership. What is Servant Leadership? It is a leadership theory coined by Robert Greenleaf in which the leader sees him/herself as a servant first and a leader second. Servant leaders put forth selfless service to the individuals of the organization with the intrinsic perspective toward self-actualization for everyone. Servant leadership possesses characteristics such as voluntary subordination, authentic self, covenantal relationship, responsible morality, transcendental spirituality, and transforming influence.

Servant Leadership should not be confused with the idea that if you are a servant leader, you will be taken advantage of. On the contrary, a servant leader can serve without being servile. Of relevance is the Servant leaders’ quality of selfless service, which is an intrinsic desire to serve, that comes from within.

When leaders are firmly grounded in servant leadership principles and are more self-transcendent (spiritual), the reputation of the organization can return multiple dividends in terms of greater investment and growth of the people. When awareness takes place in the universal human condition, it will be understood that energy unites everything, and one’s purpose will change from serving individualistic needs to serving others.

This proposed quantitative correlational research study may produce results supporting the need for organizations to employ mature self-transcendent (spiritual) leaders who employ servant leadership behavior to lead spiritual organizations. The results could aid scholars, leaders, and practitioners who engage in servant leadership behavior by revealing situatedness through which servant leadership principles can be developed, modeled, and sustained. If a relationship exists between self-transcendence and servant leadership behavior, this could determine a need for critical analysis on how servant leadership training programs can be developed administered, and sustained in various spiritual organizations.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Crystal J Davis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Kansas State University, a Masters in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and will graduate with a Doctorate in Management and Organizational Leadership from University of Phoenix in December 2013.

Ms. Davis is passionately engaged in Servant Leadership and selfless service to the nonprofit and public sectors having served both large and small organizations throughout her career and her consulting business.

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Communicating Policies and Procedures

Business people going through policies and procedures

Definition – Policies and Procedures involve ensuring control over processes, giving directions, setting standards and following them. In other words, maintaining compliance or preserving requirements. The Policies are a set of rules or guidelines that are decided upon by higher-ups. The Procedures are the steps or processes involved in completing a task. Policies and Procedures:

  • are a growing necessity in Companies as they aid in ensuring accuracy, consistency, upholding standards, and
  • usually answer questions of who, what, and how.

Companies are paying more attention to compliance due to concerned awareness of risk management, security, confidentiality, etc. From protocols and regulation material to process breakdowns, companies are now having more Technical Writers create Policies and Procedures documents.

Industry Usage – You need Policies and Procedures for laws, guidance, audits, performance improvement, training, sales and marketing, instructional designers, medical writers, etc.

Below is a sample list of areas in organizations using Policies and Procedures:

  • Healthcare – in elderly care (for appointments, lab procedures, admission/release process, equipment usage, emergency care, insurance, etc.)
  • Business – in insurance (for processing claims, liabilities, appraisals, reinsurance, etc.)
  • HR – in orientation of new hires (for employee handbooks, training, etc.)
  • Education – in learning (for equipment handling, libraries, labs, instruction material, etc.)
  • Manufacturing – in production (for safety procedures, setting routines, monitoring schedules, quality checks, etc.)
  • Technology – in applications (for setting development standards, designing new software, authenticating privileged users, testing systems, data management, etc.)

As shown above, Policies and Procedures help eliminate confusion by reducing questions and errors, clarify instructions, and maintain smooth operations by keeping stakeholders all on the same page.

Writing – Creating Policies and Procedures is not an easy task. It involves a lot of research and verification. Begin by creating an outline for yourself as to who needs to be interviewed and observed and what needs to be researched. For Policies and Procedures to work, keep it up-to-date. In the end, they have to be for the target audience and be user-friendly. Follow many of the rules mentioned in previous posts to make your document understandable and clear. Most importantly make sure the higher-ups support the creation of Policies and Procedures. Also, interview the right resources, such as your SME (Subject Matter Expert).

Questions to ask:

  • what (does the policy or procedure do, what is expected, acceptable, and what is not.),
  • why (is it done this way, does it have a history, etc.),
  • where (is this policy or procedure performed, under what circumstances, etc.),
  • when (does this policy or procedure occur, etc.),
  • how (is this policy or procedure prepared, completed, etc.), and
  • who (is responsible for ensuring the success of the Policies and Procedures, who is affected or is involved, etc.).

Organization – Organize the Policies and Procedures so that they are all located in one central database or location and is easily accessible to the right personnel. Categorize them for easier access. Create a process to maintain communication on all levels so that you can track changes and apply updates accordingly.

If you have thoughts to add, please leave a comment.