Contents. Before you begin

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1 Contents Contents Before you begin Learning outcomes Competency standard How to use this book Assessment Developing employability skills Developing an evidence portfolio Resources vii vii viii ix x xi xiv xv Introduction: Managing business document design 1 and development Chapter 1: Establishing documentation standards Identifying the organisation s requirements for document design 4 and production 1.2 Evaluating the organisation s IT capability in terms of document design 8 and production 1.3 Identifying the types of documents used and required by the organisation Establishing documentation standards and design tasks 14 In ACTION 20 Discussion topics 21 Chapter summary 21 Find out more 22 Checklist for Chapter 1 22 Assessment activity 1: Establishing documentation standards 23 Record your employability skills 24 Chapter 2: Managing template design and development Ensuring the standard formats and templates suit document requirements Ensuring templates enhance readability and appearance, and meet style and 29 layout requirements 2.3 Testing templates, obtaining user feedback and making necessary 32 amendments In ACTION 34 Discussion topics 35 Chapter summary 35 iii

2 BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development Find out more 35 Checklist for Chapter 2 36 Assessment activity 2: Managing template design and development 37 Record your employability skills 38 Chapter 3: Developing standard text for documents Evaluating software functions for their usefulness in automating 40 document production 3.2 Matching document requirements with software functions Testing macros to ensure they meet the document requirements 50 In ACTION 53 Discussion topics 53 Chapter summary 53 Find out more 54 Checklist for Chapter 3 54 Assessment activity 3: Developing standard text for documents 55 Record your employability skills 56 Chapter 4: Developing and implementing strategies to 57 ensure the use of standard documentation 4.1 Preparing explanatory notes for the use of templates and macros Developing and implementing training in the use of templates and macros Preparing master files and printing copies of templates and macros 66 In ACTION 68 Discussion topics 68 Chapter summary 68 Find out more 69 Checklist for Chapter 4 69 Assessment activity 4: Developing and implementing strategies to ensure 70 the use of standard documentation Record your employability skills 71 Chapter 5: Developing and implementing strategies for the 73 maintenance and improvement of documentation 5.1 Monitoring the use of templates and macros, and evaluating 74 document quality 5.2 Reviewing documentation standards, and planning and 76 implementing improvements In ACTION 79 Discussion topics 79 iv

3 Contents Chapter summary 79 Find out more 80 Checklist 80 Assessment activity 5: Developing and implementing strategies for the 81 maintenance and improvement of documentation Record your employability skills 82 Final assessment: BSBADM506B Manage business document 83 design and development Employability skills 86 v

4 BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development Competency standard Learning outcomes are based on the following elements and performance criteria of this unit of competency. The following table details the elements and performance criteria and outlines where they are covered in this workbook. BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development Element 1: Establish documentation standards 1.1 Identify organisational requirements for information entry, storage, output, and quality of document design and production 1.2 Evaluate organisation s present and future information technology capability in terms of its effect on document design and production 1.3 Identify types of documents used and required by the organisation 1.4 Establish documentation standards and design tasks for organisational documents in accordance with information, budget and technology requirements Element 2: Manage template design and development 2.1 Ensure standard formats and templates suit the purpose, audience and information requirements of each document 2.2 Ensure document templates enhance readability and appearance, and meet organisational requirements for style and layout 2.3 Test templates, obtain organisational and user feedback, and make amendments as necessary to ensure maximum efficiency and quality of presentation Element 3: Develop standard text for documents 3.1 Evaluate complex technical functions of software for their usefulness in automating aspects of standard document production 3.2 Match requirements of each document with software functions to allow efficient production of documents 3.3 Test macros to ensure they meet the requirements of each document in accordance with documentation standards Where covered in this workbook Chapter 1: Establishing documentation standards 1.1 Identifying the organisation s requirements for document design and production 1.2 Evaluating the organisation s IT capability in terms of document design and production 1.3 Identifying the types of documents used and required by the organisation 1.4 Establishing documentation standards and design tasks Chapter 2: Managing template design and development 2.1 Ensuring the standard formats and templates suit document requirements 2.2 Ensuring templates enhance readability and appearance, and meet style and layout requirements 2.3 Testing templates, obtaining user feedback and making necessary amendments Chapter 3: Developing standard text for documents 3.1 Evaluating software functions for their usefulness in automating document production 3.2 Matching document requirements with software functions 3.3 Testing macros to ensure they meet the document requirements continued viii

