Manual Standardization AI Development Supporting AI Utilization, RAG Implementation, and AI Proofreading Support

There are common signs in patterns where manual creation projects end in "failure." First, let's look at three common pitfalls that many companies tend to fall into.

1-1. No Longer Used On Site

Even after spending a lot of time creating it, there is the problem that on-site employees stop reading the manual.
There are various reasons, but the main causes often lie in a lack of on-site perspective, such as "not knowing where something is written" or "the content being too difficult, so it’s quicker to just ask someone knowledgeable." Manuals that are detached from on-site needs are rarely picked up.

1-2. Not updated and left outdated

It is said that manuals begin to become obsolete the moment they are completed.
If the manual is not updated to keep up with changes in business rules and workflows, the information written in it becomes incorrect. Once the field staff have experienced situations such as "I read the manual, but it was clearly outdated" or "I made a mistake because the manual was wrong," the manual loses its credibility. It is not uncommon for manuals that no one reads to remain on servers for many years without being noticed.

1-3. Inconsistent granularity and quality, making it difficult to read

When multiple people create a manual, without common standards, variations in granularity and quality occur.
Some contributors may describe details thoroughly, while others only outline the general flow, causing "variations in granularity." Additionally, differences in how notes are presented—such as red text only or red text with yellow highlighting—can lead to "variations in writing style." In some cases, there may also be "variations in file formats."

This inconsistency ultimately leads to manuals being difficult to read and use. When the writing style and structure of manuals vary, readers need to adjust how they read each manual.
A client I previously worked with also had the concern that "because the way manuals are created differs completely by department, it takes transferred employees a long time to understand the work by reading that department’s manual."

Not being used, becoming a mere formality, inconsistency... Although these may seem like different issues, they actually stem from a common problem: the foundational “base” is not firmly established. If you start writing without deciding “who will use it, in what situations, and how,” you will inevitably fall into these kinds of failures.
The next chapter will explain the key points for establishing this “foundation.”

Here, we will look at the causes of failure explained in Chapter 1.
Many people in charge tend to attribute the cause of failure to a lack of writing skills or poor appearance. However, the essential causes mostly lie in the stage before writing. In other words, failure occurs because things that should be organized before writing are not organized.

2-1. The manual's intended audience is not defined

The level of detail and use of technical terms vary greatly depending on whether the manual is for new employees or veterans. If you start creating the manual without clearly defining the target readers, the content will end up being "neither fish nor fowl" for everyone.
Furthermore, if the manual creator changes while the manual remains in that state, situations can arise where "it used to seem aimed at newcomers, but from this version onward, the content and level of detail suddenly shift to experienced personnel."

2-2. The Usage of the Manual Is Not Shared

A manual is not a document independent of operations; it should be integrated into the daily workflow. If it is not shared when, who (which role), and for what purpose the manual will be used, the manual will not be useful in actual work.
I sometimes serve as an instructor in manual creation seminars, and when I ask during the lecture, "Can you quickly say what level of knowledge, what kind of person, when, and for what purpose you want the manual you are currently working on to be used?" many respond, "We hadn’t thought that far."
Including the "for whom" mentioned in section 2.1, it is important to decide on these points before starting manual creation.

2-3. Operation and Updates After Creation Are Not Anticipated

Manual creation is often approached as a project, but in reality, it needs to be considered as a lifecycle. It is important to design an operational system that specifies "who updates the information, when, and what triggers the update" for post-creation updates.
After delivering manuals, I often tell clients, "Regarding future updates, at the very least, it’s good to decide on the update triggers and the person responsible for leading the updates."

As mentioned above, many failures stem not from the way something is written, but from the underlying "design" assumptions.
However, to make the design function correctly, a reader-centered mindset is essential. Next, I would like to organize that mindset.

To avoid failure and create manuals that are used in the field, it is essential to thoroughly adopt the "reader's perspective." Before diving into specific techniques, let's first grasp the fundamental mindset.

