The third article in a series on teleworking that walk HR professionals through how to create, implement and evaluate a successful telework program has appeared on the hr-esource site. (First in the series is "Business Case Builds for Telework Strategy"; the second is "So You Think Your Firm Is Ready for Telework?) The next article in this series will focus on training managers and teleworkers to succeed.

Your company has given the go-ahead to implement a telework strategy. Now what?

The first order of business in ensuring that your employee telecommuting program works, according to HRWire interviews with top experts, is to lay a foundation that realistically defines the scope of the program and supports a structure for creating flexible policies and procedures.

The article goes on to cover 'What you have, what you need' (creating the implementation team), 'Getting support from the ranks', 'Calculating costs' (often seriously underestimated), 'Avoid "analysis paralysis"', 'Scoping skills' - an awkward phrase for the equally awkward 'determine the scope of the telework program--that is, the types of telework arrangements available for the types of jobs and participant eligibility requirement', 'Setting policy and procedures'