Outsourced the production management system manual created in-house. Reduced the workload of development engineers.

 

Overview of JB Advanced Technology Corporation

・Established: 1950

・Capital: 426.6 million yen

Number of Employees：

　193 people (as of April 1, 2018)

Business Activities：

　Hardware/Software and

　Development, manufacturing, and sales of production management packages

 Services Utilized

Manual Creation

Background

JB Advanced Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as JBAT, honorifics omitted) is a solution provider that builds information systems in the fields of software solutions, printing systems, ecology, and security-related areas.

 

Our in-house developed production management system R-PiCS boasts over 600 implementations both domestically and internationally.

 

R-PiCS Product Site

http://www.r-pics.com/

Challenges Before Implementation

Dependent on one engineer responsible for manual creation. Want to resolve resource shortages.

 

The operation manual for R-PiCS was traditionally created by a dedicated in-house development engineer, but reducing the engineer's workload has been a challenge.

Therefore, we decided to outsource at the timing of the new version release.

However, this is the first time we are outsourcing manual creation,

 

・The content in the field of production management is difficult. Is it possible to write without specialized knowledge?

Is it necessary to be resident for product understanding and screen capture?

・Is it possible to write even if the specifications are insufficient?

 

You had such concerns.

 

In such circumstances, in August 2016, you visited our website, made an inquiry, and a selection process was conducted among several companies.

 

Reasons for Choosing Human Science

The process for creation was clearly outlined, and reliable production progress was expected.

 

- Proposal Details

"The process of 'Product Understanding - Table of Contents Design - Sample Production - Writing' was clearly outlined, making it easy to envision the steps and how to proceed. From the results, I felt confident that they could create it reliably while operating the screen, even without specifications."
(Software Development Division, R-PiCS Development Department, Tomotaka Matsushita)

 

Estimate

"The estimate from Human Science was slightly higher than other companies, but it included detailed breakdowns for each task, and the scope of work was clear. It was explicitly stated from the beginning what could and could not be handled, which made me feel that the risk of budget overruns was low."
(Software Development Division, R-PiCS Development Department, Tomotaka Matsushita)

 

Implementation Process

1. Creation of Production Management Manual (Approximately 500 pages in Word)

July 2016 - Kickoff, Table of Contents Design, Sample Presentation

The kickoff was held in July 2016 after budget adjustments, and we coordinated the schedule and approach.

From JBAT

- Actual machine environment (cloud environment)

List of Specifications

We provided you with a draft table of contents and created samples.

 

August 2016 Writing

After receiving feedback on the table of contents draft and sample, we will finalize the policy and proceed to mass production.

We operated the actual system in the demo environment provided in the cloud, progressed with writing and capturing, and completed the manual.

 

November 2016 Delivery

 

2. Creation of Sales Management Manual (Approximately 500 pages in Word)

Started in July 2017 - Delivered in November

The production was carried out using the same process as in the production management section.

Implementation Effects

Reduce Engineer Workload

Successfully outsourced the initial objective of reducing the engineer's workload.

This has led to improvements in manuals that enhance end-user usability and reduce the workload of product support personnel.

Evaluation of Human Science Co., Ltd.

I was concerned about whether an outsider could write the manual, but I am satisfied with the quality.

Given that it is a field that requires specialized knowledge in production management systems, I was concerned about whether "outsiders could write it" and whether "it was necessary to have someone on-site or dispatched to understand the product." However, they understood the specifications from the specification list and the actual machine environment, and they were able to handle it without any issues in a remote environment. I am satisfied with the completion of the manual.

Since you steadily progressed with the production, I was able to confidently entrust you with the "Sales Management Edition" following the "Production Management Edition."

 

Considering that there are areas where data entry is required, I thought it would be better for JBAT to request screen capture data, but in the end, I was able to leave it to you, which was good as it reduced the engineers' workload.

 

Additionally, the estimate was based on the premise of work up to the first proof, but I was grateful for the support in reflecting feedback on the first proof as well.

It was also good to prioritize tasks within the budget.

(Software Development Division, R-PiCS Development Department, Mr. Tomotaka Matsushita)

Related Services

Creation of Manuals and User Guides

Manual Creation In-house Support Service

Manual Evaluation, Analysis, and Improvement Proposal Service

Manual creation seminar and training

Localization

Video Manual Creation