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Process Documentation

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Title: Process Documentation


1
Process Documentation
  • Dr. Zubeeda Quraishy
  • Dept of Informatics
  • University of Oslo, Norway

2
Process Documentation
  • This session provides a practical approach to
    managing and preparing the documentation
    necessary for implementing any system

3
What is Process Documentation?
  • The term was first used in 1978 to refer to a
    pilot project in Phillippines.
  • In this project full time social scientists
    stayed in project villages and made detailed
    observations and documented the process of user
    group (farmers) formation and functioning

4
Basic Objective of Process Documentation
  • To learn from implementation experience and in
    the light of this modify the strategy and
    ultimately, policy(Mosse,1998)
  • (RefMosse, David,1998,Process documentation
    research and process monitoring, in David Mosse,
    John Fennigton and Alan Rew (Eds) Development as
    Process Concepts and Methods for working with
    Complexity, London Routledge, pp 31-53).

5
Process Documentation Research
  • Process Documentation Research done in several
    countries and different context shows that it is
    used more in developing greater capacities for
    managing local resources.
  • In fact PDR is not considered a monitoring
    device alone, but rather as a means to develop
    local communitys capability to plan and build
    institutions to solve the local problems in
    areas/sectors where programme expansions are
    planned.
  • Among the different mechanisms used PD is the
    most intensive among them.

6
ProcessDefination and Implementation
  • Organization Processes should aim to deliver the
    objectives of the organization.
  • Process Definition initiation starts with
    understanding the objectives of the organization,
    mapping the existing processes and then working
    towards closing the gaps that may exist.
  • For ex, need for a situation analysis before
    implementing any systems development or doing
    action research (FHIMS in Andhra Pradesh)

7
Process Implementation
  • A jointly approved Action Plan is defined with
    Priorities, Considerations and Constraints
    pertaining to the organization.
  • Processes are designed to meet the organization's
    Objectives. Automation tools are incorporated
    into the processes wherever appropriate.
  • Process Training and facilitation form a part of
    the mandate.

8
Process Implementation
  • The Process Implementation follows with detailed
    process design, pilot implementation, refinement
    and stabilization.
  • Typically, association with the collaborators
    would continue for a period such that all teams
    have institutionalized their processes.
  • The Internal Quality Assessment and evaluation by
    external agencies can continue subsequently.

9
Why Process Documentation?
  • Most of the process-oriented methodologies are
    meant to record programmes as they occur and feed
    the information back to managers, other
    researchers, policy makers to help them in
    understanding the working of the project better.
  • However there are several other purposes, equally
    important, for which processes are sought and
    they are

10
Need for Process Information
  • Used by agencies undertaking new and complex
    forms as part of expansion of programmes, which
    need understanding about stakeholder
    participation.
  • Such information is often needed to validate the
    approach / programme and consequent policy
    formation.

11
Use of Process Information
  • Such information in the context of inter agency
    collaboration(ex. Govt NGO and community) can
    help determine the conditions necessary for
    effective collaboration and performance.
  • Process monitoring is used to construct
    institutional ethnography.
  • Process monitoring helps provide a framework for
    negotiating meanings, agreements, and validating
    approaches and resolving differences between all
    the component units of the programme.

12
Use of Process Information
  • Anyone developing or working towards creating any
    software is responsible for managing, creating
    and maintaining software process and quality
    system related documentation (e.g.,
    process/quality policies, procedures, forms,
    etc.)

13
Process Documentation IT Sector
  • Among many unappealing tasks(attending late night
    calls, last minute changes to schedule,
    unreasonable customer requests) of IT
    professionals one of them is Process
    Documentation.

14
Importance of Process Documentation
  • An important aspect of any process is the
    documentation that accompanies it,(such as
    logging trouble calls, requesting system changes,
    or executing disaster recovery plans).
  • Many organisations or IT companies develop
    excellent processes but fail to document them
    adequately. After an initially successful
    implementation of the process, many of these
    procedures go unused due to lack of
    documentation, particularly as new staff members
    who are unfamiliar with the process attempt to
    use it.

15
Why Actively Manage the Processes?
  • methodical Process Management can identify
    bottlenecks and inefficiencies that are invisible
    to the organizationand it can find room for
    improvement even in well-refined procedures.

16
Proactively managing the processes can help
organisation to
  • Eliminate flaws
  • Reduce the time spent on a specific tasks
  • Decrease costs
  • Decrease resources associated with any task
  • Improve efficiency
  • Improve overall quality
  • Increase customer and employee satisfaction

17
Proactively managing the processes can help
organisation to
  • Very few techniques are available to quantify the
    quality and value of Process Documentation.

