Everything you need to know about memos. Classification, design rules, examples

A memo is one of the most popular types of documents in modern office work. It performs the function of interaction between the company's management, structural divisions and employees of the organization. Writing a memo requires compliance with certain rules regarding its content and design. By following these requirements, you will always be able to effectively convey information to colleagues and subordinates.

From this article you will learn:

Why are memos needed?

The service note belongs to the group of information and reference documentation. The main purpose of this group is the exchange of information between departments of the company and its employees. The need for such an official letter arises in several cases:

when it is necessary to promptly notify a certain official about a problem that has arisen;

to make suggestions to fix this problem;

to agree on planned actions;

In addition, the purposes of such a letter may include a request for information, the issuance of instructions, or a notice. It is necessary when an employee has a need to explain or agree with colleagues or management aspects of business issues. In a situation where oral communication is not enough, and the message needs to be documented, an official written document is drawn up.

Note that this type of documentation is not included in the All-Russian classifier of management documentation (OKUD). The information included in it cannot contain directives or orders. The current legislation does not provide for specific requirements for such official papers. The procedure for their registration should take into account the specifics of the organization. As a rule, it is fixed in the local regulatory act of the company that regulates office processes. Such an act, for example, can be.

What is the difference between official, memorandum and explanatory notes?

The document is drawn up in free form, adhering to the general rules for formalizing official documentation. A guideline in how to write a job letter for any employee can be such a local regulation as an instruction on office work.

Common requirements include the following structure:

A statement of the reasons for the compilation, facts and events that initiated its writing;

Analysis of the problem situation (if any) and proposal of ways out of it;

Presenting concrete conclusions, formulating requests and proposing concrete actions;

As for the style of presentation of information, it is recommended to use, to avoid excessive verbosity, not to use complex speech turns. Compliance with these rules allows you to briefly and to the point state the essence of the situation.

The text does not use greetings and final wishes. The letter ends with the words: “I think ... (necessary, appropriate, etc.)”, “I suggest ...”, “I ask ... (highlight, send, etc. or draw the necessary conclusions)”

How to write a job letter?

Like any other official document, the office is drawn up on A4 sheet. It can be either handwritten or typed on a computer. In any case, the signature of the originator must be handwritten.

Content	Field name
Full name of the person and his position, name of the structural unit. (If an official paper is addressed to an official, the surname is placed after the initials. The position of the addressee is indicated in the dative case, the name of the structural unit - in the nominative).	Destination
Full name of the compiler and his position, name of the structural unit. (If a group of people took part in the writing, the compiler is a representative of the initiative group or the head of the department. The list of employees can be given in the last paragraph. The sheet with the signature of the compilers is drawn up as an application).	Compiler
Reporting, official or explanatory.	Title of the document
Outgoing number to and letter designation of the type of document	Registration number
Date of signing in Arabic numerals in the following sequence: day, month, year.	date
Begins with the preposition "About" or "About", includes a summary. (The title does not use verbal constructions, it is better to use a verbal noun in the prepositional case).	Title to the text
Disclosure of the essence of the problematic issue or description of the situation, conclusions and suggestions. (It is allowed to use a text and tabular version of the presentation or a combination of them).	Text
A note about the presence of the application mentioned in the text is drawn up as follows: Application: 3 sheets. in 1 copy. (If there are any applications not named in the text, their names, number of sheets and number of copies must be indicated).	Application List
Position of the compiler, personal handwritten signature and its transcript: last name, first name, patronymic.	Compiler's signature

Registration of a memo according to GOST: sample with explanations

Currently, Russian legislation does not contain a single regulatory legal act regulating the requirements for the content of an official letter and its design. Previously, the clerk could distinguish official letters, guided by the definitions of the Concise Dictionary of Types and Varieties of Documents (developed by the Main Archive of the All-Union Research Institute of Records Management and Archiving):

Official - informs about the performance of certain work, is sent by one official to another;

Reporting - addressed to higher management, sets out the issue with the conclusions and proposals of the compiler;

In the current All-Russian classifier of management documentation OK 011-93, approved by the Decree of the State Standard of Russia of December 30, 1993 N 299 (OKUD), there is no memo as an independent type. There is only a mention of the report. At the same time, it is mentioned in connection with a violation of labor discipline and has its own code of the unified form N 0286041. It is noted that the report is drawn up to inform the head of the organization by the head of the unit about a specific situation in order to encourage a managerial decision.

