Designing Patient Records: Organisational Requirements And Legal Compliance

How do the provisions of privacy and freedom of information legislation and regulations impact organisational requirements for storage and dissemination of patient records?

What is one technique you can use to identify what documents are currently used in the existing patient records system and require templates?

Identifying Relevant Documents

1.A hospital is developing templates for their patient records system. The various documents are accessed and/or used by medical and administrative staff, patients and their families. What are two general organisational requirements the hospital has established for design and production of these documents?

Standardisation and consistency across all production methods and document layouts.

Document design meets organisational strategic and business planning requirements. ?

Documents are tailored to meet individual employee job roles and customer service outcomes.

Information is able to be entered easily by users and stored in an accessible location.  

2.The hospital has well-established document and record management policies and procedures. How will they aid document design and production?

They establish clear guidelines for levels of document security, dissemination of patient information, formats for patient records and describe production processes.

They identify when, where and how documents are used, storage requirements and restrictions and version control processes.  

They define organisational terminology used in patient records, establish legislative requirements and describe scenarios documents are to be used in.

They provide step-by-step procedures for document use which guides formatting and content standards.

3.Patient records must comply with a range of legislative requirements. How do the provisions of privacy and freedom of information legislation and regulations impact organisational requirements for storage and dissemination of patient records?

Privacy legislation requires patient records to be secured in locked filing cabinets while freedom of information ensures patients and their families can access personal records.

All medical and personal records for a patient must be held in patients’ rooms or nursing stations so they can access them at any time.

Both legislations require the hospital to develop control documentation so staff can monitor the use, storage, dissemination and destruction of patient records.

Patient records must be stored securely, access restricted and have processes in place controlling dissemination of records and information to others.  Correct

4.What is one technique you can use to identify what documents are currently used in the existing patient records system and require templates?

Ask employees who currently use or maintain the records system.  Correct

Investigate types of patient records online.

Discuss document and information needs with patients.

5.Maintaining the new, updated patient record system might be beyond the capabilities of the hospital’s current information technology. What basic capabilities do you need to investigate?

If existing internal and external storage devices have the capacity to store documents in all types of formats.

Organisational Requirements for Document Design

If the existing computer hardware and software applications are able to process, display, operate and store the documents you plan to develop.

If current hardware and software systems have the ability for users to access, update and store documents via the internet when not physically at the hospital.

If system upgrades are available, at what cost and installation times so you can make recommendations to the Board.

6.Which statement best describes the general capabilities and applications of word processing software?

It is used to create visual communication documents that use graphics and images as well as text.

Text, images, information and other content are inserted into slides that are displayed as a slide show.

Information and data is displayed and manipulated in rows, columns and cells. It analyses data by applying preset or user-defined formulas.

Uses features such as text editing, basic desktop publishing and language checking and correction to create and edit documents.  Correct

7.What external sources of expertise are available to help you identify organisational and information technology requirements?

Administration staff, other managers, software support staff.

Government advisory bodies, health industry employer associations and medical specialists.

Software and hardware suppliers, graphic designers, health industry consultants.  

External users such as clients, patients, customers, suppliers, medical practitioners.

8.What are three expenses you need to identify at the planning stage of the document design and development process?

Recruitment and labour, information technology and printing.

Computer system hardware and software purchases, upgrades and training.

Fees and charges for external service providers, consultants and contractors.

9.Which of the following are examples of organisational standards that must be established for documentation?

Quality controls, record management, output processes, design elements.

Design tasks, layout options, production timelines, style guides.

Software capabilities, user interfaces, access and security procedures.  

Language, images and graphics, production processes, security.

10.What is the role of an organisational style guide?

It establishes document design and content rules and standards which can be applied across an organisation and within a document.  

It assigns formatting standards to all types of documents; across all software packages they are developed in.

It defines an organisation’s corporate image by enforcing consistency in the use of images, logos and document layout.  

It guides employees in the correct use of document templates to ensure standards are met consistently across the organisation.

11.The document design process consists of three stages: design, development and production. Which of these tasks is completed in the development stage?

Complying with Legal Requirements

Researching existing documentation and creating the first draft.

Proofreading and producing the final draft.

Producing template masters and variations.

Reviewing and revising the first draft, confirming formatting.

12.How does using a suite of software applications from the same developer (e.g., Microsoft, Apple, Google) aid design and development of templates?

It is cheaper to purchase and use software from the same suite as it reduces staff training and ongoing printing costs.

They offer pre-developed templates which don’t need modification and can be implemented immediately by the business.

Applications from the same suite are integrated, allowing automatic transfer of formatting and design standards between different types of templates.

Completion of design tasks is faster and easier due to consistency in terminology, layouts, functions and toolbars. 

13.What are two easily accessible external sources of assistance you can use if you encounter difficulties when completing design tasks during template development?

Employees and others who currently use the software application.

Information technology help desk and hardware supplier.

The application’s help facility and online support services.  

14.A hospital is developing templates for all documents in its patient records system. A factor in the design process is the document’s general and specific purpose. What is the purpose of a Patient Consent Form signed by patients prior to undergoing any medical procedures?

To detail legal and legislative terms, conditions, rights and responsibilities, and record decisions and agreement.     

To gather patient data, statistics and personal information, and detail legislative standards relevant to the patient and hospital.