5 Introduction: Managing business document design and development Introduction Managing business document design and development The creation and use of well-designed documents is a cornerstone of the modern office and business environment. It is considered essential for people entering the business world to have some level of competence in producing documents and forms using common software packages. Most basic software courses are now taught as a part of lower- and mid-level high school subjects, so today s entry level employees are generally competent computer users. As they gain experience and technical expertise, their career path may see them progress to designing templates and macros and managing document production in their workplace. Document design The advent of the personal computer has not only enabled organisations to provide most employees with a word processor to produce workplace documents quickly and efficiently, but has also enabled companies to take on the role previously undertaken by a desktop publisher. With desktop publishing software, virtually any computer can become a printing works, from design and development, through image and word processing, to print mark-up and publication. There is now the capacity to store massive volumes of soft copy or electronic documents and databases. In the last 30 years, technological advancements in the uptake and use of computers and office software have transformed the landscape of document design. From pre-printed forms requiring typed amendments, through to fully integrated web-based templates requiring little more than data collection, the use and performance requirements of common documents has changed significantly. 1

6 BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development 1.4 Establishing documentation standards and design tasks Documentation standards describe the way documents should look in line with the image the organisation wishes to convey. As discussed in section 1.1, documentation standards include design features such as the type and size of fonts used, layout and use of the company logo. It also extends to the language and writing style used as well as the type of finish used to present the document, if appropriate. The look and quality of your documents says a great deal about your organisation and its level of professionalism. To ensure standards are maintained, there may be procedures for drafting, editing and proofing documents. In most instances everyone producing documents must comply with organisational procedures for document design and production. However, in some cases you may need to follow customer requirements; for example, a specific layout for a government tender or report. The standards to which your organisation aspires depends on the following aspects. The type of information communicated: if the organisation communicates with other professional organisations, the standard of the document must be high in quality and content to project the proper image. Conversely, where documents need only be notes or other brief or informal correspondence, print quality and design are not as critical, though it is essential to maintain standards of grammar, spelling and ethics. The type of information communicated also dictates the type and size of documents produced. The budget, for information technology, and document production: everything in printing and publishing has a quality and price range. Spending a disproportionate amount of money on IT, then opting for budget paper and binding to save money can be a trap that lowers the overall standard of documents produced. A balanced approach must be taken. Technology requirements including the software needed to produce the documents: different word processing and desktop publishing software provide different advantages and can produce greatly varying quality documents. The expense of top-end graphics and document design software must be justified against the amount of documents produced and the staff training required to achieve the software s potential. Developing a style guide Style guides or procedures and templates complement each other in document production. A style guide or procedure manual explains the appropriate use and style of language; design elements such as margins, indentations, line spacing and paragraph settings; terminology to be used; desired spelling, grammar and punctuation and how to cover and present the document. There may be information on copyright, plagiarism and privacy. These are all taken into consideration when developing a template. You may choose to have the style guide in hard copy, but it is always advisable to keep an electronic copy for ease of updating. 14

