Trusted by teams at
SasolGlencoreMSC CruisesUniversity of the Western CapeGivaudanSA Weather ServiceCity of JohannesburgUniversity of South AfricaSol Plaatje UniversityCIPC
Quick Look Course Summary:Administrative Office Procedures Course (1 day)
  • Length: 1 day(s)

  • Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 5,654 EX VAT 3 Person R 3,982 EX VAT 10 Person R 2,954 EX VAT

  • Certification Type:Non-Accredited

  • Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.

Also available as e-learning

Administrative Office Procedures – self-paced online, 6 months’ access: R750 per learner (ex VAT); teams of 10 or more pay less.

See the e-learning libraryGet an e-learning quote

Legal references in this e-learning course are US-based and may not reflect South African legislation – for South African law, choose this classroom course.

Get Free & personalised
Training Advice

    ★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 770+ reviews

    Free and no obligation.

    Administrative Office Procedures Course (1 day)

    A written, tested office procedures guide that keeps the office running when the person who 'just knows' is away.

    In many offices the real procedures live in one or two people's heads. When those people go on leave, resign or fall ill, invoices wait, suppliers go unpaid and new staff learn by trial and error. This course in administrative office procedures shows delegates how to capture the way their office actually works and turn it into a clear, usable procedures guide.

    Delegates start with why documented procedures matter: continuity, succession, audit requirements and recovery after a disruption. They then work through the full method – logging tasks over a few days, asking colleagues what they do, choosing which procedures to write first, writing step-by-step instructions from a template, and testing each one by having someone else follow it. The day closes with what belongs in the guide and what does not (passwords and confidential personal information stay out), how to organise it in a binder or on a shared drive, and how to launch it and keep it current.

    It is a hands-on workshop: each delegate drafts and tests at least one real procedure from their own job before the end of the day.

    Why this course

    For your organisation

    • Business continuity when key administrative staff are absent or leave
    • Faster, more consistent onboarding of new office staff
    • Written procedures that support internal and external audits
    • Less reliance on any one person's memory

    For your delegates

    • A step-by-step method for documenting any office task
    • A procedure template you can use the next day
    • At least one procedure drafted and tested during the course
    • Clarity on what to keep out of a shared guide

    What delegates will be able to do

    • Explain how documented procedures support continuity, succession planning and audits
    • Identify and rank the office tasks that most need a written procedure
    • Write clear, numbered procedures using one consistent template
    • Test a procedure by having a colleague follow it, then close the gaps
    • Organise a procedures guide with a contents page, sections and version control
    • Keep passwords and confidential personal information out of the guide and store them securely
    • Introduce the guide to staff and set a routine for keeping it current

    Who should attend

    Office administrators, secretaries, receptionists, personal assistants, office managers and team leaders who need to capture how their office runs – especially in small businesses and branches where one person holds most of the know-how.

    Course outline

    Day 1 – Building your office procedures guide

    Why procedures matter
    • Continuity when a key person is away
    • Succession planning and handovers
    • What internal and external auditors look for
    • Recovering after a disruption, from a system failure to load-shedding
    Finding the procedures to document
    • Logging your own tasks over several days
    • Asking colleagues what they do and how
    • Listing, grouping and ranking tasks in a spreadsheet
    • Choosing the first five procedures to write
    Writing procedures people can follow
    • A standard template: purpose, owner, steps, forms and contacts
    • Numbered steps rather than long paragraphs
    • Enough detail for a newcomer to succeed
    • Screenshots, checklists and sample forms
    • Testing the procedure on a colleague and correcting it
    What goes into the guide
    • Front-desk standards: phones, visitors and correspondence
    • Diary, meeting and travel arrangements
    • HR administration: leave, absence and breaks
    • Payroll inputs and staff benefit queries
    • Supplier, petty cash and filing routines
    Organising and protecting the guide
    • Contents page, sections and numbered tabs
    • Binder, shared-drive version or both
    • Version control and change dates
    • Keeping passwords and confidential personal information out
    • Secure storage and POPIA considerations
    Launching and maintaining the guide
    • Review and sign-off by management
    • A short briefing to introduce the guide to staff
    • Where to keep it so that people use it
    • Collecting improvements and scheduling reviews
    • Personal action plan

    How it is delivered

    One day, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20. Delegates should bring a list of their regular tasks; a laptop helps for drafting but is not essential. Workbook, procedure template and action plan included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.

    Certificate: Delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance. This is a non-accredited short course; the training spend may count towards your B-BBEE skills development – check with your verification agency.

    What our clients say

    ★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 770+ reviews · word-for-word quotes from signed letters of reference, from clients on this and/or related BOTI courses

    “We were particularly impressed by the quality of facilitation and the practical relevance of the content presented. The programme was delivered with professionalism, clarity, and a strong emphasis on real-world application.”

    A provincial treasurySenior HRD Practitioner · Course: Microsoft Power BI · 2026

    “The facilitator effectively encouraged participation and used practical examples, discussions and interactive activities to ensure that the concepts were understood and could be applied in the workplace.”

    A medical schemeOffice Assistant · Course: Microsoft Office Excel Beginners · 2026

    “Business Optimization Training Institute facilitated Microsoft Excel Training for our company. The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training.”

    A private companyOffice Manager · Course: Microsoft Excel Training · 2024

    Read what our clients say

    Frequently asked questions

    Can you run this course at our offices?

    Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.

    How many people can attend?

    From one delegate to groups of about 20. Training a whole office together works well, because everyone then writes procedures in the same format.

    Is it accredited?

    No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.

    Will we leave with a finished procedures manual?

    You leave with the method, the template and at least one tested procedure. A complete guide usually takes a few weeks of part-time work; the action plan sets out how to finish it.

    How is this different from the Office Management Training Course?

    This course covers one job in depth: documenting how the office works. The Office Management Training Course covers running the whole office – work allocation, resources, records, safety and staff.

    Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?

    Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.

    Related courses

    Get your price – the more delegates, the less each pays

    Change the options to see your price per person, then email yourself the quote and course outline.

    Train at your premises? (saves venue costs)

    Region *

    Contact us now – we reply within 15 minutes during office hours

    Monday to Friday, 08:00–17:00. After hours, we reply on the next working day – or call 011 882 8853.

      ★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 770+ reviews

      Free and no obligation.

      Leadership & Management

      Human Resources, Labour & Employment Equity

      Microsoft Office & Computer Skills

      Business Optimization Training Institute (Pty) Ltd · 97 Greenlands Crescent, Sunningdale, 2192, Johannesburg · Reg 2017/286086/07 · VAT 4770208033 · Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor · 011 882 8853 · Facebook · LinkedIn
      © 2026 Business Optimization Training Institute. All rights reserved. · Privacy Policy
      Don’t Wait to Start Training — Contact us Today