What is business standardization? A thorough explanation of how to create manuals for business standardization!

Hello! I am K, a consultant. I usually handle manual creation and improvement projects for companies in the manufacturing and human resources industries.
This time, I wrote a blog about "business standardization." It is a must-read for those who are wondering, "I often hear about it, but what exactly should I do?" I would like to introduce methods for business standardization from the perspective of a manual production company.

Table of Contents

1. What is business standardization?
2. Standardization of Operations through Manual Creation with Many Benefits
3. How to Create Manuals for Standardizing Operations
4. Summary
5. For inquiries about manual creation, contact Human Science

1. What is business standardization in the first place?

Business standardization refers to the unification of procedures and methods used within an organization. So why are all companies trying to implement "business standardization"?
It is because by implementing "business standardization," the quality of work stabilizes and improves, and work efficiency increases. In other words, business standardization is something that cannot be avoided if we want to enhance the overall productivity of the organization!

Recently, we have been hearing more from our clients who are working on standardizing their operations about the following situations.
・There is a need to manage the site with a small number of people, but frequent personnel changes prevent the establishment of consistent operations.
・Reliance on the high skills of predecessors means that successors are unable to perform similar tasks.
・A culture of oral tradition has taken root, leading to a personalization of operations.
・There is no common understanding of the workflow, and each person is doing their tasks in their preferred way.

To break through such situations and standardize operations, it is necessary to organize the work and make it visible. The specific initiatives we would like to recommend are the following three points.

・Manual Creation: Create manuals that clearly outline the procedures and methods of operations.
・Checklist Creation: Create checklists that summarize the important points and items to be confirmed in the operations.
・Training and Education Implementation: Conduct training and education using manuals and checklists to deepen employees' understanding.

This time, I would like to focus on "manual creation" from this selection.

2. Standardization of Operations through Manual Creation with Many Benefits

While we are known as a manual company, there are many benefits to utilizing manuals to achieve business standardization, as outlined below!

1. Standardize business quality: By clearly defining the procedures and methods of operations through manuals, it is possible to achieve uniformity in business quality.

②Can also be used for human resource development and training: By utilizing manuals for education and training, you can efficiently educate new employees and those who have transferred.

③ Elimination of wasted effort: By clarifying work procedures through manuals, there will be no need to confirm work details with someone else or lose time due to incorrect tasks.

④Learn at your own pace: You can research procedures and learn business knowledge at your convenience, regardless of time or place.

By the way, ① can be achieved through "checklist creation" and ② can be achieved through "training and education," but "manual creation" can achieve all of ① to ④. Manuals are wonderful!

How about it? Everyone, aren't you starting to want to create manuals?
For those who feel that way, the next chapter will introduce how to create manuals that can achieve business standardization.

Tips for Creating and Establishing Business Manuals

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3. How to Create Manuals for Standardizing Operations

While it has increased your motivation to create manuals, jumping straight into writing them can actually be dangerous!
There are several steps to take before writing. You might think, "This is such a hassle," but whether or not you have done the necessary preparations will make a huge difference in the quality of the manual—specifically, whether it can be used on-site and promote standardization! Let's check together what kind of preparations are needed to aim for a manual that will be used by many.

1. Determine the purpose of the manual and the audience

First, it is very important to clarify the purpose of the manual and its intended audience. For example, decide on "what the manual is for," such as "This manual is intended to provide an overview of the operations of XX and to refer to the work procedures." Also, determine "who the manual is for," whether it is for newcomers or for everyone involved in the operations. When you are unsure about what and how much to write during the writing process, returning to the purpose of the manual and the intended audience will naturally reveal what needs to be written. This will also help prevent any inconsistencies in the content.

②Identify the information to be documented

Next, let's identify the information to be included in the manual. If we don't identify it at the beginning, we might end up with a disappointing result, thinking the manual is complete only to realize, "I forgot to write this and that..." At our company, we create a "Business Organization Sheet" using Excel to identify the information that should be included in the manual (such as procedures, methods, important points, and precautions). After that, we decide how much information to include based on the purpose of the manual and the audience, and check for any missing information.
It may sound easy when you hear about it, but once you start working on it, identifying the information can be quite a challenging task. If you want to know more detailed steps about the identification process, please read the blog below!