To instruct patients on their rights and responsibilities prior to and after a medical event.

To confirm patient agreement to all hospital rules, regulations, standards and procedures.

15.Alignment and proximity are two basic design principles used to enhance the appearance and readability of a document. How do they do this?

They create connections between elements in a document, leading to a more ordered and organised design.  Correct

They ensure consistency in the appearance of design elements by aligning them with margins, page, cell and text box borders.

By aligning text, images and graphics in structured, ordered patterns with similar topics clearly linked by proximity to each other. ?

By balancing and repeating elements of the document in an ordered pattern to create an easily accessible format. ?

16.What is white space and how does it impact readability and appearance?

It is the space around, above and below text characters. If individual characters are too close, text is harder to read and documents look cluttered.

Investigating Technology Capabilities

It is the blank space around document design elements. It makes documents more visually appealing and focuses the reader’s attention on its contents.    

White space is the area between an image or graphic and surrounding text. The amount of white space determines the size and amount of text on a page.

White space is used to balance design elements in symmetrical patterns so the document looks organised, ordered and linked to related topics and information.

17.The hospital is in the testing phase for their Patient Consent Form template. They want to complete other tests to identify any issues before field testing it. Considering the purpose of the document (as identified in Q4), which method would provide relevant feedback

Checked by the relevant government body (e.g., Department of Health)

Checked by an external graphic design company.

Evaluated by their expert legal advisors. 

18.Testing feedback has indicated some of the wording in the Patient Consent Form template must be revised to meet legal and organisational requirements. What is the process for amending the template?

Return the template to Stage 1 of the production process, make all necessary changes and complete all other stages and steps in the process. ?

Make amendments to the template, finalise template masters and commence implementation procedures. ?

Make amendments, proofread changes and test the template again to ensure it meets requirements and standards  

Complete all other testing processes, return the template to Stage 3 of the document production process, make all necessary changes and finalise template design.

19.What is a macro and why are they used in document design and development?

A series of instructions that perform complex functions or calculations in spreadsheet and word processing applications to reduce the number of user errors.

A single instruction that automatically completes a series of instructions at the same time to automate repetitive tasks and improve document usefulness.  

A range of icons that allow developers to easily perform complex image design tasks in presentation slides and desktop published documents.  

An automated process that can be embedded into templates to ensure users cannot change formatting, layouts and styles without appropriate approval.

20.How can the advanced word processing function ‘form fields’ improve the usefulness of a template?

Form fields import data from other documents into the template. It speeds up document creation and reduces errors by using pre-tested material.

Form fields are pre-formatted text boxes that document users fill in to gain access to other advanced template design features.

Document Design Best Practices

Form fields identify what type and where document users must enter information, ensuring accurate, appropriate data is gathered. Correct

Form fields use tick boxes, rating scales and true/false responses to indicate responses to preset questions in surveys and tests. It speeds up completion and ensures responses to all questions.

21.A hospital is developing templates for all documents in its patient records system. One template is a Patient Consent Form. It details legal rights, responsibilities, obligations and waivers and is signed by patients prior to undergoing any medical procedures. Which two advanced functions would be used to automate certain features in this template?

Formatting and style macros and text linking function.

Form field function and formula macros.

Text merge and import functions.  

Margin and page layout macros and text merge function.

22.You are about to test advanced functions embedded in the Patient Consent Form. Why is it important you test the operation of macros and other advanced features used in this template?

To make sure they respond correctly in all types of situations and scenarios, the advanced features are user-friendly and macros complete all calculations correctly.

Macros and other functions should be tested at the same time as all other aspects of the template to make sure they meet organisational style guide standards. ?

To make sure they perform the task or function as expected, in the correct manner without affecting overall document design and purpose.  Correct

It is important in case the advanced features and macros have not been embedded into the document correctly as this will reduce the template’s functionality. ?

23.Which of the following testing methods will give you feedback about the operation and effectiveness of macros and other advanced functions used in the Patient Consent Form?

24.A hospital is developing templates for all documents in its patient records system. One template is a Patient Consent Form. It details legal rights, responsibilities, obligations and waivers and is signed by patients prior to undergoing any medical procedures. You have to prepare written notes for medical staff to explain how and when the form is completed. Which of the following is the best format to use?

Training documentation including PowerPoint presentation and trainer notes.

A step-by step procedure with introductory explanation of uses.    

An informal explanation written as a blog located on the hospital intranet.

25.What techniques can you use when developing explanatory notes for the Patient Consent Form template to make sure it meets the needs of its intended audience?

External Sources of Expertise

Present all information using dot points for easy assimilation, include pictures of every single step in the process and a pre-completed form for comparison.

Prepare explanatory notes in different formats to meet different users needs, such as a procedure, a flow chart and a video.

Use a writing style that’s appropriate for your audience, keep sentences short and use visual aids if necessary. Correct

Determine who the notes are being developed for, and when and how they will be used before commencing writing.

26.The new patient record templates are about to be implemented. The administrative team that maintains patient records need to learn how to access, use and store the new templates. Knowing that there is a limited budget, what type of program would you develop for these experienced, long-term employees?

A generic group program presented as general information sessions.

A tailored group program that covers template processes.

An individual program tailored to each employee’s identified knowledge gaps.

