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Subject:Re: manual for training and reference From:Steven Brown <stevenabrown -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 2 Nov 2005 08:08:35 -0800 (PST)
Hi Eileen,
Congratulations you lucky dog!
You're in the perfect environment, one in which the
documentation set is used to train employees and not
simply treated as an afterthought. There's no better
way to encourage people to use the documentation than
to force them to use it in a training environment.
I don't think you need to change anything, other than
to continually monitor how the documents are used on
the job to ensure that the information they contain
can be located quickly and efficiently, and that the
information is accurate.
The responsibility of the training team is to identify
learning goals, determine how to present and explain
conceptual and procedural information, and assess how
well the trainees are retaining and using the
information they impart. I would work with them to
help identify the deliverables they need to produce,
such as create high-level outlines, exercises, exams,
etc.
> I write manuals for employees of a financial
> organization. I've now completed a few, and it's
> become clearer how they are being used. First of
> all, they are used as training materials by a
> trainer. Training here provides almost no material
> of their own. Secondly, they are meant as a
> reference if a question comes up during the
> procedure (each manual describes rules and
> procedures for processing a certain transaction
> type). They would also be used for individual
> learning by new employees.
>
> I'm trying to think how to better accomplish both
> goals with one manual.
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