As part of the renewal of our core business system, we have created three types of manuals for different purposes.
―― Working together with professionals, we provide manuals that are easy for readers to understand.

Interview cooperation:
NTT DATA Customer Service Co., Ltd.
Business Infrastructure Promotion Department Internal Information System Department
Mr. Yasuhiro Shiomi

Overview of NTT DATA Customer Service Co., Ltd.

・Establishment: March 2, 1998 (Commenced operations on April 1, 1998)

・Capital: 100 million yen (100% owned by NTT DATA Corporation)

・Number of Employees: 1,080 (as of April 1, 2023)

・Business Contents: Planning and designing of IT systems and facilities, construction and implementation, outsourcing of operation and maintenance
(https://www.nttdatacs.co.jp)

Services

・Manual Evaluation, Analysis, and Improvement Proposal Service
・Manual Creation Service

This is a project to create new manuals for the renewal of the core business system.
After analyzing the manuals of the previous system at Human Science, we proposed a new manual production policy and proceeded with the production.
The produced manuals are as follows.
・Operational Manual: A manual that explains who uses the system for what purpose in the flow of operations (PowerPoint, approximately 100 pages)
・System Operation Manual: A manual that explains in detail the procedures for operating the system and precautions to take during operation (Word, approximately 700 pages)
・Video Manual: A manual that explains important operations with captioned videos (operating videos, 22 in total)

We spoke with Mr. Shiomi from NTT Data Customer Service Co., Ltd., who is a project manager for system development and also serves as the leader of the manual creation team.

Project Background

- First, please tell us about NTT Data Customer Service and Mr. Shiomi's duties.

Mr. Shiomi: NTT Data Customer Service is a company that supports the total system lifecycle of IT systems and facilities, including planning, design, construction, implementation, operation, and maintenance, as a member of the NTT Data Group.
One of our major features is providing multi-vendor services that can handle various products both domestically and internationally, and establishing a support system where IT engineers from approximately 200 locations nationwide can rush to our customers' locations.
As a Project Manager for core business system development, I am responsible for overall management related to development. I also serve as the leader of the manual creation team.

- This time, we were asked to create a manual for the renewal of our core business system. Could you please tell us about the system overview?

Mr. Shiomi: This is a core system with the necessary functions to provide services to our customers. While the previous system was used for about 20 years and was familiar, we have rebuilt it to be more flexible in responding to the diverse needs of our customers.
As for the main functions, first we register information about our customers and have a function to share it among relevant parties. Based on this information, we use the scheduling and resource adjustment functions to coordinate specific tasks such as implementation and maintenance. We can also manage work schedules by using the scheduling function for various patterns and registering schedules for each location and individual.
In addition, we have expanded the inventory management function and the data utilization function. With the inventory management function, we can now manage items installed at customer sites and items held at each location in more detail than the previous system.
With the data utilization function, we can register the results and operating time of our work, and analyze the accumulated information to consider future response measures and create operating plans.

- Was it originally planned to have three types of manuals: operational instructions, instructional videos, and manuals using videos?

Mr. Shiomi: Yes, I thought we needed three types. Users were very accustomed to the old system, so there was a risk of causing inconvenience to customers due to unfamiliarity with the new system.
I thought it was essential to develop manuals tailored to the purpose in order for users to quickly learn how to operate and become familiar with the new system.

Reasons for Choosing Human Science

- This was a story about how we initially promoted in-house manual production. What challenges did you feel and why did you contact us?

Mr. Shiomi: There are approximately 70 functions and 230 screens in the system, which is a large volume. Additionally, since it is a business screen, there are several screens that are difficult to operate without understanding the business flow.
After considering which of the three types of manuals to start with, we began with the operational manual. However, it took a lot of time to think about how to express the written business content and points in manual form in order to convey them properly. This production challenge then developed into a project management challenge of "will we be able to meet the deadline for completing the manual" among other manuals, leading us to reconsider our manual production system.

Please tell us the reasons for choosing Human Science Co., Ltd.

Mr. Shiomi: Since we had no experience outsourcing manual creation, we looked at several companies' websites and contacted them.
The selection criteria we considered internally were:
・Having experience in technical writing for core business systems
・Being able to handle progress and quality management for manual creation


Human Science Co., Ltd. has a track record in the technical field and has a solid management system for progress and quality, which we were able to confirm through our meetings.
What was particularly appreciated was that they proposed a system that could reduce our burden in terms of management. They were able to quickly recognize and understand the fact that the project was in a very tight situation.
From such proposals, we could see that they have experience and achievements in creating manuals within projects, so we were able to decide on your company without feeling any anxiety. If we had not been able to request at that time, I think the project would have been in a much more difficult situation.