An individual program designed to encompass procedures for all new templates.

27.A new employee has joined the administration team three months after the templates have been implemented and staff training completed. The only learning aids developed at this point are written procedures. Based on this information, which of the following learning and development activities will you implement to help the new employee learn how to use the templates correctly?

28.What are two costs directly associated with the implementation of standard documentation?

Payroll and lost production. 

Fees and charges for external training providers and contractors.

Document production and office equipment.  

Printing and archiving of obsolete documents.

29.What are two basic procedures that should be followed when creating master templates?

Master templates must be stored in both electronic and hard copies to ensure they are accessible to all staff.

Master templates should have file and formatting protections in place and must be named using organisational naming conventions.

All master templates created using word processing or desktop publishing software should be saved as PDF files to protect template formatting.

All master templates that contain macros must be protected and given a higher security clearance to protect automated formatting and data.

30.The new Patient Consent Form has a version control number in its footer and file name. What is the purpose of this numbering system?

To track changes and make sure the most up-to-date version of a template is being used.    

To monitor usage of the template by counting the number of times it is downloaded and by whom.

Expenses to Consider

It indicates what stage the template is at in the document design process so designers and users know which documents are ready for implementation.

It is used to track and store templates correctly by using numbers to indicate the section, department, work area and team the template is used by.

31.A hospital has recently developed and implemented templates for documents in its patient records system. Which technique can you use to monitor if employees are using the templates and macros during the first three months after implementation?

Record number of requests received for further training and development on using the templates or their advanced features.

Email all hospital staff on a regular basis and request feedback on when and how they use the patient records templates.

Monitor type and amount of feedback and queries received from staff via email, telephone and face-to-face conversations.    

Develop and distribute monthly formal surveys to all administrative staff requesting feedback on usage and effectiveness of the templates.

32.It’s three months after the patient records templates were implemented. You want to check the quality of documents produced using these templates. Which of the following is an effective method of evaluating document quality at this point in time?

Conduct an audit on all printed and electronic documents developed from the templates.

Ask all employees who use the templates to complete a survey that evaluates the effectiveness of the templates and the documents produced from it.

Interview a random sample of patients to gain feedback on the useability, readability and appearance of documents and to evaluate design standards.

Check a random sample of completed documents against organisational and template standards and style guides.   

33.How often should documentation standards and templates be reviewed against the hospital’s organisational needs?

As required by organisational policies and procedures or continuous improvement processes. 

Every time relevant legislation and regulations are updated.

Templates should be constantly under review to ensure they meet all organisational requirements.  

When requested by users and other stakeholders.

34.After a review process was completed, a number of templates had to be modified to improve performance. Two had significant changes made to their layout and macros used in them. How should these changes be planned and implemented?

 As the templates had significant modifications, they should go through all stages of the document production process to ensure they meet style and design standards.

Review the templates to gain feedback on the changes, then finalised, updated templates communicated to all users and affected stakeholders. (Correct)  

Organisational Standards

All modifications must be approved prior to implementation. Once changes are made, updated templates are renamed and saved on the organisation’s intranet.

Proposed improvements to the templates are communicated to stakeholders, approval gained, modifications made, templates reviewed and feedback sought.

Hi, Kelly here. Thanks for helping me with this project! Let’s start with some background information.

Kingfisher Garden Centre has an intranet that’s accessible to all employees in the organisation, both in head office and all of our stores. Until recently, we had only a few basic templates for letters, emails and other common documentation.

Everybody tended to modify the original template to suit their specific purpose. As a result, there is little consistency in our documentation. Just think of all the time that’s been wasted while everyone creates their own documents instead of using a template!

Our marketing manager has started developing style standards for all marketing and advertising materials so we present a consistent, professional brand and public image. My administration team and I plan to do the same for all our other internal and external documents. We are starting with some of the documentation shared by the accounts and purchasing departments.

Kingfisher uses the Microsoft Office suite of software products that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher and Outlook. The business also has accounting, purchasing and POS systems. Head office and each of the stores have high speed A4 laser printers and at least one colour printer. All standard office documentation is printed internally. Large or specialised print orders and high-image marketing documents are printed off-site by a professional printer.

Kingfisher intranet

You should familiarise yourself with the business. Check out background information about the company in the ‘About us’ tab on the Kingfisher intranet. You can also view some of our templates on the Kingfisher intranet. These are drafts we developed some time ago. The templates are located under their relevant topics, for example, Quality Assurance, Human Resources, Finance.

Q1: Based on your learning resource, case study information and business details on the Kingfisher intranet, identify three overall organisational requirements for document design and development processes.

1.Document Design and information entry:

2.It emphasizes on meeting the overall standards that includes goals and value reflection, consistency, meet the requirements, and promoting the business.

3.Information entry and Storage: This section will be determining where, when, and how, the documents are going to be used including the physical and virtual space where the templates will be saved easily and every user can access it normally.

Designing and Developing Templates

4.Output and quality: The output can be described to the means for the determination of the where and how the documents are going to be viewed, sent, used, or produced. Quality can be assured through determining the information entry, design, output, and storage have been integrated.

Q2: When designing and developing documents, you must consider how information will be entered, and storage and output requirements. Over the next few questions, briefly describe considerations you will have to investigate for each of these areas.

