technology and tools in policies and procedures

06/23/15 Policies and Procedures Progression1

Technology and Tools in Policies and Procedures

An overview of some of the technology and tools we use to write, reviews, organize and deliver our

policies and procedures.



Speaker: Louise Tincher• Proposal Manager at UES, Inc.• STC Policies and Procedures SIG: discussion list administrator, web site

migration, membership coordinator• 20 years of experience writing and editing a variety of technical

documentation• Previous: 8 years selling computer systems to small businesses• Projects include (A-Z): avionics, electrical systems, financial services,

government contracts, inventory tracking, hardware, logistics, maintenance, process improvement, proposals, requests for proposals, R&D, RFID, robotics, and software



SoftwareWhen we talk about technology for policies and procedures, we’re mainly talking about computer software. These programs facilitate the key functions for developing and maintaining policies and procedures:• Authoring / Word Processing• Reviewing / Editing • Publishing• Archiving / Managing



Software• Most companies use generic business software. • Microsoft Office is the 600 pound gorilla in the room. • Major competitors include Adobe, Madcap, OpenOffice. • Minor competitors abound. Authoring Reviewing Publishing Archiving• Microsoft Word

and Visio• Adobe

FrameMaker• Corel WordPerfect

and Write• Google Docs • OpenOffice Writer

• Microsoft Word and SharePoint

• Adobe Acrobat• Madcap

Contributor• Softinterface Diff

Doc and Word Doc Diff

• Microsoft Word and Publisher

• Adobe Acrobat and FrameMaker

• Madcap Flare and Doc to Help

• Microsoft SharePoint

• Microsoft Visual Source Safe (obsolete)

• Atlassian Confluence

** This is not an endorsement of these products. **



SoftwareSpecialized software offers benefits, but at a cost in time and money. • EMC Corporation RSA Archer Governance, Risk, and Compliance (

www.emc.com)• Lockpath Keylight Platform for GRC and Infosec (lockpath.com)• NAVEX Global Policy Tech (www.navexglobal.com)• ConvergePoint SharePoint Compliance Software (www.convergepoint.com

)• OnPolicy: Policy Procedures Management Software (www.onpolicy.com • PowerDMS Policy and Procedure Management (www.powerdms.com)• PolicyStat Policy Manager for healthcare (www.policystat.com)• DMEManual for durable medical equipment (www.dmemanual.com)


http://www.emc.com/

http://www.navexglobal.com/

http://www.convergepoint.com/

http://www.onpolicy.com/

http://www.powerdms.com/

http://www.policystat.com/

http://www.dmemanual.com/



SoftwareOther programs identified through an informal survey.• Microsoft Visio for workflows, etc• TechSmith SnagIt for screen captures, etc• BaseCamp and Atlassian JIRA for project management• Desire-2-Learn LMS for developing policies• TortoiseSVN and Alfresco for archiving




SoftwareOther programs for policies and procedures. • Microsoft Visio for workflows, etc• TechSmith SnagIt for screen captures, etc• BaseCamp and Atlassian JIRA for project management• Desire-2-Learn LMS for developing policies• TortoiseSVN and Alfresco for archiving

The landscape changes daily. Check online for the latest reviews of currently available products.• Capterra (www.capterra.com)• CNET (www.cnet.com)• SourceForge (sourceforge.net)

** This is not an endorsement of these products or sites. **

http://www.capterra.com/

http://www.cnet.com/

http://sourceforge.net/



Other Tools: Technical CommunicationUse your technical communication skills to first identify the purpose, audience and requirements, and then address them effectively.• Why does the organization need the policies and/or procedures?• Who or what will dictate and/or formulate the content?• Who will be consuming (using) them, how, and in what context?



Other Tools: BusinessUse business tools to align with organizational goals:• Identify key stakeholders who must be satisfied• How will you measure success?• What are the risks and/or costs of failure?• Do you need to demonstrate compliance?• Establish appropriate life cycle(s) for reviewing and refreshing material• Compare estimated costs to projected return on investment (ROI)



Other Tools: Project-specificOrganizations, industries and/or markets may dictate:• Applicable laws, regulations and standards• Lexicons or glossaries of standard terminology• Taxonomies or classification systems• Style guides for writers and editors

Professional organizations are great resources.• American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE)• And many more



Other Tools: the Bottom LineOther tools are your keys to using the available technology (software, etc) effectively.



Louise [email protected]

Home 937.298.39783304 Carrier Drive

Dayton, Ohio 45429

Society for Technical Communication

Website: www.stc.org

Policies and Procedures Special Interest Group

Website: www.stc-pp.org

Contact Information:

http://www.stc.org/

http://www.stc-pp.org/