Documentation case study
Situation
A government organisation required assistance with the redevelopment of their processes, procedures and policies.
The goal was to create an online, integrated operational procedures and polices manual that would:
- capture existing organisational knowledge, and
- ensure staff spread throughout New Zealand followed standard processes and procedures.
The client’s vision
The manual and source material needed to be updated and integrated into a single, accessible and user friendly system that would:
- ensure a standard and consistent approach to procedures and processes
- clarify individual responsibilities and how job roles interacted with each other, and
- be easy to update in response to changing legislation.
Existing documentation
The existing source material was a collection of manuals and documents not easily accessible online. They contained some useful information but:
- were not written taking into consideration what the user might need to know
- were out of date and difficult to revise, and
- it was difficult for staff to find what they needed, and they often gave up looking for the information or asked someone for help.
TACTICS’ approach
TACTICS consultants worked with the client’s management and staff to design an Information Mapping® approach to their procedures and policies. This work involved:
Analysis and design
The current source material was analysed and a prototype of the information architecture was designed. The prototype provided a vision of how the online manual would work, and helped to create excitement in the project for staff who would be taking part.
Process mapping
Process mapping facilitation sessions were held to define the over-arching business processes which formed the framework for the online manual. This ensured that representatives from each of the district offices were able to contribute to, and agree on, best practices.
Information Mapping® training
The client’s team of subject matter experts were trained in Information Mapping®. This provided them with the skills to seamlessly work with the TACTICS developers to write the procedures and policies.
Documentation development
The processes, procedures, policies and forms required were developed.
Successful result
The result of the project was a successfully integrated manual, which was easily accessible online. The manual was well received by the client’s staff.
In addition to their subject matter expertise, each district contributed their document development skills to create and refine the content of the online manual. Because they participated so actively in the development of the content, they gained a strong sense of ownership and pride in the manual.
