Think back to the manual you received at the beginning of this year. If it was good (and you chose to use it), this text gave you perspective on the duties and the timeline for your staff position. In fact, your manual is just that...a textbook for your staff position. Your manual should provide instruction, tips, advice, and encouragement for the staffer(s) who will replace you. Many of you have talked about how you would have done things differently if only you would have known. This is your chance to keep next year's editors from making the same mistakes. The
goal is that this manual will provide new staffers with a place to
start next fall and a guide through the agony of deadlines. Consider
all the information and experience you have gained, and create a manual
which will make next year’s staffers as effective as possible.
The basic sections your Annual Manual must contain include the following:
1) Introduction letter - Use this opportunity to introduce yourself and welcome the new staffer to the promises and challenges ahead. You will not know their names yet, so leave that part blank.
2) Time line for your job’s activities
- This time line should represent an editor’s ideal pacing for
responsibilities during the year and during the specific deadline. Base
your time line dates on weeks of the school year (e.g. first quarter,
third week, etc.) as opposed to specific dates (which will change). Think of the ideal timing of all aspects of your position...focus especially on ways to limit deadline scrambling. Your
time line must include all of the items that should be completed before
deadline begins as well as those things you do during a 3 week deadline
period.
3) Step-by-step guide - Provide the new staffer with a progression of what needs to be done. Whereas
the timeline will simply list when they need to accomplish certain
duties, this section should actually show the how to do and who to
contact, the actual guts of the job. I would like
you to include references to any procedures (cropping, story assignment
sheets, caption sheets, etc.) in this section. Imagine if the new staffer(s) in your position had to do the job without any help; create a manual which will allow them to succeed in that situation. The step-by-step guide should be very thorough and should make up the bulk of your manual.
4) Staff
interaction tips – Include in your manual a section of tips and
suggestions to explain how this editor can best work with and assist the
following fellow staffers:
- PHOTOGRAPHERS - CHIEF EDITORS
- STAFFERS WRITING THEIR STORIES
- STAFFERS WANTING TO HELP DURING THE DEADLINE
5) A wish list -- This list should contain all the things you wish you had done and would do if you were re-doing the job. I really want you to examine the process this year and leave some great suggestions for those who follow.
6) Appendix of related documents
– Include any fliers, handouts you used, letters you sent,
organizational charts you created, or other documents related to your
position. These items may be discussed in your step-by-step guide. Included
in your appendix should be any charts or spreadsheets that you wish you
would have had...create these for the staffers now, because they may
not have time next year to create them on their own. Also,
include copies of all these files on the server in your section’s
folder, after you delete all the random stuff you no longer need.
7) Technology tips
– This section should contain as much info as possible to help new
staffers get familiar with using the server, scanner, and PhotoShop
software. For example: How do you save a story? Where should it be saved and under what name? How do I use the scanner? What do I do with my proofs? How do I make changes in the data base editor?
•
Most importantly, I am expecting a very usable tool which next year’s
staffer will utilize far beyond the first day he/she receives it.
If you did not refer to your manual, why not?
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