Three versions of the closing procedure
Head office updated the closing procedure after a problem with a safe left open. The new PDF went to all GMs by email. At one site it was printed and put in the office folder, on top of the old one. At another it is in the GM's inbox, unread. At a third, the duty managers still use a laminated card from the site's opening day, which describes a till system the site no longer uses.
When the ops team asks whether all sites are following the new procedure, the honest answer is that they cannot tell.
The same thing happens with service steps, cash handling, bar builds and cleaning rotas. Each update is written with care at head office and then fades as it travels. By the time a new duty manager joins a site, they learn the job from whoever trains them, which means they learn that person's version, including the shortcuts. Head office only finds out when an area manager sees something done the old way on a visit.
Why procedures drift at site level
- Procedures are sent as attachments, so there is no single current version.
- Printouts and laminated cards outlive the procedure they describe.
- Nobody records who has read an update.
- Staff cannot search procedures on shift, so they ask someone or guess.
- Sites add their own local notes, which drift further from the group standard.
What drifting procedures cost
Inconsistent guest experience across sites is the most visible cost. Behind it are the incidents procedures were written to prevent: cash handling mistakes, missed closing checks, equipment used wrongly. When something goes wrong, the group cannot show which version the site was working to or whether staff had seen it. And head office writes procedures that are never read.
How we build the procedures library
- All procedures are moved into one library, organised by area and role, with a named owner for each.
- Each procedure has a version history, so the current version is always clear and older ones are archived.
- When a procedure changes, the roles it affects are notified on their phones, and each person confirms they have read it.
- GMs and head office can see who has and has not read each update, by site.
- Staff search the library on a phone or kitchen tablet during a shift, and procedures can include photos and short videos.
- Where your group allows local variations, they are recorded as site notes attached to the group procedure, visible to head office.
| Library feature | What it replaces |
|---|---|
| Single current version | PDFs in inboxes and folders |
| Read confirmation by role | Hoping the GM passed it on |
| Search on a phone | Asking a colleague mid-shift |
| Recorded site notes | Unofficial local changes |
If you already use a staff app or intranet, such as SharePoint in Microsoft 365, we can build the library there rather than adding another tool.
A procedure update now
The ops manager edits the closing procedure and publishes it. Duty managers at every site get a notification and confirm they have read it. By the end of the week, head office can see two sites with managers who have not opened it, and the area manager follows up. On shift, a new duty manager searches for the safe procedure on their phone and finds the current one.
Recognise this in your sites?
- Procedure updates go out as PDF attachments.
- Old printouts are still on walls and in folders.
- Nobody knows who has read the latest version.
- Staff cannot look up a procedure during a shift.
- Sites have drifted into their own versions.