Summary – 5 Best Practices to Manage Your Franchise Library

Your library consists of manuals, playbooks, and guides, forms and videos, maybe some one-off policies and procedures that only apply to certain types of locations.

Each document has a different objective, whether it be to set expectations for legal compliance, train line-level employees, or serve as reference for troubleshooting.

You have different audiences, from franchisees who are accountable to the standards (but who may not be doing the day to day operations) to specific roles within each unit. One may sit at a desk, another may be at a customer site.

All of this probably means different versions of different documents in different channels (ever read a PDF on a phone?).

Managing a library of information is different than keeping one manual up to date. It requires a different set of skills.

Top 5 Must-Have Best Practices for Your Franchise Library

A Plan

Who needs the information? When do they need it? Where will they be when they access it?

It’s not good practice to answer a simple question with “here’s the manual.” Get the right information to the right people at the right time.

Single-source Content

Change happens. Growth happens. A library is an interconnected network of information. One person’s supporting document is another person’s main content. When one changes, there’s a ripple effect. 

Cut and paste just isn’t good enough to handle system-wide changes, you need a “change once, update everywhere” approach.

Static content is not static. Plan for change and growth.

Create an Editorial Calendar

Some things change more frequently than others, and they need to be reviewed more often. Sticking to an editorial calendar keeps information accurate and relevant, without becoming a burden on your team.

Content is like laundry – it’s never really done, and doing it a little at a time is more manageable than all at once.

Appoint a Librarian

You need to protect your investments. Once a manual has been written – or updated – keeping the information accurate and relevant costs less over time than complete overhauls. 

A librarian manages the editorial calendar, knows where/when/how to publish and communicate changes, and ensures the workflows that maintain consistency.

Governance

No one likes rules, but rules exist for a reason. Rules improve consistency of message and brand, make things easier to archive and find, and prevent accuracy erosion and conflicting messages. 

A comprehensive plan – along with solid governance – will help break down siloes, speed workflows, and ensure accuracy over time.

More in-depth information for content managers can be found at the full-length version of this post: 5 Best Practices to Manage Your Franchise Library.

Related Articles:

Franchise Library Strategy & Management

Library of Manuals, Guides, and Playbooks

Content Chaos and How to Contain It

About Manual Makers

Manual Makers is a content and knowledge management agency with experienced advisors who help guide our clients through the process of documenting their knowledge. We work with emerging and established brands to remove barriers to growth. We love to talk to people about their franchise operations, and consultations are always free.