The Well-Documented College : How To Produce Good Documents / Bill Perkins.

While many educational institutions pay lip service to quality, often the very documents they produce, such as training handbooks and reference manuals, are not themselves of high quality. Quality documentation helps employees find what they are looking for, know when and where to ask for help, and become more independent. At Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) in Charlotte, North Carolina, division managers were asked to detail the specific regulations and procedures for which they were responsible to be compiled into a single reference manual for employees both seeking and giving services. The resulting document, the "Business and College Services Manual" (BCSM) would explain how to purchase supplies and equipment, travel reimbursements, hiring procedures, how to report a crime, and dozens of other topics. The BCSM was organized by division, rather than by function (e.g., the issuance of parking tickets was discussed under the Safety and Security Department, while the collection of fines was described under Financial Services), making the manual convenient for managers but not for users. To address this problem, a task force of manual users was convened and the decision was made to completely re-write the manual. To edit the new manual, three staff members were formally trained by Information Mapping, Inc., in the Information Mapping documentation standard. This standard utilizes tables and other graphic devices within the main body of the text. All documentation is maintained electronically in computer files so that revisions can be made more easily. Sample pages and text from the original and the revised CPCC "College Services User's Manual," and a list of information sources are included. (PAA)

Microfiche. [Washington D.C.]: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches : positive.