What are two information entry requirements you should consider?

1.Templates will be used by the business’ employees

2. Customers filling the templates online or in person

Q3: What is one storage requirement you should consider?

Both the Soft and hard copy of the templates will be considered after complying them with the policies and regulations of the organization developed regarding naming and storage of those templates

Q4: What are two output requirements you should consider?

1.Usage of the template

2.Print location concerning external or internal

Q5: List two policies and procedures that impact the design process for the documents we are going to develop. Briefly describe how they will influence or assist development.

Think about the two departments we are developing documents for (as outlined in the case study information), existing policies and procedures available on the Kingfisher intranet and your learning resource when answering this question

1.Information management: this will be focusing on the auditing, cataloguing, storage, and acquisition. It will be helpful in identifying how and where information and data is being saved and whether it is being stored, manually, or automatically

2.Information security: it will be determining how the data and information related to the operational activities will be stored and secured including the levels of the security classification to the data or information is  being saved.

Q6: List two types of legislation that impact the design and development of the documents we are going to develop. Briefly describe how they will influence or assist development.

Think about the two departments we are developing documents for (as outlined in the case study information), existing policies and procedures available on the Kingfisher intranet and your learning resource when answering this question.

1.Accounting Standards: the principals introduced by the GAAP can be responsible for the defining the content and structure in the template.

2.Freedom of information: according to “the freedom of information Act 1982” is helpful in allowing the associated individuals in manner to requesting the access to the documents related to the personal information

Using Design Principles to Enhance Readability

Q7: Now it’s time to identify documentation shared by the finance department. Can you identify three? Complete the table below and identify each document’s requirements. We’ve already started listing some documents.

1. Document name 2. Purpose 3. Use 4. Information entry 5. Storage 6. Output

Quotation Price estimate for customers Purchasing, garden design, Warblers Manual entry by staff ·Electronic storage

Electronic attachment

Delivery docket Record of delivery details Purchasing, garden centre, Warblers Automatic entry by purchasing system ·Electronic storage

Hard copy in customer file Template external print in self-carbonating duplicate

Client document internal laser printer

1.List of Deliverables A list of all products demanded by the customer Confirmation of a bulk order Manual entry on paper or electronic document Electronic storage hard copy in customer file Printed or written list memo

2.Cash Memo Bill for the purchases made by the customer Breakdown of the total price after delivery of products to the customer Automatic entry by billing machine Electronic storage hard copy in sales file Printed by the billing machine

3.Feedback Form Getting service feedback from customer The customers fill the document and send it back to the company Manual entry on electronic docume

Q1: I mentioned at the start that we are using the Microsoft Office suite of applications. We are going to use Word and Excel to create a lot of our templates. What features do these two software applications have that make them appropriate for developing the templates and documents you identified in Task 1 Q7?

Wide range of editing tools, files can be saved in various formats, easily manipulate the layout and formatting, insert various links, and many more.

Q2: Can you evaluate if the accounting and purchasing department printers have the capabilities we need to print the documents we are developing and meet other organisational requirements? Complete the checklist below.

You’ll need to look at the printer’s specifications to find out its capabilities. Go to the ‘Additional Resources’ folder in the LMS and open Printer Information Bizhub_423. This document outlines general information and specifications. Both departments have the 423 model with separator and finisher options.

 Green highlighted ones are incorrect. Please revise.

Output requirements Has capability?

(Yes or no)

Black and white printing Yes

Colour printing No

Colour scanning Yes

Scanned documents sent directly to shared folders Yes

Sort, staple and hole punch Yes

Duplex printing Yes

Compatible with Windows 2000 Yes

Printer memory = 500GB No

Output paper size A3, A4, A5 Yes

Copy speed above 50 pages per minute (ppm) No

Completing the Design Process

Q3: The marketing department has the same printer. The marketing manager is planning to print a number of their marketing documents in-house in the future rather than use an external professional printer. Can their current printer produce high quality colour materials in a range of paper weights and finishes (matt, gloss, textured)? Explain your response.

Yes it will produce high quality colour materials in different paper weights and finishes as it is one of the basic features of laser printers.

Now that we’ve analysed our requirements, we can establish organisational standards. I’ve been developing the Kingfisher style guide with help from some of my team. Can you help me write a few of the standards?

Go to Kingfisher’s intranet and click on the ‘Quality Assurance’ tab to view the current version of the style guide. To access the intranet, click on this link or copy it into your internet search engine: www.didasko-online.com/kingfisher

1. Security – documentation security standards.
2. Version control – which documents should be version controlled and correct numbering.
3. Number lists – standards for using vertical numbered lists.
4. Dates – standards for appearance, wording and punctuation of calendar dates.

Use Kingfisher’s existing policies and procedures, other standards already established in the style guide and your internet search engine to help you establish appropriate standards for these important topics. If you are searching on the internet, keep in mind we are located in Australia!

Q1: Write organisational standards for document security.

• Security Levels: public, non-confidential, confidential, and restricted access for the types of data or information about to be saved in the templates either in the hard copy or in the soft copy database.  
• It will be ensuring that the electronic documents are being stored as per the division of the security levels stated in the above section and binding the users to access the documents as per their authority and access levels.

Q2: Write organisational standards for version control of templates and documents.