18
Importance of Evaluating the Quality of Process
Documentation
  • In IT sectors and in other organisations where
    the use of processes is essential
  • The purpose of evaluating the quality of content
    is important
  • a.) to show to what degree the material is
    suitable for use.
  • b) to show how important the documentation is to
    the support of the process and how important the
    process is to the support of the business.
  • The quality of the content of documentation is
    evaluated with 10 common characteristics of
    usability

19
Characteristics Denoting Quality Attributes of
Process Documentation
  • Ownership. This characteristic rates the degree
    to which the three key ownership rolesprocess
    owner, documentation custodian, and technical
    writerare clearly identified, understood, and
    supported. For some processes, the same
    individual may have all three roles.

20
(Contd..) Characteristics Denoting Quality
Attributes of Process Documentation
  • Readability This characteristic rates the
    clarity and simplicity of the written
    documentation .
  • The above characteristic especially looks at
    how well the level of the material matches the
    skill and experience level of the audience.

21
(Contd..) Characteristics ...
  • Accuracy. This characteristic rates the technical
    accuracy of the material.

22
(Contd..) Characteristics .
  • Format rates the overall organization of the
    material how easy it is to follow how well it
    keeps a consistent level of technical depth and
    to what degree it documents and describes an
    actual process rather than merely duplicating
    tables, spreadsheets, and metrics.

23
(Contd..) Characteristics ...
  • Accessibility rates the ease or difficulty of
    accessibility.
  • Currency rates to what degree the current
    version of the documentation is up to date and
    the frequency with which it's kept current.

24
(Contd..) Characteristics ...
  • Ease of update rates the relative ease or
    difficulty with which the documentation can be
    updated, including revision dates and
    distribution of new versions.

25
(Contd..) Characteristics.
  • Effectiveness rates the overall usability of the
    documentation, including the use of appropriate
    examples, graphics, color coding, use on multiple
    platforms, and compliance with existing standards
    (if available).
  • Accountability rates to what degree the
    documentation is being read, understood, and
    effectively used all appropriate users are
    identified and held accountable for proper use of
    the documentation.

26
The value of the documentation to the environment
for which it was intended is evaluated using five
common characteristics
  • Criticality of the process Describes how
    critical is the process described by this
    documentation to the success of the organisation
    or business of the company.
  • Frequency of use Describes how frequently the
    documentation is used or referenced.
  • Number of users Describes the approximate number
    of personnel who will likely want or need to use
    this documentation.

27
The value of the documentation to the environment
for which it was intended is evaluated using five
common characteristics
  • Variety of users This characteristic describes
    the variety of different functional areas or
    skill levels of personnel who will likely use
    this documentation.
  • Impact of non-use Describes the level of adverse
    impact that's likely to occur if the
    documentation is not used properly.

28
Different Approaches to Understand Process
  • Field-level activities
  • Meetings
  • Negotiations
  • Decision-taken
  • Planning
  • Implementation of decisions
  • Resolution of differences

29
Methodology for Documenting the Process
  • Use of existing documentary material
  • Records
  • Structured interviews
  • Case studies
  • Reconstruction of events
  • Field-diaries of project staff
  • Video-and audio recordings
  • Newspaper clippings
  • Software development
  • Participant observation of users
  • None of the above methods are new in themselves
    in the social science methodology, but what is
    new is the use to which they are put. (Refer PD
    of HISP implemented in India)

30
In essence Process documentation means and
involves
  • Continuous information gathering over a period of
    the programme / project.
  • Orientation to the present-What is happening
    right now.
  • Monitoring which is action oriented in the sense
    that it is directed towards participants who are
    in a position to read and take immediate action.

31
In essence Process documentation means and
involves
  • The monitoring is inductive and open-ended thus
    broadening the frame of reference. Thus, the
    process information completely breaks away from
    the general image of development projects /
    programmes as closed, static, predictable and
    controllable tech-rational systems(Mosse,199811)
    .

32
Process Documentation
  • Learn how to design, write and organize your
    documentation to best suit your organisation or
    work
  • various documentation structures and access
    medium can be used.

33
Process Documentation
  • How to pay particular attention to managing and
    controlling the outcome of your documentation
    efforts (the documentation authorities,
    distribution, amendments, identification,...).
  • Ideas that evolve from the documentation and
    maintaining its alignment with changing needs
    should be paid attention. 

34
Points to note in Developing a Process
Documenatation
  • Develop an action plan to manage the creation of
    a policy and process documentation system that
    effectively prescribes action and expedites
    efforts
  • Design a documentation structure suited to your
    business needs and organizational size.
  • Analyze the potential of process documentation
    verses training material.

35
Points to note in Developing a Process
Documenatation
  • Learn various ways to organize and express your
    organisations goals or companys expectations
    for example, your company's quality policy
    statement (re ISO 9001), operational policies.
  • (The ISO organization was established by European
    countries as a way to certify the quality control
    systems of companies across international
    boundaries)
  • Examine the merits of various structures and
    styles to compose/access both policy and process
    documentation (e.g., procedures and their job
    aids).
  • Discover the key criteria to keeping it simple.
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