OFFICE PROCEDURES

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OFFICE PROCEDURES
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ENJOY THE STORY OF FOUR PEOPLE

• THIS IS A STORY ABOUT FOUR PEOPLE NAMED
  EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY NOBODY. THERE WAS
  AN IMPORTANT WORK TO BE DONE EVERYBODY WAS
  SURE THAT SOMEBODY WOULD DO IT. ANYBODY COULD
  HAVE DONE IT, BUT NOBODY DID IT. SOMEBODY GOT
  ANGRY ABOUT THAT BECAUSE IT WAS EVERYBODYS JOB.
  EVERYBODY THOUGHT THAT ANYBODY COULD DO IT, BUT
  NOBODY REALISED THAT EVERYBODY WOULD NOT DO IT.
  IT ENDED UP THAT EVERYBODY BLAMED SOMEBODY WHEN
  ACTUALLY NOBODY ACCUSED ANYBODY.

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Manual of Office Procedure ?

• The efficiency of an organization depends on
  evolution of adequate processes and procedures
  and following them
• An attempt to balance the conflicting
  considerations of speed and propriety

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WHAT IS AN OFFICE?

• A work place where teams of people work together
  in a hierarchy.
• People are paid for efforts / services.
• A kind of control tower where information is
  processed to facilitate competent authority to
  take decisions to achieve organizational goals

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• PROCEDURE is a way of doing something especially
  one that is formally or conventionally accepted
  as being correct.

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OFFICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
MEN

• PUB. ADMN 1. GOOD
  COMMUNICATION
• SALARY ADMN 2. MAINTENANCE
  OF RECORDS
• WELFARE ADMN 3. PUBLIC
  RELATIONS
• MOTIVATION
• MORALE
• DISCIPLINE
• RECEIPTS LAND
• EXPENDITURE BUILDINGS
• BUDGETTING FURNITURE
• ACCOUNTING
  STATIONERY
• AUDITING
  MACHINES
• 
  APPLIANCES

MGT.
MATERIAL
MONEY
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Duties of Section Officer

• General Duties
• Distribution of work
• Training, helping and advising
• Management Coordination of the work
• Maintenance of order and discipline in the
  section
• Maintenance of list of residential addresses
• Responsibilities relating to Dak
• To go through the receipts
• Submit receipts to be seen by higher officers
• Keep a watch on any hold up in movement of Dak
• Scrutinise the section Diary
• Maintenance of list of residential addresses

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Duties of Section Officer

• Issue of a Draft
• Corrections clean copy, Spare copies
• Enclosures, priority marking, mode of despatch
• Efficient Expeditious disposal of work Checks
  on delays
• Keep a note of important receipts
• Ensure timely submission of arrear and other
  returns
• Inspect Assistants table to ensure nothing is
  overlooked
• Ensure cases are not held up at any stage
• Weekly check on periodical returns
• Independent disposal of Cases
• Issue of reminders
• Obtaining supply of factual non-classified
  information

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Duties of Section Officer

• Recording and Indexing
• Approve recording of files and their
  classification
• Review recorded files before destruction
• Supervise periodic weeding of unwanted spare
  copies
• Ensure proper maintenance of registers
• Ensure proper maintenance of reference books, OOs
• Ensure neatness and tidiness
• Ensure strict compliance of departmental security
  instructions
• Duties of Clerk
• While disposing the cases
• To see whether all facts open to check have been
  stated
• To draw attention, to precedents or rules and
  regulations
• To put up Guard file and supply other relevant
  facts
• To bring out clearly the question under
  consideration and suggest a course of action
  wherever possible

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Registers to be maintained

• Dak Register
• Section Diary for Receipts
• Assistants Diary for receipts
• Movement Register
• Typists Diary
• Despatch Register
• Stamps Account Register
• File Register
• Register for Watching progress of recording
• Illustrative list of records fit for permanent
  preservation
• Precedent Book
• Standing Guard File
• Retention Schedule
• Record Review Register
• Record Requisition Card
• Weekly Arrear Statement
• Call Book

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COMMON OFFICE FUNCTIONS
Collecting Information
Storing Information
Classifying Information
Monitoring Implementation
Processing Information
Communicating Decision
Taking Decision
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FILE MANAGEMENT

• A file is made up of
• Current file
• Note file
• Current file consists of
• Communications received
• Communications sent

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Current File

• Papers in the current file are arranged
• In Chronological order
• Present paper on the top
• Neatly filed together
• Numbered on Both sides of the pages

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Note File

• Margins
• Page No and C.No on top
• Subject/ title
• Reference
• Broken into short paragraphs dealing with single
  point

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NOTERemarks recorded on a case under
consideration to facilitate its disposal

• REASONS FOR
• Facilitates/ensures comprehensive examination
• Provides written record of decision taken and
  justification thereof
• Constitutes proof of approval/orders by the
  competent authority
• Ensures consistency of approach
• Provides historical and evidential material