3-1. Manuals are "used by searching"

Except for manuals created for use as textbooks, in general, not many people read manuals from beginning to end. Rather, they often pick up the manual to pinpoint and find related information when they encounter difficulties during their work.
Therefore, manuals need to be in a state where users can "quickly find the necessary information at a glance." It is not acceptable to think "it's okay because you can find it if you read from the top."

3-2. Manuals Are Determined by Their "Structure"

When you hear about an easy-to-read manual, you might think of design or decoration. However, the essence of readability comes from "appropriately organized information" and "consistent formatting." If the information is properly grouped, clear headings (titles) are provided, arranged in an easy-to-understand order, and formatting is used consistently according to fixed rules, users can find the information they need without confusion, even if the manual is primarily text-based.

3-3. Manuals Should Be Created "According to Rules"

As mentioned in Chapter 1, if the way manuals are created varies depending on the author, it causes manuals to be difficult to read and use. The manual creation process and writing style need to be standardized so that anyone can produce manuals of similar quality. This, in turn, leads to an overall improvement in the quality of manuals. It is important to establish rules for the elements to be included in the manual, writing style, and the use of formatting such as red text and bold text.

From here on, we will finally begin explaining specific writing methods (techniques).

4-1. Clarify the Intended Readers and Usage Scenarios of the Manual

Before you start writing, clearly define "who the manual is for, what level of knowledge they have, when they will use it, and for what purpose." Clarifying this makes it easier to decide what content to include and the level of detail.
Conversely, if this is vague, the manual will end up being mediocre for everyone.

4-2. Make Information Easy to Search

Since manuals are often used to find information pinpointedly, it is very important that "necessary information can be found at a glance." By paying attention to ① the table of contents and headings, and ② the presentation (format/style), you can create a manual that makes information easy to search.

① Table of Contents and Headings
The table of contents and headings also need to be created from the "reader's perspective."
After considering the content to be included in the manual, carefully organize and classify it while thinking about how the reader will search for information. Then, arrange the information in an order that is easy for the reader to understand. Headings are also important. Use expressions from the reader's point of view and create headings that allow the reader to infer the content.
The following blog explains in more detail how to create clear tables of contents and headings. Please take a look.
[Manual Creation Introduction] Breaking Free from "Can't Find What I Want to Know"! Tips for Creating Tables of Contents that Enhance Manual Searchability | Human Science Co., Ltd.

②Presentation (Format/Style)
How the information is presented in the manual also affects how easily it can be found.
If the procedures and supplementary explanations were all written in the same way, the reader would have to scan the entire opened page wondering, "Which sentences are the procedures?" To allow readers to quickly find information when they open the manual, it is necessary to use different formats for each type of information, such as procedures, supplementary explanations, and cautions.
The following blog explains the importance of formatting in manuals in more detail. Please take a look.
The Importance of Formatting in Manual Creation: From the Perspectives of Readers and Writers | Human Science Co., Ltd.

Regarding presentation, it is also effective to use manual templates with pre-prepared formatting.
However, a template is merely a “container for expression.” While it is a powerful tool for unifying the format by type of information, the creator must still decide the content—such as which format to use for each piece of information, at what level of detail, and in what order to present it. Be careful not to overestimate the clarity that a template alone can provide.

4-3. Write so that anyone can understand it the same way

A text that leads to a single interpretation by anyone who reads it is an essential condition for an easy-to-understand manual. Write sentences that can be quickly understood as "what to do and how" and "what happens and how." It is effective to make the subject and predicate clear, write concisely, and ensure that each sentence contains only one meaning.

So far, we have discussed "How to Create Manuals Without Failure."
Here, we would like to touch on the increasingly popular topic of using AI for manual creation and automating the manual creation process. If you perceive AI as a "magic that instantly creates manuals," it may lead to new failures. When creating manuals using AI, it is essential to clearly understand what to delegate to AI and what tasks humans must handle.

5-1. Determine the Scope to Entrust to AI

AI is extremely powerful for tasks such as consolidating scattered information and creating drafts. However, at this point, capturing tacit knowledge from the field and verifying the accuracy of the generated information must be done by humans. There are cases where partial AI assistance can be utilized, but entrusting AI with 100% of the work is difficult. It is important to remember that AI is merely a tool for "supporting" creation.