However, writing official official letters is widely used in office practice. In order to ensure the uniformity of the execution of official documentation, it is recommended to be guided by the requirements of "Unified Documentation Systems. Unified System of Organizational and Administrative Documentation. Requirements for Drafting Documents".

This GOST obliges the clerk to use the form of an official official letter for its correct execution and establishes requirements for such forms:

standard form format - A4 (210 x 297 mm) and A5 (148 x 210 mm);

material - white paper or light-colored paper;

margins: right - at least 10 mm., left, top, bottom - at least 20 mm.

When preparing an official letter on a computer, it is recommended to use the Times New Roman font, with a size of 12 to 14 points and a line spacing of 1-1.5 points. The text of the service must be printed in a clean version: without blots and corrections. When arranging the text on several pages, each of them must be numbered, starting from the second page. Arabic numerals are used for numbering without the word page and punctuation marks. The number is placed in the right part of the upper field.

Mandatory composition of details for the correct execution of a memo (see sample):

the name of the structural unit; — 1
name of the document type; — 2
date of creation; — 3
registration identification number; — 4
title to the text; — 5
text; — 6
addressee data; — 7
handwritten signature of the compiler (indicating the position); — 8
visa approval; — 9
resolution. — 10

Memo example

How to write a memo in electronic form?

How to register official official letters?

One of the main functions of office work is to provide an operational search in the documentary base of the organization. This function is associated with the transfer of documentation from the compiler to the performer. In order to facilitate the search among a huge array of official papers, as a rule, registration forms are used.

A memo is a carrier of valuable organizational information. The issue set out in it requires the adoption of a certain administrative decision by the company's management. The decision may be issued in the form of a resolution of the head or his authorized representative. Consequently, service providers need to be registered along with other internal documents.

Documentation, following the procedure adopted in the organization. The rules for issuing an official letter contain a sample of the assigned identification number. As a rule, for its assignment, the chronological order of the documentation, the letter designation of the species and the structural unit are used. So, for example, the number 0204-СЗ-OP can be assigned to an internal document. This suggests that its serial number in the magazine is 204, it is a service file drawn up in the company's sales department.

The registration number can be assigned both at the place of compilation and at the place of receipt. This should be determined by the current instruction on office work.

Consideration of an external memo: agreement and resolution

The minimum period for consideration of memos is determined by the internal regulatory act of the organization. Interested parties study the document, after which they affix approval visas on it. After the adoption of a management decision on the issue covered in it, the head of the company makes his final resolution on this issue. This is the final step in the review process.

The procedure for considering external official correspondence is a little different. Unlike internal, this type of documentation is drawn up on letterhead and signed directly by the head of the enterprise. The full name of the addressee organization is used in accordance with the charter.

This document is also submitted for consideration to all interested persons who affix visas on it (or a separate application sheet). The visa, as a rule, consists of the signature and the title of the position of the visa officer, the transcript (last name and initials), the date of signing. If the original official official letter is planned to be kept in the organization that is the recipient, the visa must be affixed at the bottom of the reverse side of its last sheet. If the original is returned to the compiler, the approval mark must be located at the bottom of the front side of the copy. At the discretion of the company (if it is enshrined in local regulations), the sighting can be done sheet by sheet, i.e. marks are put down on each sheet, including appendices.

If the addressee has comments that he wants to state to the compiler of the service, this can be done on a separate sheet, which is signed and subsequently attached to the main document.

The final stage of consideration, as in the case of an internal office, is the decision of the head after the adoption of one or another administrative decision. The resolution can be placed directly on the original or be drawn up on a separate sheet. It contains information about the performers (surnames, initials and positions), the content of the order (if any), the deadlines for execution, the signature of the head and the date the resolution was issued.