Version of the documents should be updated every week and the change log for the new version should be noted in a separate document. Following can be listed for this sector:

The procedures, policies, records, documents, and forms have to be version controlled. The year and the month needs to be printed at the footer and it should be minimum. The restricted documents should include along with the procedures and policies aligning with the hospital.

Q3: Write organisational procedures for number lists.

The number list should be created in such a way that the listed items are arranged in a chronological / predetermined order. The list should only be created when there are a number of separate items to be added in the same.

The numbers of five digits or more will be represented with commas and no spacing for example 23,000 and so for the four digit numbers such as 5,999, numbers above ten could be represented as numerical value, and finally the numbers could be represented in letters for numbers below 10 such as two, three, four, etc.

Q4: Write organisational procedures for how to write calendar dates that are suitable for a variety of documents and situations, for example, in a letter, sentence, spreadsheet, marketing document or formal report. A minimum of two formats with examples of suitable documentation is required.

First the exact required dates are to be determined and then should be set accordingly to the work calendar. Each of the office formats like spreadsheets, word and others have predefined features to add selected dates to the document as required.

Did the learner successfully demonstrate evidence of their ability to do the following? Assessor comments Completed

Recognised and identified organisational and legislative requirements for information entry, storage, output, and quality of document design and production. Needs resubmission of unsatisfactory questions.

Evaluated organisation’s present and future information technology capability in terms of its impact on document design and production.

Identified types of documents used and required by organisation.

Established documentation standards and design tasks for organisational documents in accordance with information, budget and technology requirements.

Evaluated information from complex texts, including organisational policies and procedures and support sources.

Organised content and selected text type, subject matter and language for written documents to suit a specific audience and purpose.

Selected appropriate communication channel, format, tone and content to suit purpose and audience.

Systematically gathered and analysed relevant information and evaluated options to make informed decisions.

Evaluated organisation’s present and future information technology capability in terms of its impact on document design and production.

Identified types of documents used and required by organisation.

Hi, Kelly again. I’m glad you’re helping me – the process is so much faster when a number of people are working on it. Time to start developing templates for our documents!

Do you remember we are developing templates for documents shared by the accounts and purchasing departments? We’re going to design a letter template to suit the needs of the purchasing team. After discussions with purchasing staff we have identified the following information.

• Letters are sent to existing suppliers, potential new suppliers, businesses seeking to gain supply contracts for their products, contractors and other general communication.
• Letters to existing suppliers often include accounting information such as document numbers (invoice, credit note, etc.) and extracts from accounts (for example, details from invoices) to support account queries.
• Letters to potential new suppliers and contractors often include standard phrasing relating to Kingfisher purchasing agreements.

There are two sample letters in the ‘Additional Resources’ folder in the LMS that have been sent out recently – one is a general communication letter, the other is a letter to a supplier querying an invoice. Go to the ‘Additional Resources’ folder in the LMS and open and open Sample letter 1 and Sample letter 2 to view them.

Task 1: Develop a document style guide

Q1: We’ll start with the format for a general communication letter. Any other letter templates will be developed from this basic design. Complete the table below and identify document styles and standards for the generic template. Use the style standards established in Kingfisher’s style guide in Case Study 1 as a basis for your decisions. Some information has already been completed for you.

Template name: Generic letter

Style / format name Standard Use

Normal Times New Roman, 12 Font, First Line, Double Spacing, Justified Body text

Heading 2 Times New Roman, 13 Font, Bold, No Indent, Double Spacing, Justified Medium level heading

Heading 3 Times New Roman, 12 Font, Bold, No Indent, Double Spacing, Justified Low level paragraph or emphasis heading

Table heading Times New Roman, 12 Font, Bold, No Indent, Double Spacing, Centre Table or text box heading

Bullet Numbered Bulleted list

List paragraph Symbol Bullets Vertical list

Line spacing Double General document line spacing

Justification Justified General text alignment

Margins – top and bottom 1” and 1” Page margin

Margins – left and right 1” and 1” Page margin

Footer Page Number Wording or content of footer

Q2: We also want to convert an existing word document into a spreadsheet template. Go to the ‘Additional Resources’ folder in the LMS and open the Stocktake variance report. This document is only used internally by managers when they calculate variances after stocktakes are completed.

Based on the general format of the Word document and the organisational style guide, complete the table below and identify document styles and standards for a spreadsheet version of this template

Task 2: Define document purpose and audience

Q1: Now that we have established styles and formatting, let’s identify the template’s purpose, audience and required information.

Complete the table for both documents we designed in Task 1 – the letter and stocktake sheet.

To communicate about some secure or necessary information with a particular person or department The letter is for the board executives To whom, by whom, and purpose of the letter

To publish stock details and levels Marketing Department Stock levels

Task 3: Ensure readability and appearance

Q1: It’s important the design techniques you have used enhance the appearance and readability of the letter template. How do the formatting and style decisions made in Task 1 enhance these two features?

Formatting and styles essentially enhance the design and quality of the report. They make it easier for the reader to read and understand the information contained in the document.

-You could have described about features.

Task 4: Evaluate and test document design

One other task on our template to-do list is to create a template for a newsletter for suppliers and other service providers. We’ve never done this before but our HR department produces a monthly staff newsletter that we can use as a starting point.

