Complete renewal of approximately 2,000 pages of operational manuals accompanying the renewal of the HR and payroll system — aiming to eliminate personalization and reduce inquiries with manuals tailored to the field —

Interview Cooperation
Ms. Tomoko Sakuragawa
Affiliation at the time: Bridgestone Finance Corporation, HR Project Promotion Section
* Currently has returned to Bridgestone Corporation and is assigned to a new department

Bridgestone Corporation Overview

Capital: 126.354 billion yen (as of December 31, 2024)
Business Activities: Premium Tire Business, Solutions Business, Chemical Products & Diversified Business, Exploration Business

Services Utilized

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

Project Challenges and Background

Want to Develop Manuals Usable Company-wide in Line with System Renewal
At Bridgestone, due to the renewal of the HR and payroll systems operated at offices nationwide, a complete review of the operational manuals became necessary.
Although the system vendor provided Excel-based manuals, they mainly explained functions individually, had little connection to actual business workflows, and posed challenges for practical use on site.
Additionally, at each location, know-how documents independently compiled by staff (so-called “secret manuals”) were in use, resulting in inconsistencies in manual usage methods and a situation where work processes tended to depend heavily on individuals.
Against this backdrop, responding to Bridgestone’s request to unify business procedures company-wide, we supported manual improvements to develop practical manuals that are easy to understand for anyone and tailored to the company’s unique business workflows.

Reasons for Choosing Human Science

Hearing Ability, Proposal Skills, and Production Track Record Were the Decisive Factors
Amid a competition among three companies to solve the issues, our company was highly evaluated for our ability to accurately grasp the current situation and propose improvements, our hearing skills to extract key points within a limited time, and our production system based on past achievements, leading to our selection as Bridgestone's production partner.

●Clear Before/After Image with Concrete and Easy-to-Understand Improvement Proposals
We proposed a comparison between the state before and after improvements to address the issues of the existing manual. By sharing the completed image with Bridgestone, we were able to facilitate smooth understanding of the production policy.

●Hearing Ability to Accurately Capture Key Points in a Short Time
While some companies propose on-site hearings to understand operations, we suggested a method that minimizes the burden on the person in charge while efficiently extracting the necessary information. Especially during the busy initial implementation phase, our hearing ability to accurately draw out the key points needed for understanding operations and creating manuals, while maintaining a sense of speed, was highly valued by Bridgestone.

●Extensive Experience in Manual Production Conducted in Parallel with System Development
Our company has accumulated extensive know-how that enables us to flexibly respond to changes in plans and specifications while balancing progress management and quality maintenance, even in large-scale development projects such as core systems. Based on these achievements, Bridgestone has placed its trust in us as a reliable partner you can confidently entrust.

Project Structure and Progress

Project Promotion Balancing "Quality" and "Speed" with a Multidisciplinary Expert Team

At Human Science, we achieved a balance of quality and speed through a team structure composed of multidisciplinary experts.
• Manager and Consultant (1 person): Overall supervision, production policy proposals, business hearings
• Directors (2 people): Quality control, progress management, overall design
• Technical Writers (6–7 people): Writing business and operation manuals
• Checkers (2–3 people): Quality checks such as inconsistencies in notation, structure, and coherence

Through weekly regular meetings with Bridgestone, we carefully conducted alignment of understanding, schedule adjustments, and reviews, and promoted the project while flexibly responding to the situation.

Manual Maintenance Process

●Formulation of Production Policy
We evaluated the existing manuals to visualize issues and areas for improvement. We presented before/after comparison samples from our company and shared the image of the final form with Bridgestone, then formulated a concrete production plan.

●Business Hearings and Understanding of Operations
For a wide range of operations including human resources, payroll, employee benefits, and My Number system, key points were accurately extracted through brief hearings with Bridgestone. Based on existing materials and specifications, the entire business flow was precisely grasped and reflected in the manual design and production.

●Manual Production
Manuals for operations and procedures were developed to be "understandable by anyone," tailored to the reader's skill level and work context.
Produced 40 manuals in Word format totaling 2,000 pages over approximately 8 months, delivering a practical set of manuals that could be utilized on-site from the early stages of system implementation.

Customer Feedback

"They understood the field and produced a manual that truly 'communicates'"

The manual creation took place right in the middle of system development, at a stage when the specifications were not yet fully finalized. However, Human Science was able to proceed steadily by flexibly adjusting policies and content through weekly meetings.
Even though we, the persons in charge, did not have a complete grasp of everything, they accurately understood Bridgestone’s operations and organization based on brief hearings and document reviews, and carefully turned that into a manual, which gave us a sense of reassurance.

"Providing a foundational manual was extremely effective in the early stages of system implementation"
Even at the stage when the actual system was not available, Human Science utilized requirement definition documents and old manuals to create a "usable foundation" that anticipated operations and workflow. This "foundation" was a great help during the resource-limited introduction phase and enabled an operational style where the company could update and complete the manual internally through actual system testing and internal verification.

"A Manual Naturally Accepted by Employees"
The manuals created in this project have been smoothly accepted by the on-site staff, with feedback indicating they are easier to use compared to previous manuals.
Currently, a system is in place where each department is responsible for maintaining the manuals, and a culture of "nurturing manuals" is gradually taking root within the company.

From Human Science representatives

In important company-wide operations such as human resources and payroll, manuals that are "understandable to anyone" are crucial for standardizing tasks and eliminating dependence on specific individuals.
Additionally, when renewing systems, preparing practical manuals that consider users is indispensable to prevent confusion on the ground and to smoothly achieve the benefits of implementation.

In the project with Bridgestone, we worked on creating a "foundation for clear manuals" from the stage when the specifications had not yet been finalized.
While it was not easy to develop the manuals in parallel with development while accommodating specification changes, we carefully grasped the background of the operations through brief hearings and document review, and believe we were able to provide high-quality manuals without placing excessive burden on the persons in charge.

Being recognized as a "partner who supports business transformation and builds a new operational foundation together" for our flexible response and empathetic approach has been a great encouragement to us.
Moving forward, we will continue creating clear and practical manuals from the user's perspective so that everyone working on-site can proceed with their tasks confidently and without hesitation.