5-2. Organize the Quality and Structure of Reference Data

When creating manuals using AI, there may be cases where other manuals or related documents are used as reference data. Also, recently, it has become common to load created manuals as reference data and use them like chatbots. In such cases, if the reference data is not properly organized, the expected generated results may not be obtained. When using AI, organizing and structuring information as a preliminary step is essential.

5-3. Prioritize Standardization of the Business Process Itself

If the business process targeted for manual creation is not standardized, attempting to automatically generate manuals using technologies like AI will not proceed smoothly. This is because, while AI excels at organizing existing information and converting it into easy-to-understand text, it cannot integrate unorganized, varying procedures from different people to determine the "correct method." First, please confirm that the business process itself is standardized and well-organized.

At Human Science, we develop AI agents that rewrite manuals and provide support for RAG implementation. Even if the knowledge has not yet been documented, our manual consultants can support you from the stage of conducting interviews and creating the manuals.
Manual Standardization AI Development Supporting AI Utilization, RAG Implementation, and AI Proofreading Support – Human Science Co., Ltd.

Finally, we will introduce key points to successfully create and sustain manuals.
These are points we highly recommend practicing, regardless of whether you implement AI or automation tools.

6-1. Establish Quality Standards and Creation Rules for Manuals

Just like daily work, manual creation requires a system that does not depend on individual skills.
This is because, as mentioned in Chapter 1, various "variations" can occur, leading to manuals that are difficult to read and understand. To ensure manuals have consistent quality regardless of who creates them, it is important to establish standards and creation rules for manuals, such as "specifying what kind of notes to include and in what style."

Such standards are also important when creating manuals using AI. Without standards, there will be variations among personnel in terms of
how much to adjust the AI-generated output, which prevents the standardization and streamlining of manual creation. Having quality standards for manuals as an organization contributes to the long-term stability of operations.

6-2. Create Small Success Stories First Rather Than Starting Big

When you try to launch a large manual creation project involving the entire company from the start, it often does not progress smoothly and ends up stalling. An effective approach is to first focus on a specific department or specific tasks, create small-scale manuals, and then expand the results. In fact, one of our clients first implemented manual organization in Department A, and after hearing the positive feedback about the completed manual, Department B started organizing their manuals as well.

The essence of preventing failures in manual creation is not merely a text-writing technique. It lies in thoroughly designing "who uses it, when, and for what purpose" and establishing an operational system to maintain the freshness of the information.

Furthermore, cutting-edge technologies such as AI and automation truly demonstrate their value only when introduced on top of the foundational elements mentioned above. Why not start by re-examining the current manual’s issues at the design level, rather than just the writing style or appearance?

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.

・Want to clearly improve existing Japanese and English manuals
・Considering creating English manuals and want to proceed step-by-step starting from Japanese manuals
・Want to translate Japanese manuals created in-house into English and utilize them

Feature ①: Extensive Manual Production Experience Centered on Large and Global Companies
Human Science has accumulated manual production experience across a wide range of fields, mainly in the manufacturing and IT industries. We have served prestigious companies such as "DOCOMO Technology, Inc.", "Yahoo Japan Corporation", and "Yamaha Corporation" as clients.
Manual Production Case Studies | Human Science

Feature ②: From Research and Analysis to Output by Experienced Consultants
The creation of business manuals is handled by Human Science’s proud, experienced consultants. Skilled consultants propose clearer and more effective manuals based on their extensive experience and the materials provided. Additionally, it is possible to create manuals even from stages where information is not yet organized. The assigned consultant will conduct hearings and create the most suitable manual.
Manual Evaluation, Analysis, and Improvement Proposal Service | Human Science

Feature ③: Emphasis Not Only on Manual Creation but Also on Support for Adoption
Human Science focuses not only on manual creation but also on the important stage of “adoption.” Even after the manual is created, we support the adoption of the manual through regular updates and manual creation seminars. Through a variety of measures, we assist in the effective utilization of manuals in the field.
Manual Creation Seminar | Human Science
Thank you for reading until the end.
We hope this blog provides helpful tips for creating easy-to-understand manuals.