About the Project Management

- First, we conducted an analysis of the manual that was partially created within NTT Data Customer Service. How were the results of the analysis?

Mr. Shiomi: In the current analysis, we were able to accurately capture the areas where we ourselves felt that things were not going well. In addition, there was a hearing about the points that we wanted to convey firmly and what we wanted to focus on when creating the manual, and based on those, I think we were able to receive an analysis of the current situation.

- During our weekly meeting, we discussed the quality we should aim for while listening to your opinions and requests. How was your impression of our progress?

Mr. Shiomi: We were able to proceed while confirming our understanding by having you consider and present the expected schedule for the future, which was very helpful.
We were able to understand in advance when we needed to provide this information and when we needed to take time to confirm it, as we were explained the process of how it would become the final version of the manual, starting with this version and then the next version... This was also helpful in ensuring the operation within the company.

In addition, when creating the manual, we first created a draft of a part, and then proceeded with horizontal expansion after aligning our understanding of the content, structure, and writing style. This allowed us to proceed without any worries.

- Did you have a clear image of the finished product during the drafting stage?

Mr. Shiomi: Yes. I was relieved because I didn't have to worry about not being able to see the future.

- How was the communication during the meeting conducted via web conference?

Mr. Shiomi: It was difficult to adjust the timing of the meetings according to the progress, so having a regular meeting once a week was the best approach.
In terms of communication, there was no feeling of insufficiency in web conferences, and it was the optimal way to conduct meetings as it was possible to record and review them later.

Manual Completion and Production System

- Did you have any difficulties with providing information when creating manuals based on interviews about your business?

Mr. Shiomi: We think that your company has had a harder time than us. We had to create manuals from materials that were still being made, unfinished design documents, and explanations given verbally while the system was not yet operational...
Despite that, it was impressive how quickly you were able to read and understand the materials we provided and the business and system itself.
It's natural that you are not familiar with our business, so we carefully considered what parts we wanted you to create and what information and scope we needed to convey, and made sure not to provide too much detail when explaining.

May I ask for your thoughts on the finished manual?

Mr. Shiomi: I feel that the document is very well-written and concise, with a consistent tone throughout. I was worried that it would be difficult to maintain a consistent tone due to the large volume, but you were able to handle it well.
I also appreciate how you were able to incorporate the information we provided into each manual from the perspective of "how the user will use it in different situations."
There were times when we couldn't convey our desired expression in concrete terms, but you were able to provide suggestions such as "how about expressing it like this," which was very helpful.

As a finished product, I feel that each manual is able to fulfill its role properly. I believe this is because we were able to explain and have a mutual understanding of "what we want to achieve with this manual" in the initial stages of the project, and were able to work on it together after aligning our understanding.
We were able to create three manuals with a focus on their interrelatedness, rather than creating them separately.

- How was it to outsource manual creation for the first time?

Mr. Shiomi: When creating manuals within the company, there are times when we get lost on how much information to convey because we know too much, and there are also times when multiple team members have their own writing habits, which can lead to many concerns during the review process.
By outsourcing to a company with specialized knowledge and expertise in production, we were able to receive deliverables of a certain level of quality in terms of expression. As a result, we were able to focus on verifying the accuracy of the content and reduce the time spent on reviews. In addition, not only in terms of quality but also in terms of progress management, we were able to leave everything to them and proceed with the project.
Being able to compress the overall time involved in creating manuals was a huge advantage in terms of project progress.
I have come to realize that sometimes it is better to have someone from outside objectively select and organize information in order to create a good manual.

Effects after manual release

What is the effect after the release of the manual?

Mr. Shiomi: I believe that if you read the manual, you can understand how to operate it and if you follow the instructions, you can use it. I think this is because the manual is created at a certain level and we don't hear any complaints about it being difficult to use.
At the help desk, we provide support to users based on the manual. We guide users to the relevant sections of the manual and also use it to display instructions on the screen when responding to inquiries from users.

- Have we made the manual easy to operate and update, with the aim of being able to respond to additional functions? How easy is it to operate?

Mr. Shiomi: As shown in the overall structure of the manual in the initial stage, the layout is consistent throughout. Thanks to this, when additional notes need to be added to the manual, it is easy to think of how to include them in this section with this content. I think it is designed to be easy to operate and update.

Future Plans and Prospects

- Finally, could you tell us about your future plans and prospects for your responsibilities?

Mr. Shiomi: The renewal of our core business system is the first step towards our envisioned future and grand design. Moving forward, we aim to further improve the quality of our customer service and provide information coordination services by adding options to this new system.
For our internal team, we want to reduce the workload of IT technicians who visit our customers and create an environment where employees, including IT technicians, can focus more on customer service.
Through these efforts, we hope to embody our corporate philosophy of "nurturing our customers' systems, nurturing our business, and nurturing the future."