What is internal documentation?
Internal documentation is a structured collection of your company’s policies, procedures, processes, guidelines, and best practices, accumulated knowledge and expertise, training materials and so on created by the organization for its needs that people in the organization can use as a reference to get their work done.
What internal document types should every company have?
1) Company policies, guidelines, and rules for operations and employee conduct
- Organizational policy
- Security policy (ISMS, data protection, IT security)
- Occupational safety policy
- Fire safety policy
- Privacy policy (GDPR/CCPA)
- Document control policy
- Asset protection policy
- Risk management policy
2) Process documents and work instructions describing how to perform specific tasks
- Work instructions
- SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
- Process maps
- Checklists
- Internal systems manuals
- Employee onboarding and offboarding procedures
- Incident and emergency response procedures
3) HR documents and employee records
- Required HR documents:
- Employment agreements and amendments
- Contractor and part-time agreements
- Safety training records
- Medical/fit-for-duty records
- Time and attendance records
- Payroll records (pay stubs, bonuses)
- Employee performance reviews (not required, but common)
- Additional HR documents:
- Employee handbook
- Benefits, remote-work/home-office policy, code of conduct
- Asset handoff receipts (issue/return of equipment)
4) Technical documentation and compliance records
- Electrical and equipment inspection reports
- Declarations/Certificates of conformity (for products placed on the market)
- Machine documentation and technical datasheets
- Manufacturer documentation and manuals
- Preventive maintenance records
- Building documentation (technical and construction records)
- Fire extinguisher and fire system inspection reports
- Calibration certificates
- Service reports
5) Security and compliance documentation
- Required in most companies due to safety, privacy, and cybersecurity regulations.
- Risk assessments (safety, cybersecurity)
- Audit reports (internal and external)
- Privacy documentation: records of processing, DPIA/PIA, incident logs
- Emergency response plans
- Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
- Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and chemical documentation
6) Financial and accounting documents
- Required for all companies.
- General ledger and journals
- Invoices
- Inventory documentation
- Tax records
- Contracts and purchase orders
- Annual financial statements
- Fixed asset and stock inventories
- Legal basis: accounting regulations (e.g., GAAP/IRS requirements).
7) Contracts and Legal Documents
- Management of the company’s legal relationships.
- Statements of Work (SOW), supplier/vendor agreements
- NDAs (non-disclosure agreements)
- Master service agreements (MSA)
- Terms and conditions
- License agreements
- Archive of legal documents
8) Operational Documents
- Documents for the company’s day-to-day operations.
- Meeting minutes
- Operations logs
- Shift handover forms
- Key and access records
- Vehicle logs and travel documentation
- Shift schedules and work assignments
- Consumables usage records
9) Project Documentation
- Documents related to a specific project.
- Project plans
- Milestones and timelines
- Project meeting minutes
- Status reports
- Risk log / issue log
- Budgets
- Acceptance certificates
10) IT Documentation and System Records
- Required for audits, security reviews, and IT administration.
- Access lists (to systems, SaaS services, databases)
- Password and access management
- IT infrastructure documentation
- Incident records
- Role and permission settings
- Software documentation (licenses, agreements)
- Change logs, release notes
11) Marketing and Sales Documentation
- Brand guidelines
- Communication guidelines
- Product sheets
- Price lists and pricing
- Campaigns and marketing plans
- Sales proposals
- Sales opportunities
- Sales meeting minutes
11) Product Documentation
- Source code
- Guides and manuals
- User documentation
- Code and style guides
- Product requirements
- Architecture
- FAQs
- Maintenance documentation
What forms can internal company documentation take?
Internal company documentation is not limited to just written text and documents and can come in many different forms.
- written internal documents
- wikipages
- video tutorials
- training content
- diagrams
- images, screenshots, videos, screen recordings