[Directive No

[Directive No. 151 is both an official directive and an annotated example. The content of each section illustrates the scope of information to cover in that section. The comments in brackets that follow each section heading give additional guidance about the matters to be covered under that heading.]

[In the header for each directive, the number comes from the subject matter outline in Attachment 1. A capital letter suffix designates simple revisions: "A" for the first; "B" for the second; and so on. The Deputy to the AVP assigns these numbers.]

[The date of the directive is normally the print date of the final, approved, signature version of the directive.]

[The subject identifies the topic or content of the directive. It does not include "FMS" or the words "policy" or "procedures," since FMS directives are only internal to FMS, and since policy and procedures are understood to be covered in a directive.]

DISTRIBUTION LIST: A, B

[The author specifies the lists to use for the directive, referring to Attachment 2]

REVIEW DATE: June 15, 1996

[No more than two years from date of issue or last update; preferrably timed to relate to an event or occasion where the policy is applicable.]

POSITION RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEW: Deputy to the AVP

[This assignment of responsibility for the directive is a standard part of every directive.]

PURPOSE: To establish a policy and procedures for the standard format and content of directives internal to FMS. External policies and procedures on topics for which FMS has lead responsibility appear in the FMS section of the CMU Policies and Procedures Manual.

[The PURPOSE section uses the phrase, "To establish a policy and procedures ......"

BACKGROUND: Format specifications, and standards for the content of internal FMS directives, give consistency and credibility to the policy and procedures they contain. The AVP delegates responsibility for compiling texts of directives to the directors who are responsible for their implementation, and to the deputy for editorial consistency.

[The BACKGROUND section provides information that contributes to an understanding of the policy and procedures being addressed in the directive. This statement should avoid negative representations of the circumstances leading to the directive.]

POLICY: It is FMS policy to authorize directors (incumbents of positions identified in distribution List Category A; see ATTACHMENT 2) to release directives when the subject primarily involves the part of FMS for which they are responsible. It is FMS policy that directors consult or prepare directives jointly with others when the subject affects areas beyond those for which they are responsible.

[The POLICY section states a standard overall plan to guide and determine present and future decisions.]

PROCEDURES:

1. Directives follow the format of this directive. ATTACHMENT 3 gives steps and guidelines to reproduce this format specifically for MSWord.

2. Directives include all the headings that appear in this directive, in the same order. If there is no entry for a particular heading, the heading is followed by "None," to document that the author considered each element when drafting the directive.

3. The content of a directive may be an individual effort by a person in a position identified in Attachment 2 (Distribution List A), or it may be a joint effort by one or more of those people, and by others under their supervision. However, only directors release final directives over their signatures.

4. Directors circulate draft directives among the AVP, deputy, and other directors who are responsible for areas affected by the proposed draft. The director seeks consensus among those reviewing the draft; absent consensus, the AVP decides whether to withhold, revise or proceed with the directive.

5. The deputy reviews the approved draft, and prepares and distributes it in its final form as a directive. The director specifies the distribution. If the new directive is a revision, significant changes from the previous directive appear in bold face type.

[The PROCEDURES section states the definite course or method of action to achieve the directive's policy.]

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Directors are responsible for the content of every heading of their directives. Directors are responsible for the draft review process and for seeking consensus or, in the absence of consensus, for referral to the AVP. They are responsible for submitting approved drafts to the deputy, and for designating the distribution.

2. Directors are responsible for reviewing drafts, and for trying to reach consensus on proposed drafts.

3. The deputy is responsible for reviewing the approved draft directive, making format and style refinements (without altering the meaning or content), and for preparing it for signature and distribution. The deputy is responsible for maintaining and using the distribution list for each directive, and for maintaining complete files of directives, both electronic and on paper. The deputy is responsible for having directors review, and update or cancel outdated directives according to their review dates. The deputy is responsible for maintaining a current index of directives.

4. The AVP is responsible for deciding to withhold, revise or proceed with a draft directive, in the absence of consensus among the directors iinvolved in the review.

5. FMS staff members are responsible for providing their immediate supervisors with information that relates to an existing directive, or that the director should document as a directive.

[The RESPONSIBILITIES section identifies staff members by title or function, and specifies the obligations to carry out the policy and procedure(s) of the directive.]

REFERENCE(S):

1. Carnegie MellonWriter's Style Guide, published by the Division of University Relations, September 1991

[In REFERENCES, list by title the documents (but not the attachments) of which the submitter is aware that have a direct bearing on the subject of the directive. Examples would be another related directive, a document in a CMU Policy and Procedure Manual, or some other document which should be consulted, but is not attached.]

CANCELLATION(S): None

[This section cites any earlier directive that bears on the same subject, if it is to be canceled by this directive. This includes earlier directives in the same number series, to indicate that the old directive has been replaced.]

SIGNATURE:

Oscar H. Mayer

Deputy to the AVP

[For the typed entry in the SIGNATURE heading, use a form of your full name (i.e., not a nickname) in a combination of first and middle (if any) name(s) and/or initial(s), suffix (e.g., Jr., III), and degree (PhD., PE), if any, that you normally use, and position title.]

ATTACHMENT(S):

1. Numbering System.

2. Distribution Lists.

3. Writing Style Conventions and Format Guidelines.

4. Blank Directives Format.

[ATTACHMENTS include items such as related forms, a definition of terms used in the directive, and similar items prepared specifically for the directive. Cite lengthy items, and items used by several directives in REFERENCES rather than including them in full, or repeatedly, as ATTACHMENTS.]