PRocedure Manual for a Program Manager/Admin.

Having no backup for the card program manager or administrator (PM/PA) is far too common, but it is critical for organizations to be prepared. If you are a PM/PA, one of the best things you can do is keep an electronic PM/PA procedure manual up to date. Ensure procedures for doing your job are current, clear, and accessible. Focus on documenting what is most important first, such as tasks and situations likely to arise in your absence. The content should complement—rather than duplicate—what is in the card program policies and procedures (P&P) manual available organization wide.

Related Resources

Don't forget to subscribe to the blog (no charge) to receive educational content!


Content to Include

  • Key contacts and their roles; for example, card issuer contacts, internal personnel who support the card program and, if applicable, vendor contacts that you work with regularly

  • Quick reference chart/table listing scheduled tasks executed daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually; include links to the procedures for each task that are located elsewhere within the manual

  • Organization spend limit—how to monitor and, if needed, temporarily increase

  • Program reporting—what you generate, when, why, and what to do with each report

  • Monitoring revenue share/rebate progress for the current year and whether the organization is maximizing its opportunity, per contract terms

  • Setting up a new cardholder/account

  • Resolving transaction declines

  • Making a temporary or permanent change to card limits/restrictions

  • Addressing accidental personal use of a P-Card

  • What to do if internal fraud is suspected

  • Accounting process for card transactions

  • Payments to the card issuer

  • Cancelling/closing a card

Since at any given time there could be more than one new cardholder and/or card cancellation in process, it can be very helpful to have checklists of the steps to ensure nothing gets missed for each one. With some planning, you can hopefully breathe a little easier while out.