Outsourcing the creation of freight logistics system manuals
in a short period of time to reduce the burden of development tasks.

Overview of NTT DATA KANSAI CORPORATION

Established: March 7, 1990

・Capital: 400 million yen

Number of Employees: 1,002 (as of April 1, 2022)

Business Activities：

　・Contracting, sales, and rental of data communication system development and maintenance

　- Contracting, selling, and renting of software or devices related to data communication systems development and maintenance

　・Contracting for construction work related to information systems, other building construction, and equipment installation

　Research, studies, training, consulting, and others related to the above

Freight Forwarding Business System：https://www.nttdata-kansai.co.jp/kaika/

Services Utilized

・Manual Creation Services

Project Overview

-- I understand that you belong to the "First Corporate Division Back Office Solutions Department." Could you please tell me about the work of Mr. Imanishi and Mr. Kodera?

Mr. Imanishi: Among those in charge of back-office solutions, I am responsible for system development for companies engaged in the trade and logistics business. For example, we provide solutions to the trade and logistics industry, including companies in the customs brokerage business that handle export and import procedures.

-- This time, we were approached to create an operation manual for a shipping logistics system for a specific client. Could you please share the background that led to this inquiry?

Mr. Imanishi: The project for this system development was launched in December 2020 and started with a deadline of March 2022. However, in late October 2021, there were two vacancies among the leadership team members. We made adjustments to the project, including personnel replenishment, but during the development work, the manual creation was left hanging. Therefore, we decided to outsource it and contacted Human Science, a company with a proven track record within the NTT Data Group.

I was in a great hurry, so after the meeting, I made the request as is.

-- How was it to actually start the project?

Mr. Kodera: We held a kickoff meeting around mid-December 2021 and provided an explanation of the system operations within a week from the end of December. The schedule was very tight, and by the end of January, we needed to submit a draft version of a 200-page manual, as well as draft versions for each business area weekly from the second to the fourth week of January, with the final version due by the end of February. Despite the short production period, we were grateful that the deadlines were met.

In addition, this time, there was also a unique system called IntraMart from our affiliated company, in addition to the marine cargo system. Although the writers had no prior experience using it, I was impressed by how quickly they grasped the key points regarding what should be included in the manual.

From the perspective of someone who has been involved in this system development work from the beginning, I honestly had concerns about whether it could really be done in just one or two weeks, but I believe that you have created a precise manual that focuses on the key points.

I felt that they are indeed a professional manual specialist.

-- How was the quality of the manual?

Mr. Kodera: Although it is not a perfect score, it is above passing within this limited time. There were some comments from the client afterwards, but those were things that our company had not explained, so there were no issues in other areas.

-- How was the communication aspect?

Mr. Kodera: One area for improvement is that we couldn't talk face-to-face, but I think it would have been better if we had increased the frequency of communication. If we had done that, we could have provided immediate answers to questions about system functions, which would have enhanced the accuracy of the manual.

For example, the submitted manuscript had comments from the writer regarding their questions, and if there were exchanges of questions during the writing process, responding promptly could have improved the accuracy of the manuscript.

-- What is your overall assessment?

Mr. Imanishi: If I were to evaluate the actions of Human Science in the position of project manager, I would be very satisfied with QCD in every aspect. When I opened the first version of the file, I thought, "It's impressive that a manual for a system I've never seen before was delivered at such a short deadline with a draft that meets a certain level of quality in the first version; truly professional work."

A project for feature expansion is scheduled to start in August for this client, so we would like to request Human Science Corporation and the same writer again.

Interview Cooperation:
NTT Data Kansai Corporation
First Corporate Business Division
Back Office Solutions Department
Ms. Mari Imanishi
Mr. Takashi Kodera

Related Services

Creation of Manuals and User Guides