HOW TO WRITE A POLICY
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES, FACILITIES MANAGEMENT (FM)
A POLICY is a predetermined course of action or behaviour established as a guide
toward accepted business strategies and objectives.
A PROCEDURE is a method by which a policy can be accomplished; it provides the
instructions necessary to carry out a policy statement.
Policies and procedures are necessary for both employees and the Department.
They ensure that employees know what is expected of them in any given
circumstance, while at the same time protecting the organization from business
interruption, shut down, needless lawsuits etc.
Existing policies and procedures in various units need to be examined to determine
three things: usefulness, redundancy, and where new policies and procedures are
needed.
1) Usefulness - Are the current policies you have in place useful? Do they make
sense as they currently exist? Will employees understand them? Are they clearly
written? Are they obsolete – some may no longer be applicable.
2) Redundancy - Are they redundant? Are the policies duplicated in other units
within FM? Could they be combined with other existing policies that are applicable to
all rather than just your unit?
3) New Policies and Procedures - Do we need new policies and procedures in
some areas? Have you identified areas where new policies would be useful? If so,
what are they? Do we have benchmarks we need to achieve through our strategic
plan that would be easier to accomplish if a policy/procedure existed regarding it in
your unit?
When writing FMPs always use the following nine headings:
1.0 Policy Statement (required)
2.0 Reason for this Policy (required)
3.0 Applicability of this Policy (required)
4.0 Procedures (optional)
50. Standards (optional)
60. Guidelines (optional)
7.0 Definitions (optional)
8.0 Related Documents (optional)
9.0 Revision History (required)
The optional fields may or may not be used in an FMP but for consistency sake they
are always included. If one of the headings is not applicable to a particular FMP
simply write N/A in that area. Never delete a field. This is necessary for consistency
and clarity for the reader.
Summarized from 7 Steps to Better Written Policies and Procedures By Stephen B. Page
Policy Statement – This is the most important heading. It tells the reader what the
actual policy is. See definition on page 1. The policy should be written utilizing
active verbs.
Reason for this Policy – This area should connect the FMP to the Department’s
goals, objectives, mission and vision. It should describe the reason why the FMP
exists in concise and clear language. You should not use abbreviations or acronyms
in this section that need to be explained.
Applicability of this Policy – This section identifies the who, when, and where of
the policy. Include everyone affected by the FMP, those people who will actually be
responsible for carrying it out and those people who it applies to, it can also be used
to exclude groups. Exclusion example – All Facilities Management Staff except
Security Services. This section will also include the scope of the FMP when relevant.
Procedures – The procedure explains the details that make the policy happen.
See definition on page 1. If no procedures are necessary enter N/A in this section.
Standards – This section should contain system-specific requirements that must be
met. This area frequently changes with equipment upgrades. If the policy contains
no system-specific standards with N/A in this field.
Guidelines – This section may contain suggestions or best practices or guides that
could assist an employee with meeting the requirements. Write N/A if no guidelines
apply.
Definitions – This section is used to explain acronyms, technical terms or anything
else in the FMP that may not be clear to the reader (especially if s/he were a new
employee reading the document for the first time). Of course, if nothing in the FMP
requires a definition you can simply put N/A (not applicable) in this field.
Related Documents – Relevant flow charts, forms, examples and web links can be
placed in this section and are encouraged whenever they will help the employee
understand the reasoning or action behind the FMP. FM documents should be
uploaded into the FMP for ready access for the reader. Write N/A is this section if
there are no related documents.
Revision History – This area shows a history of the FMP. It is not necessary to
enter information in this section as the information will be added electronically when
the FMP is published and or edited.
Date prepared: March 28, 2006
Summarized from 7 Steps to Better Written Policies and Procedures By Stephen B. Page