If
it
isn't
written
down,
it
doesn't
exist.
"Not
true
for
me",
you
say?
A
Chief
Executive
Boards
International
member
brought
this
idea
back
from
his
National
Board
to
his
Local
Board.
A
lively
debate
followed,
with
the
Board
largely
agreeing
with
the
premise.
So,
what
does
this
apply
to?
Here
are
a
few
areas
that
came
up:
- Strategies
--
A
strategy
you
can't
write
down
is
unlikely
to
be
well-enough
conceived
or
communicated
to
actually
work.
- Accountability
--
If
you
expect
to
hold
anyone
accountable
for
a
goal,
a
level
of
performance
or
a
scope
of
work
that
isn't
written
down,
you're
probably
dreaming.
No job description = no accountability, usually because the employee, despite your own conviction, doesn't really understand what the critical performance dimensions of the job are.
- Processes
--
Business
owners
are
always
saying,
"They
just
don't
do
it
the
way
they're
supposed
to."
When
asked,
"Show
me
the
documentation
of how
they're
supposed
to
be
doing
it",
the
conversation
usually
stops.
Processes
that
aren't
documented
(flow
charts,
checklists
or
stepwise
instructions)
regularly
break.
Some
never
did
work
right.
- Business
Goals
--
Goals
(or
Objectives)
that
aren't
written
are
usually
not
achieved.
What
happens
is
that
written
goals
usually
beget
written
strategies.
It's
those
strategies
and
the
written
action
plans
that
go
along
with
them
that
cause
the
organization
to
achieve
its
goals.
- Organizational
Alignment
--
It's
almost
impossible
to
align
departments,
people,
activities
and
compensation
with
the
organization's
Mission
and
Objectives
without
all
that
being
written
down.
What's
the
responsibility
of
each
Department?
Each
Manager?
Each
Employee?
If
that's
not
written
it's
certainly
arguable
that
it
doesn't
exist.
- Employee
Performance
--
Written
performance
appraisals
are
done
for
a
reason.
Namely,
so
it's
crystal-clear
to
the
employee
what
he's
doing
well
and
what
he
needs
to
improve.
Try
defending
a
wrongful
discharge
or
age
discrimination
suit
without
written
documentation
of
the
employee's
performance.
- Personal
Goals
--
People
who
write
down
their
personal
goals
are
many
times
more
likely
to
achieve
them
than
people
who
say,
"I
have
my
goals
in
my
head."
- I've run this idea by a couple more Local Boards and I haven't heard a credible rebuttal. So, I've come to believe if it's not written down it doesn't exist.
