New document system helps the money go round
APACS - the British trade organisation that makes sure all our cash, electronic, and plastic payments go smoothly - gets document overhaul.
When we draw cash from an ATM, we take it for granted. We tap in our PIN, pull out the cash and receipt, and hit the nearest cafe for a coffee and sandwich. We don't give it a second thought. It's the same when we flash the plastic in a store or restaurant. And when our wages or other payments appear like magic in our bank account through the BACS electronic clearing system.
Yet a huge amount of sophistication - both in terms of computer networks and people - lies behind all these processes.
The organisation that oversees payments and helps develop infrastructure and security measures is APACS - the Association for Payment Clearing Services. It works with the UK's leading banks and building societies to provide innovation in payment processing. In many respects APACS is the backbone to making our money go around.
Document overhaul
About Sue Yoe
Sue Yoe has managed the IT team at APACS for the past fourteen years. She has recently taken on responsibility for telecoms and facilities management. In July last year she was promoted to director level, and now has a team of 12 to look after.
Before joining APACS, she spent seven years with Standard Chartered Bank, working both in the UK and overseas, and implementing office and IT systems. She completed an MBA in 1998, which she says has proved invaluable to her work.
Not surprisingly, for an organisation that deals with so many complex IT systems, there is a lot of documentation. Last year, this was beginning to look like it needed an overhaul.
APACS had two sets of documentation. One was the computer users' manual, which provided general information for staff about how the IT system works, along with such things as how to book a laptop or what training is available. The other manual covered APACS' internet policy. This was highly structured and outlined a set of rules for staff to follow.
The problem was that there was duplication and overlap between the two.
"We really needed to streamline the manuals, eliminate the duplication, and make them more user friendly," says Sue Yoe, manager of the IT team at APACS. "We also wanted to get the manuals into a better format from an online perspective. I'd written the originals on paper many years ago, so they weren't structured with online access in mind."
Expert touch
Yoe brought in Plain Words to restructure and reformat the manuals. The Berkshire-based documentation experts helped manage the whole project and created one big user-friendly online document.
"It's easier for users to find what they are looking for because it's all in one place, and there are a variety of ways to navigate to the required information," says Yoe. "For example, if you look up something there are related links which take you to more information in other sections of the manual that might also be of interest."
Some parts of the manual link to legal requirements - such as privacy and data protection. APACS legal counsel wrote up an "Information Bytes" section, which the manual links to if a user needs a better understanding of the legal implications of the task they are working on.
"We expect the new manual will reduce calls to the Help Desk," says Yoe. "When you provide clear, easy-to-navigate information, people get far less confused. It let's them get on with the job in hand, without picking up the phone for technical assistance."
The Plain Words eLetter is purely a technology and e-business news source. It does not endorse any of the companies, products, or services that are mentioned in news shorts and articles.
Subscribe to Plain Words' FREE eLetter for a round up of the month's Tech & eBiz news.
now.