Go to the ‘Additional Resources’ folder in the LMS. There are two documents titled Kingfisher Newsletter. One is a Microsoft Publisher document, the other a PDF version of the same document. If you have appropriate software, open both versions. If you don’t have Publisher, open the PDF document only.

Q1: Evaluate the newsletter based on the principles of design and organisational style standards. List which design principles and style standards have been met and which are lacking in this sample newsletter.

In the provided newsletter, the information is all cramped as the entire piece is given within a limited document space. Furthermore, the readability of the entire piece is very poor and hence, both of these need to be improved.

However, the layout and content of the newsletter maintains the standard and hence

New version is denoted on the header as it should be in the footer

Word spacing for the second heading is larger and it should be Arial 11

Date should have year

Table heading is also not Bold

Q2: What changes would you make when creating a newsletter template that will enhance appearance and readability while meeting organisational style guide standards?

While creating a newsletter template, the visual hierarchy will be enhanced so that the reader can view the information more clearly. The amount of information within one page will also need to be reduced to prevent congestion. I would have used following changes

Version number will be on the footer Second heading will be of Arial font size 11

Write format dating will be implemented

Table heading will be bold and size 11

Q3: Reviewing purpose and audience and designing the templates are all tasks in Stage 1 of the document production process. The next two tasks in this stage are to create a first draft of the template and review it. Briefly explain what these tasks accomplish at this stage of the production process.

These tasks ensure there are no errors or misinformation in the document. This is the step where the draft is evaluated before the preparation and printing of the entire document is done.

The font size 11 is well visible to the individuals looking at the template and differentiating the headings using the colours as specified in the above font style standard. Different colour allows clear views and much space to target on the words and letters.

Q4: What technique(s) would you use to test the letter template you designed in Task 1?

Some software can test a newsletter template as per user requirements. These software will be used for assessing and testing the letter template.

Following techniques will be used to evaluate the letter template:

Field test and stress test that will be helpful in the on-job testing through entering the standard contents. Again, the stress test will be helpful in the field evaluation through highlighting the potential design faults.

Q5: What type of feedback do you hope to achieve by using the technique(s) listed above?

Each and every detailed feedback including template size, transferability, marking as spam and others can be checked.

Very specific feedback will be needed in manner to consider the feasibility of the template and general changes will be needed to be dealt with for the presentation and development of a successful template

To be completed by the assessor.

Learner’s name: Bikramjit

Did the learner successfully demonstrate evidence of their ability to do the following? Assessor comments Completed

Ensured standard formats and templates suit the purpose, audience and information requirements of each document. Needs resubmission

Ensured document templates enhanced readability and appearance, and met organisational requirements for style and layout.

Tested templates, obtained organisational and user feedback, and made amendments as necessary to ensure maximum efficiency and quality of presentation.

Described document production processes.

Established documentation standards to meet organisational requirements.

We’ve been developing templates for purchasing and accounts. Two of the templates we have developed are generic letter and stocktake sheet templates. At the moment they are only the initial drafts. Now we need to see what advanced software functions we can use to automate some of their functions. These should make them faster and easier for everyone to use.

Let’s revisit some of the situations the letter template is used for.

• Letters are sent to existing suppliers, potential new suppliers, businesses seeking to gain supply contracts for their products, contractors and other general communication.
• Letters to existing suppliers often include accounting information such as document numbers (invoice, credit note, etc.) and extracts from accounts (for example, details from invoices) to support account queries.
• Letters to potential new suppliers and contractors often include standard phrasing relating to Kingfisher purchasing agreements.

The stocktake variance report is only used internally by our managers when they are calculating variances after a stocktake has been completed. It was originally designed to be used in the stores but we think it could be used anywhere (for example, the café, function area, administration, head office) as only the aisle number is a direct store reference. The information from the actual physical product is recorded on another spreadsheet. A feature of our purchasing system is product details can be transposed from its database into spreadsheets.

Let’s see what macros or other functions we can use to make our templates even better

Task 1: Identify and evaluate advanced functions

Q1: What are two software functions you can utilise in the letter template to make it faster and easier to use? Briefly explain their function and how they will enhance the template.

Form Fields, ‘Import and export’ can be utilized within the letter template that will be helpful in contributing the enhancement in the speed of the form filling. This will allow the user to fill the blanks through selecting options form a list in manner to respond the requests made in the form. This will allow the fields in the letter and lock the positions with the template. This will be allowing users to fill the template in an easy and fast manner without any trouble to the individuals.  

Q2: What are two inbuilt functions or macros you can utilise in the stocktake variance report template to automate some aspects of its operation? If you are not sure of the correct names or terminology for some functions, visit this website for assistance: www.excelfunctions.net/.

Export and import, and Merge are the inbuilt functions those could be utilized for providing fast access to the spreadsheets and excel sheets containing various records. This will allow the users to merge the data from different files and thus, analyse the data. Merge function will allow the user to link the mail and its relative data in the spreadsheet.

Following is the list of functions those are favourable for the template development:

Task 2: Test templates

Go to the ‘Additional Resources’ folder in the LMS and open the Generic letter template and Sample letter 1.

Field test the generic template by recreating the sample letter using the template. Don’t forget to save and print the completed letter or use print preview to check layout and appearance. You are not required to submit your completed letter but should save it for future reference.

