What is means to Go On-Line There are advantages and disadvantages of going on-line with policies and procedures; going on-line should be a deliberative decision. It is not a magic solution; rather, it is a different method to delivering your final product to your users.
What Means to Go On-Line: What Does Not Change
- the content of policies and procedures
- development process
- writing, review, editing, or content revision process
- challenges of decision making,
- and careful planning and writing
What Means to Go On-Line: What Does Change
- Method of communication of final product-there is no physical product
- Different delivery system
Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Online
Advantages (also see the table on pg 374)
- faster and more efficient than a paper system
- messages delivered instantly and simultaneously to many users
- online system may be less costly to maintain
- saves storage space
- fewer deadlines pressures for writer (do not have to wait on the printing process)
- users can find related documents and information faster through searches or hypertext
- users may be less intimidated to turn to the machine
Disadvantages (also see the table on pg 375)
- users who aren’t comfortable with computers may be intimidated
- requires major commitment from organization to supply time, training, and even empathy for users
- may require significant budget (software, hardware, etc)
- readability is less in comparison to paper document
-may have visual problems
-may be hard for users to distinguish between a “page” and a “screen” - may not always be available (such as if the system crashes)
The Case of External Users
On-line systems for external users (like customers) also present special challenges. Such as, potential users will need to know how to operate a computer and feel comfortable with it. The problem lies is wherein that you cannot train all external users. You will need to investigate and analyze external factors. Analyze whether external users will have the software needed, and if their surroundings are conducive to use (lighting, physical proximity, etc).
Designing an On-Line System
The limited readability and computer screen create certain design conditions. The format and design of your documents will be much different on-line from on paper. These are the four design factors to keep in mind:
1. visual simplicity
2. ease of use
3. clear operating instructions
4. adequate conversion of elements such as acknowledgement and revisions
See the On-Line Tip Sheet for a full explanation of these factors (12-1).
Thanks! Team 2: Jennifer & Gary
14 comments:
This is a chapter appeals to my online personality. I like having my reading sources readily available online and updated as needed. Of course not everyone is has access to the software for the program or is educated enough to use a computer or the software. However,the wise solution would be is to have a hard copy in the office.
I feel like this chapter is out of date. I have never worked for a company that had their policies and/or procedures in print. I've always had to locate them online. I prefer it that way. I believe it's easier for companies to stay current with their policies and procedures so they can update on an as needed basis.
I agree, Mary, "Out of date" is a good observation. Take this quote from the review,
"On-line systems for external users (like customers) also present special challenges. Such as, potential users will need to know how to operate a computer and feel comfortable with it."
I think most people have pretty good grasp of how to operate a computer.
But good policies and procedures on line have not become the norm, yet. I suppose the bigger the company, the better the chance the documentation could be considered good. I still think there are a lot of companies that think a good online policy and procedure manual means putting a PDF up of a document that was intended for print.
I agree with the out of date comments, although I wonder if this may be a generational issue, as there are some older adults in the workforce who may not be as comfortable operating computers, etc. Personally, I do like to be able to access information online, but I still think it's important to have hard copies available for those who want them, and in case of special situations (for example, no immediate access to a computer or technical difficulties).
I agree with Dianna. There are many different ages, educational levels, cultural backgrounds, and job requirements where I work. Our company policies are available online, but can also be printed out for those who do not use computers in their daily work (e.g., housekeeping, landscaping, dietary, or maintenance employees).
Issues such as readability still exist, although improved software and flat screen LCD monitors help tremendously with HTML documents. (You still can't always control the readability of old PDFs, though.)
I do believe the advantages of online policies and procedures outweigh the disadvantages.
I worked somewhere about 6 years ago for a state agency that had their policies and procedures in paper copy. Each office had two large bright yellow binders. It was my job to update the books in our office. When new policies came out or old ones were updated, I received the paper copies, pulled out the big binders and swapped out the old for the new. The binders sat on a shelf and I believe that they were rarely consulted. I think online resources are so much more useful and also used more. Good online policies, like those at my current company are convenient to use, more easily revised, and easier to search. I agree with others' comments that paper copies are probably getting pretty rare.
This chapter was great! Our company has been trying for 2 years to make a stream-lined process of all documentation and to have it all 100% electronic. With limited resources and protest of the "dinosaurs", this has been a challenge; however, the company continues to go toward the 100% online direction. the move of all departments in one building to now 4 departments in separate buildings has forced the issue more than ever. The "dinosaurs" will have to learn and adapt or...
I agree that online seems to be the preferred solution in most cases. I also agree that print still makes sense for some users (and maybe always will). I'm thinking about places like Goodwill, which employees many people who are trying to learn basic life skills. They probably aren't very computer savvy. Also remember that the U.S. is a country of extremes. We're all relatively privileged, but many people throughout the country lack access to basic services and technologies. These people may be more comfortable with policies and procedures on paper. I think we may be getting to the point where desktop publishing solutions are sophisticated enough to produce output in multiple formats--online, print, etc. Author-it does this pretty well already. The either/or discussion of paper vs. online may disappear in the future when technologies exist to easily create one or the other on demand.
My first job had printed policies and procedures available. Of course, the majority of employees at a grocery store didn't bother with reading them (I know I didn't). Disney had both, and both were updated regularly.
I prefer the online method simply because it can be quickly updated and made available to users. There's no quick way to do that with printed material; especially if the updated changes are large scale.
I agree, Dianna, that hard copy should always be made available, and I do think that most organizations would make hard copy available should the need arise (for example, users with disability). I don't think, however, that anyone today would have difficulty finding a computer to log on to view policies and procedures. Nearly everyone in the workforce today has access to a computer and the internet in some way.
Perhaps some day printed policies and procedures will cease to exist. Users with disability may have the option to have the technology present them the material in a variety of mediums (such as text-to-voice).
I like the idea of thinking deliberately about putting documents online. I think that the more common assumption now is that online is always better. However, having the advantages and disadvantages spelled out makes it easier to consider whether it really is better to put documents online. I do agree that some of this chapter may seem outdated; but I think it's dangerous to assume that everyone has access to and knows how to use a computer. Consider the other reading this week about multicultural experiences and last week's reading about assuming middle-class American sensibilities apply to all document users.
As technology continues to make web contributions and postings easier, I've noticed more and more forms placed online. Surprisingly (since we teach many of the skills required to work with web pages)this has been a fairly recent development at our school. Some time is required to "train" employees to seek info on the school's web site first.
Personally, I appreciate being able to download a form as opposed to taking time out of my schedule to track one down--probably appreciated as much by the person who always fields the "Where can I find..." questions. Much, much more efficient for everyone.
I agree with everyone’s responses about availability of policies and procedure on-line. It is more efficient, effective and increases the availability to more employees. I don’t think this trend will reverse even thou there are many people that do not have accessibility to the technology or computer literacy skills.
I also agree with J.J. that some people would need to acquire the print copy for various reasons (disability). My workplace has all of the policies and procedures on-line which makes it very helpful. I cannot image having all of these procedures in paper format! However, the one’s I refer more to I keep in print format as it makes it easier to read.
I want to come back to this and just say that I appreciate that online copy is readily available, and, if done right to include all types of audiences, it would be great to eliminate print copy for the sake of our environment. Paper consumption is just too much a demand on mother nature.
I don't want to sound like a tree-hugging protestor, but I just see online copy as one way to escape our mass consumption.
Post a Comment