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Content of a note

• Statement of the case of problem
• Relevant facts and figures
• Procedure prescribed and precedents
• Law /rules etc on the subject and their
  application
• Views/advice of others if any consulted
• Possible course of action
• Implications(legal, social administrative,financia
  l ) of the various options available
• Suggested course of action

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How to Write a note

• Simply worded (logically sequenced and with good
  readership appeal)
• Factually correct(fact based)
• Non repetitive (by drawing attention through
  references on the margin or in the body of the
  Note esp. for those which can be referred by Nos.
  and dates)
• Referenced(to achieve economy of words and
  comprehensiveness)
• In short, numbered paragraphs of a few
  sentences(of about 10 words) each
• Signed in full and dated by the dealing hand (on
  the left hand bottom) and by the officers on the
  right hand bottom without wasting much space in
  between

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Avoid while writing a note

• Verbosity
• Long and complicated sentences
• Reproduction of rules/regulations
• Intemperate language
• Bias

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Noting

• How it should be?
• Recorded on a note sheet(even at least one word
  should be carried over to the next page, instead
  of ending the note at the extreme bottom of the
  page at least extra blank courtesy sheet should
  be added for further noting)
• Concise comprehensive
• Precise( businesslike and to the point)
• Objective and unbiased( 3rd person passive voice
  and double negative without being too
  prolix/clumsy)
• Polite (temperate language, even when pointing
  out obvious mistakes statements)

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Drafting

• A draft is a rough sketch of a communication to
  be issued after approval by the officer concerned
• Points to be noted
• Draft should
• Should carry the exact messages sought to be
  conveyed
• Should be clear , concise and incapable of
  misconstruction
• Should result in the desired response from the
  received
• Should be divided into proper paragraphs,
  according to the logical sequence or order of
  ideas expressed in the draft
• Should contain references to previous
  correspondence, if any
• Avoid Lengthy sentences, abruptness
• Repetition of words, observations or ideas
• Offending, discourteous language

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DRAFTING-CHECK LIST

• A draft should indicate the following
• File Number
• The names and complete postal address of the
  sender organization
• The name/designation of the addressee with
  complete postal address
• Subject of the communication
• Number and date of the last communication in the
  series (from the addressee or from the sender)
• The enclosures which are to accompany the fair
  copy
• Subscription
• Urgency grading (By registered post/Spl.
  Messenger)
• Name and Designation, signature of the sender
• form applicable should be carefully chosen

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Types of Communication

• Letter
• DO letter
• Memorandum
• Inter departmental Note
• Office order
• Notices
• Circular, Telegram

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Letter

• TM/Lr.No.A/1670/97 Dt
• To
• Official Address
• Sir/Madam
• Sub
• Ref
• (in first person)
• Yours faithfully
• Sd
• Designation

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DO Letter

• DO Letter No.A/1670/97 dt
• Sir(Respected Sir)
• Dear Sri / My Dear
• Sub
• Ref
• (in first person)
• With regards
• Yours Sincerely
• Sd/
• By Name
• Name
• Official Designation

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• Category 'A' meaning 'keep and microfilm'
• (a) files which qualify for permanent
  preservation for administrative purposes (part
  A' of Appendix 25) since the document is
  precious its original must be preserved intact
  and access to it in the original form must be
  restricted to the barest minimum
• The material likely to be required for frequent
  reference by different parties.
• (b) files of historical importance ( Part B' of
  Appendix 25).
• Category B' meaning keep but do not microfilm
• Same as A but need not be microfilmed.
• Category C' meaning keep for specified period
  only
• Files of secondary importance and having
  reference value for a limited period not
  exceeding 10 years.

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He fainted when he came to Paragraph 13 where you
say, as we have already clarified in paragraph 6
and elaborated in 9

• In the first paragraph we were surprised,
  in the second shocked,
  in the third disappointed.
  We can only
  regret in the fourth paragraph.

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• It takes Vision to perceive Opportunities
• Ex Eagle
• It takes Momentum to reach Targets
• Ex Cheeta
• It takes Teamwork to achieve Goals
• Ex Ants

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• Functional file numbering system -
• (1) In this system the range and dimensions of
  the subjects falling under the scope of business
  allocated to a department are analysed in the
  following sequence
• (a) the main functions of the department
• (b) the activities in each of these functions
• (c) the aspects or operations involved in each of
  these activities and
• (d) the factors to be taken into consideration
  relating to each of these aspects or operations.
• File numbering system based on subject
  classification -
• (1) Each section will maintain approved lists of
• (a) standard heads, i.e. main subject headings
  concerning it and
• (b) standard sub-heads, i.e. aspects of the main
  subject headings
• The first three elements in the file number will
  be separated from one another by a slant stroke
  and the last two by a dash. Thus, files opened
  in, say, Scientific Research Section during 2000
  under the standard head bearing serial number
  3', will be numbered consecutively as
  3/1/2000-SR, 3/2/2000-SR and so on, where SR'
  represents the section.