Office work is composed of a pattern of office system, procedure and methods. The word office system has been used in different senses. In ordinary sense of the term office system means a particular set of work arranged in sequence wise. In other words a planned procedure of doing a particular office activity. According to George Terry system means a network of procedure integrated and designed to carry out a major activity.

It gives a complete picture of personnel, forms, records, machines and equipments involved in completing a major phase of office activity. The use of proper system enables to bring efficiency in the utilization of the organizational resources, control operating cost and improve operating efficiency. The word office system comprise of the following features :

(a) It is a planned way of doing the work.

(b) The work is divided into different sequences of operation.

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(c) The work done is interrelated.

(d) It is directed for the attainment of the organizational objective.

Each system is composed of a number of routines. It is a series of related clerical steps, usually performed by more than one person which constitute an established and accepted way of carrying the major phase of office activity. Thus, procedure means a series of clerical acts organized under supervision to accomplish the purpose of an office. According to Ouible a procedure is a related method necessary to complete a work process. A procedure stands between a system and a operation. For example the sales system has a number of procedures like processing order, shipping the goods, accounting for the shipment and receiving payment of sales.

The differences between office system and routines are :

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System

  1. It is a plan of work
  2. It states what work is to be done.
  3. It denotes a broad division of work.
  4. A system is prepared once and not used again and again
  5. A system includes a number of routines

Routine

  1. It denotes the steps comprising plan of work.
  2. It shows how the work is done.
  3. It denotes small part of each division.
  4. Routines are used again and again
  5. A routine does not include a system because it is a guide to work.