Having just a template is not enough! The essential first step for a business manual

3. Consider the structure of the manual's table of contents

Once you have a clear idea of the information to include, the next step is to consider the structure of the manual's table of contents. Generally, it is common to align the structure with the flow of operations. Depending on the purpose of the manual and the audience, you might divide it into basic and advanced sections, include a troubleshooting chapter, or direct readers to reference materials, all while considering a structure that is easy to read and use. If you would like to know more about table of contents structure, please refer to the blog below.

[Introduction to Manual Creation] Escape from "Can't Find What You Want"! Tips for Creating a Table of Contents to Enhance Manual Searchability

④ Determine the design and style of the manual

As the final step in the preparation, let's decide on the design and style of the manual.
What is important here is to "organize the information to be included in the manual and devise a way to present it that is easy for the reader to understand."
One factor that makes the manual difficult to understand is its "lack of clarity." The main causes of this lack of clarity are inconsistency in appearance and monotony. For example, the use of styles such as bold, italics, and bullet points may not be consistent, and headings and body text may be written in the same style, lacking contrast... By defining and unifying styles according to the type of information, such as titles, procedures, notes, and supplementary information, not only does it become easier for the reader to read, but it also increases the efficiency of the creator. Additionally, let's create a well-organized manual that is easy to understand by utilizing charts and diagrams.
Regarding design, creating templates in advance will make it easier to create manuals later on. If you do not have the time or know-how to create templates, it is recommended to use manual creation tools. For example, there are tools like "Toaster Team" from noco Inc. and "COCOMITE" from Konica Minolta Japan Inc. Using such tools, anyone can easily create manuals that make readers want to "read them."
However, I think many people struggle with design. There are certainly blogs discussing design, so please refer to them for guidance.

[Introduction to Manual Creation] What is the Design of an Easy-to-Understand Manual?

You may need to prepare a lot in advance, but once you have completed the preparations above, let's start writing the manual! If you can carry out this preliminary preparation perfectly, you will surely be able to create a clear and good manual, and you should be able to achieve standardization of operations effectively!

4. Summary

Business standardization is an initiative to unify business procedures and methods, aiming for increased efficiency and improved quality. By utilizing manuals for business standardization, you can gain many benefits such as uniformity in business quality, support for human resource development, and reduction of work time. When promoting business standardization, please actively utilize manuals and approach it effectively.
In this article, we shared methods for creating manuals to implement business standardization. We hope this can be of some help to your business.

Human Science also holds seminars that teach methods for creating manuals that visualize operations and standardize business processes. We invite you to participate in the co-hosted seminars by Human Science.
Human Science Manual Creation Seminar

5. For inquiries about manual creation, contact Human Science

Human Science provides one-stop support from Japanese manual creation to English translation. We have a long history of handling numerous manuals since 1985. If you have needs such as the following, please feel free to contact us.

・I want to improve existing Japanese and English manuals to make them easier to understand.
・I am considering creating an English manual and would like to proceed step by step from the Japanese manual.
・I want to translate and utilize the Japanese manuals created in-house.

Feature 1: Extensive Manual Production Experience with Major and Global Companies
Human Science has accumulated a wealth of manual production experience across various fields, primarily in the manufacturing and IT industries. We have worked with renowned companies such as "Docomo Technology Inc.", "Yahoo Inc.", and "Yamaha Corporation" as our clients.

Case Studies of Manual Production | Human Science

Feature 2: From Research and Analysis by Experienced Consultants to Output
The creation of business manuals is handled by our experienced consultants at Human Science. Our skilled consultants will propose clearer and more effective manuals based on their extensive experience and the provided materials. Additionally, we can create manuals even from the stage where information is not yet organized. The assigned consultant will conduct interviews to create the optimal manual.

Manual Evaluation, Analysis, and Improvement Proposal Services | Human Science

Feature ③: Emphasis on not only manual creation but also support for implementation
Human Science focuses not only on manual creation but also on the important stage of "implementation." Even after the manual is created, we will support its implementation through regular updates and manual creation seminars. Through a variety of measures, we will support the effective use of manuals in the field.

Manual Creation Seminar | Human Science

Thank you for reading until the end.