At the heart of a turn-key business is the operations manual. It is the authoritative source for defining how things are done in your company. This tool provides your employees with the guidance they need to operate your business with confidence and independence. It is the single-point reference for everything your employees need to know. Thus it should be the first thing that new employees are trained on. It should also be the source for ongoing reminders and training within your organization.
This template supports the efficient creation of an Operations Manual which is an important part of the delivery. Operations Manager. The operations manager should customize this template according to the requirements of his team and afterwards communicate those customized document to the Development Manager.
I have already discussed the 5 reasons every small business needs an operations manual. But what exactly does it look like? An operations manual has 3 parts:
The Company Overview
The Company Systems
The Company Job Descriptions
The Company Overview
The company overview section should tell the company story and history. It should highlight the mission, values, and vision of the company as well. It should also provide an overview of the entire organization (i.e. an organizational chart).
The Company Systems
The company systems section should describe the 5 major systems of every business which are:
The Marketing System
The Selling System
The Customer Fulfillment System
The Administrative System
The Human Resource System
These 5 systems describe the totality of your company organization and how your company operates. In fact, these business systems are a key component should you decide to sell your business.
The Company Job Descriptions
The final section should contain all the critical job descriptions within your organization. Spend some time with each employee and create a comprehensive job description you can provide to current and new hires.
How to Get Started
You may want to start by simply creating checklists for all the major functions within your company. You may want to have a monthly marketing checklist (marketing system), a selling conversation checklist (selling system), a productions checklist (or a series of production checklists), a daily/weekly/monthly routine checklist for your administrative staff, and an HR checklist (or a series of HR checklists). You will also want to make sure you have any important forms or technology for all of your critical business processes.
You may want to build something a bit more comprehensive by creating policies for all of the 5 major systems, and step-by-step procedures for each of the individual processes within each system.
However, if you want the best operations manual you should include these components:
A purpose statement for each major system
A flow chart for each major system which shows how this system “flows” from beginning to end
A list of policies for this system (i.e. the things you “always” do and the things you “never” do)
A table of contents for the processes included in each system followed by a detailed step-by-step procedure, checklists, and any other documents (e.g. forms, templates, etc.) needed to successfully execute the process
Do You Need Help Building an Operations Manual?
One of the things I enjoy most as a business coach is helping business owners build and document their systems. This is the central component to a strong operations manual. Obviously this doesn’t happen over night, but taking the time with a disciplined process to follow will be well worth your time and money. You can create a turn-key business that will serve you well while you own it and potentially worth a fortune when you sell. If you are in the Sugar Land, Katy, or Houston area, contact us for a FREE 1-hour strategy session to help you get started!
How to Create An Operations Manual for Your Business
Description
Every business needs an operations manual but how do you create one and what does it look like? Find helpful answers here.
Author
Glenn Smith Executive Coaching
Publisher Logo
Operation manual template is a sample manual document that shows the process and procedure of performing certain tasks and activities. A well formatted operation manual sample can help business improve its operation management.
Operation Manual Overview
Operation manual needs to distinguish the difference between manufacture operation and service operation. Manufacturing operations are processes in which raw materials are transformed into various goods. Service operation are processes of a business or company that provides services. Though manufacturing operations and service operations are always intertwined, the major differences between the two can still be identified. First, manufacturing operations produce tangible output while service operations provide intangible goods. Second, in manufacturing operations equipment investment is more expensive than labor, but in service operations labor is the vital resource while equipment is quite auxiliary . Third, manufacturing operations require less customer contact than service operations. Understanding the difference can help the operation manual guidelines.
Operation manual needs to have a clear and identifies performance objectives. Any operation has five goals to fulfill- cost, speed, dependability, quality and flexibility. The objective of cost requires the business to examine the entire cost structure for any potential reduction through its disciplined operations. The objective of flexibility refers to the ability of adapting to various situations by introducing a wide range of options or other means.
Operation Manual Template
There is free manual form you can download for reference, however, you may use software such as Word to create sample operation manual template based on business needs and condition. During the creation process, it is essential to know the operation manual format, operation manual layout and operation manual outline.
The first key part in operation manual template is operation manual introduction. In the section, you may include basic information about the operation manual policy, operation manual objectives and operation manual goals.
The second key part in the operation manual sample is the operation process and procedure. In the section, you need to show the detail process of operations. You may also list the key specification and requirements during the operation process.
The third key part in the operation manual example is the roles and responsibilities. In the section, you need to show the authorities and roles in the operation process, who will be the key contact person during the process? How to handle if there is irregularities etc.