Process Documentation

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Process Documentation

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

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Process Documentation

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

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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

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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).

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Proactively managing the processes can help
organisation to

• Very few techniques are available to quantify the
  quality and value of Process Documentation.

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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

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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.

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(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.

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(Contd..) Characteristics ...

• Accuracy. This characteristic rates the technical
  accuracy of the material.

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(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.

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(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.

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(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.

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(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.

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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.

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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.

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Different Approaches to Understand Process

• Field-level activities
• Meetings
• Negotiations
• Decision-taken
• Planning
• Implementation of decisions
• Resolution of differences

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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)

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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.

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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)
  .

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.