• How easy or difficult the template is to use

The template was easy to use as all the sections were easily filled by just selecting the macros and will make the process faster.

• Positive features of the template

The template is well structure and every data can be fed to the document and the letter could be thus, allows the user to send letters to more than one user to others.

• Any amendments and changes to be made to maximise efficiency or include necessary information

The body was not margined in well manner however; the blank space could be managed for increasing the efficiency of the template. Even altering the font style size and colour can also be applied for enhancing the appearance of the developed letter.

Q2: Go to the ‘Additional Resources’ folder in the LMS and open the Stocktake variance report template and the Word document titled Sample variance report BBQ.

Field test the stocktake template by entering the details from the Word document into the Excel spreadsheet. If you find some automated calculations don’t perform as expected, check the format of the number data you have entered. You are not required to submit your completed Excel stocktake report but you should save it for future reference.

The results were satisfactory as the calculations were pasted normally however certain letters and digits are overlapping another drawback was that the digits

Did the learner successfully demonstrate evidence of their ability to do the following? Assessor comments Completed

Tested templates, obtained organisational and user feedback, and made amendments as necessary to ensure maximum efficiency and quality of presentation. Needs resubmission

Evaluated complex technical functions of software for their usefulness in automating aspects of standard document production.

Matched requirements of each document with software functions to allow efficient production of documents.

Tested macros to ensure they met the requirements of each document in accordance with documentation standards.

Great work on developing and testing the templates in the last assessment! They are now ready to be implemented across the organisation. The letter template was designed for use in the accounts and purchasing departments but its design is so generic we’ve decided to roll it out across a number of other departments too, such as HR and IT.

We very quickly identified that the stocktake variance report template can be used across all sections and departments within the organisation.

Our next stage is to develop some support materials and decide what training is needed. I’d like you to develop the support materials for the templates you have worked on. Then you can help me develop a training program that encompasses all of the templates the team have developed for the accounts and purchasing areas. More on that shortly. Let’s start with the support materials.

Task 1: Develop support materials

Q1: What written or other format(s) are appropriate to support existing and future users of the templates?

Procedures, instruction manuals, training documentation, flow charts, FAQ section, Blogs, Videos, PowerPoint Presentation, contacting through conference are the ways are the appropriate approaches for future and existing users of the template.

Q2: What are two techniques you can use when developing support materials to make sure they are suitable for their purpose while clearly communicating required information to their intended audience?

Expressing the objectives via key points and systematic explanation are the techniques that can be used.

Generic program and tailored group program that will include the series of information sessions and a program that can be helpful for facilitating the administrator staffs.

Q3: Choose one of the templates you have been working with– the letter template or stocktake variance report. Choose a written support format from your responses Task 1, Q1.

Prepare a written support document for your chosen template. The written document should meet the following criteria.

ðWritten in a manner that is easily understandable to its intended audience.

ðWritten using appropriate formatting (e.g., headings, paragraphs, if a step-by-step guide, then a step numbering system is used).

ðAppropriate language and terminology for the type of document and intended audience.

ðThe document’s content is suitable for its intended use.

ðAll relevant organisational and legislative requirements that impact use of the document are discussed.

ðThe information, instructions or explanations provided in the document enable its intended audience to use the template and any macros.

Save the completed document locally on your computer and name it ‘Case study 4 - Written support materials’. Submit the completed task to your assessor.

Case study – additional information

Let’s start looking at what training our employees might need. We’ve developed a range of new templates and modified others that were generated by our accounting and purchasing systems. This includes inventory control documentation, such as invoices, requisitions, delivery dockets, credit notes and stocktake documentation, supplier and stock lists, and a range of reports, contracts and budgets.

They have all been developed using word processing and spreadsheet software. There are a few desktop published documents (like the supplier newsletter we talked about in Case study 2). However, only two people use those templates and they are the ones who developed them.

Most of these documents are used by employees across the organisation, ranging from staff, frontline and higher managers. Most have only had minor changes made to them as their original format was efficient. A number of the budget, contract and report templates have had macros incorporated into them to increase efficiency.

The most common macro is linking cells and worksheets so information is automatically transferred and updated across all connected formats. Linking and merging has been used in word processed documents for corporate and client information, and standard clauses in contracts, agreements and other documents.

Initially, any training or staff development will be delivered to the purchasing and accounts staff at head office. We will implement it to all store employees soon afterwards with the head office team becoming coaches or mentors.

The purchasing and accounts departments’ busiest periods are the last week and first week of the month when accounts, payments and reports are all prepared and submitted. An accounting team member is on leave for one week in the second week and a new team member is starting in accounts in the third week of the mont

Task 2: Develop and implement training

Q1: The first step is to find out what help and training they need. Based on the case study information, what are two techniques you can use to identify training and staff development needs of the accounting and purchasing teams?

Skill Audits or TNA (training needs analysis) and Management Referral will be needed to implement within the training in manner to identify the needs for the training procedure.

Q2: The results of our training needs evaluation has shown that employees need little training on new templates that are only minor modifications of the existing documentation, however, they need general information about the changes, where they are stored, how to access them, etc.

What type of learning and development activity would you suggest we use to address this need?

Generic program can be recommended as the better approach for mitigating this situation and providing better training programs.