7 BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development Antivirus software may be a problem when running macros. If all your computers are running the same antivirus application this shouldn t be a problem, as any clicks you perform to accept macros will be duplicated on the workstation running the macro. If you are using different software or some are using no antivirus applications, you may find you must define (record) the macros on a computer running no antivirus. Seeking further assistance You are not expected to be a software expert, though you do need a degree of technical expertise. As a manager, your role is to check for functionality and relationship to the organisation s objectives. If you do not possess the skills and knowledge to recommend specific changes, consider your options. Who can you ask for additional assistance? Some sources might include: an IT manager/staff software developer trainers online tutors and tutorials short courses external consultants. The following example demonstrates a simple macro test. Example Julian has embedded a GST calculator in the staff expense report. This is a very simple macro. It is triggered by the employee clicking the submit button on the MS Excel sheet, which sets off the following macro instructions: 1. Total all expenses from G9:G19 and print in Cell G20 2. Calculate GST and print in Cell G21 3. Select hyperlink to: accounts@xyz.com.au and open mail software for sending. Upon testing the macro, Julian finds two errors. Firstly, the document hasn t been saved, and therefore can t be attached to the expense report. Secondly, the command to send the mail cannot be controlled by the macro he s created within MS Excel. While he can fix the first error by adding an extra command ( save document ), he is still unable to send directly using the Excel macro. Practice task 10 Referring to the previous example, discuss the options available to Julian to enable him to send directly from the Excel document. Describe the process that would follow from Julian s initial test (and subsequent fault finding) you would oversee as manager, up to acceptance of the macro by the organisation. 52

8 Chapter 3: Developing standard text for documents Assessment activity 3 Developing standard text for documents The following table maps the assessment activity for this chapter against the element and performance criteria of Element 3 in BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development. The activity has been designed for all learners to complete. Part Element Performance criteria A 3 All B 3 All Part A To answer the following questions you will need access to common office software and associated help files or online tutorials. 1. Consider a function you wish your staff to perform in a word processing (Word document) page. Summarise the following to demonstrate your understanding of this criterion: a) What task are you trying to achieve? b) What function/s have you chosen to achieve this task? c) How does this function help speed up document production? d) How does this function improve the usefulness of the document? 2. Identify two examples of documents where you could use form fields in a Microsoft Word document within your organisation. Describe how form fields would help expedite document production. 3. Describe the basic process of a look up function when accessing an address from a spreadsheet database. Use dot-points and/or screen dumps to describe the process. 4. You require a template for an invoice used for a particular high-volume client that will include discounting for volume goods on a sliding scale. Identify the software most appropriate for this type of template and briefly explain (list and describe) what application functions this template would need. 5. Explain how a mail merge function allows you to create an efficient production of multiple documents. 6. Create a macro function on a basic document of your choice. Describe what the intent of using the function is (in relation to the overall usability of the document). Test the function for usability and present the document to your trainer/supervisor. 7. Prepare a checklist of the range of commonly used complex technical functions of software that you need to be familiar with to produce documents efficiently for your department/organisation. Identify which ones you are confident you understand and which ones you need expert help with. Briefly describe how they are useful in automating document production. You may like to use a table similar to the following. 55

9 Chapter 4: Developing and implementing strategies to ensure the use of standard documentation Case study A construction company has developed several templates to provide for the various legislative documents required in the residential building industry. These include the following: A site inspection template observation checklist with spaces for measurements of soil acidity, soil settling index, building quality space for a hand-drawn map A building inspector s (inspection) template observation checklist with spaces for notes, plus measurements of tolerances in struts, beams, studs and bracing A building inspector s report template standard report format bearing company name/ logo on cover, formatted headers/footers, includes several paragraphs of standard text disclaimers and duty-of-care statements A quality assessor s inspection template observation checklist similar to building inspectors, but includes reporting on cosmetic finish, landscaping, driveways/paths A quality assessor s report template report format bearing company name/logo on cover, formatted headers/footers, includes several paragraphs of standard text disclaimers and duty-of-care statements A customer s quality report template more readable report format with full-colour company name/logo on cover with photograph of finished building, formatted headers/footers, includes requirement for photographs of the property to be inserted, plus four paragraphs of standard text disclaimers, copyright warning and duty-of-care statements, plus the formal legal building warranty statement (three pages) A customer s cover letter template The templates must comply with strict legislative requirements and meet industry standards. The templates will be filled out by senior tradespeople who have been promoted to building project supervisors, and submitted to the organisation s administration staff to forward to the authorities, and for filing. 1. Make a list of headings for necessary generic information that you would include in the explanatory notes for workers at the company (that is, a general direction to users such as when to use, what it does, what it doesn t do). 2. Describe the language, format and style needed for each of these documents and any attached explanatory notes. 3. What method of delivery would you choose for training the project supervisors to use the new templates? Why? 4. How would you disseminate the master file information to the project supervisors? Record your employability skills When you have completed the assessment activity, make sure you record the employability skills you have developed in the table after the final assessment. Keep copies of material you have prepared as further evidence of your skills. 71

