Updated: What contents would you add into a continuity Book?

2019-02-01T19:31:00-05:00

I know this will vary but I would like to get some pointers into making one so it will help in the long run.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2019 7:35 PM

2019-02-01T19:35:33-05:00

Hand receipts, pt and weapons cards, cpu spring statements, personal data sheets, metal, and what not. I’d have to dig mine out to see what I had in mine.

Also, additional duty orders and certs

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 1 at 2019 7:48 PM

2019-02-01T19:48:31-05:00

I would avoid overdoing it. People have a tendency to ask for every bit of information under the sun in these books. Most of what you need will be on the SRB.
I would also add relevant family information such as where they live, how to get there, your soldiers. DOD ID number, the names and birthdays of their family and their anniversary.
After that, I would include all the certifications that must be updated periodically, and their expiration date. The technical ones such as Security Plus and the Annoying ones such as information assurance and managing people with clearances... or whatever other DOD, jko, Etc mandatory training

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Feb 1 at 2019 8:42 PM

2019-02-01T20:42:20-05:00

SSG Private RallyPoint Member there are a couple hundred discussions on here already. Use the search bar. Just typing in Leader's Book got 3600 hits.

What purpose do you want it to serve? Personnel, MTOE, job task, or mission centric? I'm guessing you are a team leader of about 3-8 people with a couple pieces of rolling stock and some signal specific equipment

- build a spread sheet of the info that SFC Private RallyPoint Member proposes. Stick that in the front in a document protector.
- laminated slide with all your rolling stock, key equipment, and people along the bottom in pictures. Put an open circle under it. Color in the ball G-A-R-B. Green = present and FMC. Amber = present with limitations. Red = present but deadlined/not available. Black = not present/not available. Keep the four colored dry erase markers in a small pouch in the book.
- emergency spread sheet: each person, blood type, allergies, other key medical data
- sensitive items. Do this in pencil and put it in the document protector. Weapons, NVGs, COMSEC, etc. by serial number and who it is assigned to. This will be handy if one comes up missing and the whole unit must do a 100% confirmation inventory or just for daily checks.
- take the alert roster and slide that in the back cover
- have a slide in a document protector x2 that are what you think your shortages in training, personnel, equipment, and supplies are. You have this in case your command team asks. You can take the spare copy and hand it to them.
- hard copy of the LOGSTAT/ Basic load to sustain your team for 24 and 72 hours. Classes I-IX and water. Annotate on it your hold capacity for each (like we have 4x5gallon water cans. We can hold X gallons of fuel in vehicles and have 2x5gallon cans per vehicle, and 8 for the generator)
- hand receipt. Write on it where the item is located and who is signed for it as end user.
- load plans for each vehicle and container.
- MTOE for your section PAX and Equipment
- a slide or two with your doctrinal mission, collective tasks, and corresponding individual tasks. Pencil in the TPU rating you think you are at.
- training schedule
- if possible, a DTMS printed summary of weapons, PT, and training for you and your Joe's.does two things: confirms it's in DTMS and avoids building a product yourself.
- Your Commander's Philosophy
- your boiler plate initial counseling (so you can brief from it)
- PCC/PCI checklist.
- checklists and reports you need in a hurry.
- blank forms you might need in a hurry, including range cards and a standardized sector sketch if used in the TACSOP.
-ADDED: 6 week unit training calendar out of DTMS.

You'll need a cyclic and dependable manner to update this. Write in relevant updates as you get them.so they aren't lost. The road to chaos is paved with good intentions. Make sure you can keep up with it.

Don't put in:
- counseling statements and periodic counseling. This belongs in an individual counseling file and secured.
- PT Cards. This belongs in the secured individual file.
- personnel data sheets
- other local orderly room intake forms. Each orderly room Army wide creates an eye wateringly brilliant one for their needs.
- clothing records. While it will have their sizes, you'll likely have time to collect that if you need it. You may want the clothing record copy in their counseling file for required periodic inventories.
- TACSOP. Have one, but not in this book. Also look into getting the Army Research Institutes ARI Combat Leaders Guide which has blank reports etc in it. There are pocket versions that are water resistant. They are standardized Army tactical checklists, weapons data, call for fire, 9 line, call for CAS, NBC reports, unmasking procedures with and without 256 kits, etc.

The siren's song here is to make the book that is the cheesy envy of all others. Put in what you need, time sensitive stuff, and what you use when you don't have time to chase it down.

Response by SGM Steve Wettstein made Feb 1 at 2019 11:14 PM

2019-02-01T23:14:20-05:00

SSG Private RallyPoint Member If you have a very thorough Leaders Book, that should pretty much have everything the incoming should need. My leaders book was one of those huge three ring, hard back, binders. I wouldn't advise putting counselings in it because they have/had ssn's on them. Plus they will already be in the PLT/Section NCO's files.

Response by MAJ Raúl Rovira made Feb 3 at 2019 2:46 PM

2019-02-03T14:46:19-05:00

When I left as Battalion XO for a WTB I left an Excel file with a few tabs.

My first tab was a personal welcome message for the new XO and the instructions on the excel workbook. Excel tabs for the following:
TAB - Current battle rhythm with hyperlinks to areas in the battalion share drive.
TAB - Matrix for all meetings and reports due (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly) with hyperlinks.
TAB - Battalion Battle Drills, CCIR, Emergency Procedures with hyperlinks.