Q3: Six staff and three supervisors or managers have indicated they have limited understanding of the types of macros we have incorporated into our new spreadsheet-based templates and how to use them in budgets, reports or other documentation.

What type(s) of learning and development activity (ies) do you suggest we use to address this need?

• Training will be helpful in addressing the identified issue and thus, it will be helpful in informing them about all the options and selections.

Q4: Over the next few questions, plan how you are going to implement a ‘Macro Magic’ learning program for those who have identified they need assistance. Base your responses on one activity identified in Q3. Remember, at this stage, the program is for head office purchasing and accounting staff.

To start with, when will you run the program? Explain when the program will run, the time period for delivery (number of hours or days) and what factors influenced this decision.

The expectation for the training is to be completed before the complete implementation of the templates thus, the program will run for three months (ninety days) and the operational business will be affecting the decision.

Q5: Where will the program be conducted? Will it be on or off-site? If off-site, what type of venue? Explain what factors influenced this decision.

The program will be conducted on – premises during the development phase in the conference room. The budget invest on the trainer and extra payment to the 

Q6:What resources do you need to run the program? List the physical and human resources required, including any external specialists or support materials.

500$ per hour will be invested, trainer will be needed for the delivery of the program, and physical location will be needed for the communication between the staffs.

Conference room, systems, bigger display, projectors, microphones will be needed.

Task 3: Identify costs

Q1:An important factor to keep in mind when planning our learning and development program and implementing the templates is how much it’s going to cost. Based on your responses to the questions in Task 2, list the types of costs associated with your training program.

Salaries and wages, Lost Production, external training providers, training delivery equipment, and equipment that will be needed to execute the program will be costing the hospital and this budget will be associated with this project.

Q2: We’ve been given a budget for production of the documentation and delivery of ‘Macro Magic’ training to the accounting and purchasing teams.

Go to the ‘Additional Resources’ folder in the LMS and open the Production project budget.

Based on the forecasted expenses for learning and development in the month of October, which department has been allocated significant funds to deliver training programs?

Q3:Why do you think the focus of budget expenses changes from production costs to learning and development in October?

Since the hardware and software was already setup and external contractors had taught enough to the employees who can now teach or coach their juniors. Moreover, with passage of time most of the employees have well learned about the trainings of their sector only.

Task 4: Manage master files

Q1:What is the purpose of a template master?

It is the base for all the templates being developed for the operational activities within the hospital that record the procedures and policies of the management and is itself contained in all the working documents.

Q2: Based on the organisational style guide standards, name the letter and stocktake templates developed in Case study 1. As it’s a newly created template it’s the first version.

Q3:What are two factors you must consider when deciding where to store these templates?

There should be a hard and soft copy of the master template and with the change in the template new templates must be stored in these two forms.

Did the learner successfully demonstrate evidence of their ability to do the following? Assessor comments Completed

Prepared explanatory notes for the use of standard templates and macros using content, format and language style to suit existing and future users. Needs resubmission

Developed and implemented training on the use of standard templates and macros to suit user needs.

Produced, circulated, named and stored master files and printed copies of templates and macros in accordance with organisational requirements.

Identified costs and interpreted budgets relating to the implementation of standard documentation.

Outlined organisational policies and procedures relating to document production.

Task 1: Monitor usage and quality

Q1: How can you monitor usage of the accounting and purchasing templates and documentation we implemented in Case study 4?

Receiving informal feedback through face to face conversion, phone calls and emails or receiving data through interviews, surveys, assistance requests, and meetings and electronic counting of the downloads.

Q2: Briefly describe how you will monitor quality of documents produced using the letter template. Indicate what techniques you will use and how you will evaluate quality.

Evaluating the documents presented through utilizing the template, reviewing random samples and asking employees to send the document copies.

We’ve finished the document production project and we now have over 200 templates for documents used either across the organisation or in specific areas. It’s actually starting to become a little confusing – we have 18 different letter templates alone!

We have just completed a review of our documentation and standards and here are some of the results.

• Template and document names can be confusing when there are multiple similar items.
• Naming conventions are not being applied consistently across all areas of the organisation.
• The Colour 1 – Gold Brown organisational standard is proving to be too light when printed on black and white printers. An alternative colour needs to be considered that is still in keeping with the organisation’s logo and other colour schemes. One option is to use a darker version of the current gold brown standard or choose a new colour scheme. Print quality must be a factor in the decision.
• Record management policies have been updated and version control information located in template footers must now include both version number and date the document was last updated.

Q1: Go to the ‘Additional Resources’ folder in the LMS and open the Kingfisher style guide. This is the same as the version you viewed on the Kingfisher intranet in Topic 2 of this unit.

Where necessary, make decisions about how to resolve any of the issues identified in the case study information. Update organisational standards in the style guide to reflect these changing needs and policies.

Save the updated document locally to your computer as Case study 5 Task 2 - Updated organisational style guide and submit it to your assessor.

Unsatisfactory – review again, some changes needs to be made in document. E.g.Colour palette, Version control.

Q2: Describe what activities or processes you can undertake to resolve quality issues identified in the case study information and improve document quality. How will these steps be implemented to appropriate employees or sections of the organisation?

Each template will be revised with another name as mentioned in the organizational guide. The changes will be made and transferred to the phase 2 where the template formation will be executed again.