Manual Creation Seminar and In-house Support Case Studies

[Case Study] Creation and Support of In-house Manual for Medical Image Diagnosis System

Customer's Requests and Challenges

We received an inquiry from a company that develops software for hospitals and other medical institutions, requesting for "improvement of manuals" and "standardization of manual creation skills" for their medical image diagnosis system, through our Human Science website.

Previously, software developers were responsible for creating manuals, but since 3 years ago, we have built a team of 3 dedicated manual creators and have been creating them in-house.

However, they were facing challenges such as "the manual is difficult to understand", "I don't know where to fix it", and "the skills of the person in charge are inconsistent".

Therefore, we received an inquiry through our website after the viewer saw our webpage "Your Manual Will Change! 6 Tips for Improvement http://www.science.co.jp/document/special.html" and felt a connection with the direction our manuals aim for.

5 STEP of Proposal

After receiving your inquiry, we will have several meetings to discuss and propose the following process to achieve "Manual Review""Improvement of Manual Creation Skills"
"Standardization of In-house Manual Production".

STEP1 Hearing

When creating a manual, the first key point to keep in mind is the "purpose of the manual".

We first confirmed whether the current manual is suitable for its purpose, and then determined the "direction to aim for" to fulfill the "purpose of the manual" by first asking about basic information such as the "target user" and "user's manual usage situation" for the purpose of the manual.

In addition, Human Science conducted interviews to understand the current situation of our clients and how we can support them with in-house manual creation and operation, including their internal manual creation and operation system and any issues they are aware of.

STEP2 Manual Analysis

After conducting a hearing in STEP1, we received and analyzed/evaluated the current manual.

　　

Manual Analysis Evaluation (Click to Enlarge)

Even though our clients have put in effort and there are no major issues with the content itself, we have suggested improving the way the table of contents and headings are organized and designed in order to enhance the ease of finding and readability of information.

Goal Setting for Improvement

STEP 3 Seminar

Based on the curriculum, improve the problems of the current manual through manual evaluation in STEP2.

We held our first seminar in December 2013.

1st Manual Creation Seminar

Before the seminar, in addition to evaluating the current manual, a "Skill Assessment Check Test" is conducted to measure individual skills.

The purpose is to identify key topics to be covered in seminars by analyzing customer-created manuals and conducting skill assessment checks, in order to further enhance the effectiveness of the seminars.

We have created a participatory training program that combines lectures, exercises, and discussions to further enhance knowledge and skills through the act of "thinking, writing, and speaking."

　　　　

Skill Check Evaluation Report and Seminar Curriculum (Click to Expand)

STEP 4 Design/Development/Creation

After the manual creation seminar, the next phase is actually to "improve the manual" and "upgrade the customer's creation skills."

To achieve these two goals, we proposed a process of collaborative writing for one manual.

By having the customer write chapters 1 and 2, and Human Science perform proofreading, and having Human Science write chapters 3 and 4, and the customer perform proofreading, we can put into practice the writing techniques learned in the seminar through actual production.

The DTP designer at Human Science has revamped the Word-based design for manual design.

"Ease of viewing" and "appearance" were taken into consideration, as well as the "ease of updating" when customers are in-house, and joint writing was done with a new template.

STEP5 Standardization Operation and Maintenance

After creating one manual, the release of other product manuals will continue.

We have created standardization guidelines to maintain the quality of our manuals.

Writing Guidelines

We have extracted expressions and terms that should be unified and created our own writing conventions for characters and terms.

Prevent variations in expressions and terminology during writing and revision by multiple responsible parties, and achieve uniform quality.

Design Template

We have prepared a Word template that even customers can update.

Styled chapter titles, section titles, subheadings, and procedures, and configured quick parts.

We have been continuously improving the template based on feedback from our customers to make it more user-friendly.

Schedule for STEP1 to 5

Customer Feedback

Before starting the transaction, we consulted several manual creation companies, but...

- Easy to communicate closely and easy to consult

- The roadmap to achieving the goals of manual improvement and skill enhancement is specific.

- The image of how much the manual will improve is the clearest.

We have decided on Human Science for the following reasons.

Until now, we had been creating manuals by trial and error, but through joint writing of seminars and manuals, not only have the manuals been improved, but we have also been able to understand the "ideal form" of manuals and improve our own skills.

In both seminars and manual creation, Human Science's charm is that they always follow up by reflecting on whether the skills have been established and if there are any improvements to be made, rather than just leaving it as is.

The development department has also received positive feedback, saying "The manual has become easier to read and understand."

Related Services

Manual Creation

Manual In-house Support

Manual Improvement