10 Chapter 5: Developing and implementing strategies for the maintenance and improvement... In ACTION An engineering firm maintains a document monitoring system that involves ad-hoc audits and regular reviews by a user/engineer team. The reviews concentrate on various business functions and analyse the usage, compliance, relevancy and accessibility of the documents within each function. In a recent audit of the purchasing systems, the IT Manager notices that there seems to be a glitch occurring between data entered by the Warehouse Manager and the form that is ed to the suppliers. The macro involved is a simple look-up routine that takes data from the company s price lists and enters it onto the purchase order. The process can be over-written if discounts or other deals occur, but it is meant to automatically default to the database price. The Business Manager says that the organisation s goal is to maintain a price-leading strategy. Errors in pricing of purchase orders can jeopardise the organisation s profitability and are therefore in direct conflict with its goals. The team reviews the information in the database and the process undertaken by the Warehouse Manager to get to the root of the problem. It appears that the data is being picked up correctly by the system, but that the price is reverting to an incorrect default price on the form. The IT Manager is assigned to fix the error on the form. The Business Manager agrees to a time frame of 10 days, and that in the meantime, all purchase orders will be double-checked against current pricing before being sent to the supplier. The IT Manager s plan includes a line-by-line investigation of the pricing sub-routine, followed by a re-write, trial and implementation. After just three hours, the IT Manager identifies a notable error in the macro and repairs the system. Discussion topics Learners in a classroom can form a discussion group or have a debate. Those in the workplace might like to brainstorm these ideas with their colleagues. If you are learning independently, you might like to set up a chat room with other learners or ask a friend for their opinion. Monitoring the documents within a business seems to be an incredible waste of time. How is it justified? A constant review of documentation can give the impression that you re one of the document police and that you re too caught up in processes and administration. How can this impression be avoided? If a macro within a complex program doesn t seem to work, is it feasible to simply mandate that users avoid that command when using the system, and propose a different way of doing the same thing? Chapter summary The processes, templates and administration systems should support the attainment of business goals and must therefore be as flexible as required under the business plan. Managers should check that documents produced by members of their team or those under their authority, are being prepared using the organisation s document template. Documents and macros should be monitored for usage, relevancy, compliance and quality. 79

11 Final assessment: BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development Final assessment BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development To be assessed as competent in BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development, you must provide evidence of the specified essential knowledge and skills. Details of the essential knowledge and skills can be found in the Before you begin section of this workbook. Assessment mapping The following table maps this final assessment activity against the elements and performance criteria of BSBADM506B Manage business document design and development. Part Element Performance criteria A All All B All All C All All Detailed mapping of this workbook against the methods of assessment, the elements, the performance criteria and essential skills and knowledge is available in the Aspire Trainer s and assessor s guide for this unit. The following activity forms part of your assessment of competence. You may also need to provide various workplace documents or third-party reports. Your trainer will give you guidance in this area. The following activity has been designed for all learners to complete. Part A: Essential skills The following skills have been identified as essential for this unit of competency: Communication skills to present complex instructions orally, to communicate ideas logically, and to explain technical concepts and designs to others Literacy skills to: read and interpret policies and procedures review and select technological designs consider aspects of context, purpose and audience when designing and formatting texts Research and analysis skills to evaluate content, structure and purpose of technical texts, and to adapt task instructions to suit changes in technology Technological skills to manage design requirements and layouts 83