Procedure Professionals Association Announcement

P&P SIG Members, Mr. Mike Brewer of the Procedure Professionals Association has provided this post.  Our SIG has members in common with these folks, and lots of professional interests in common.  Their Symposium sure looks interesting.


 

The Procedure Professionals Association will host the 29th Annual Procedure Symposium at the Opal Sands Resort on Clearwater Beach June 20 through 22, 2017. In this format, we will continue to provide a forum for professionals in procedure writing, administration and control to obtain the latest information regarding procedures and the procedure process. The technical program will consist of formal presentations as well as facilitated breakout sessions. As is customary, we will have a strong focus on providing greater and more diverse networking and benchmarking opportunities. All levels of management, procedure writers, work planners, procedure administrators, training specialists, and procedure users will benefit by attending the specialized breakout sessions that deal with the issues related to their specific areas.

We will also offer the full PPA Writer Certification Training Course in conjunction with symposium attendance. With an emphasis on human factors and classroom exercises, this training focuses on the following technical writing objectives:

 

  • Documents are organized using a hierarchical structure.
  • A human factored layout and format is consistently applied to all documents.
  • Instructions enable action, achieve compliance, and minimize the potential for error.
  • Instructions are written clearly, concisely, and consistently using standard American English.

 

For additional information, please visit the Procedure Professionals Association at www.ppaweb.org or contact Carolee Schmidt at cschmidt@ppaweb.org.

 

— Posted on behalf of Mr. Mike Brewer of the Procedure Professionals Association.

P&P SIG Call for Progression Session Speakers

Next year’s 2017 STC Technical Communication Summit will be held 7-10 May in Washington, DC. (National Harbor, MD).

The Policies and Procedures SIG plans to submit a proposal to present “Topics In Policies and Procedures” in the Progression Session format at the 2017 STC Summit.  P&P SIG is looking for presenters (and their topics). We’d like you to join our proposal!  If you plan to attend the conference and have an idea for a topic, we’d like you to develop your topic and present as part of our Progression Session.

We’d especially like to invite the SIG members from the former QPI and ES&H SIGs to join with P&P SIG and present with us in Washington, DC

Any STC member may join our proposal.  But you will have to act soon; the deadline for submission is 12 September 2016. I will need your information no later 09 September 2016. If you are interested, send me as much information as you can right away. mail at dawnell.com.

Of course, we encourage all SIG members to develop and propose their individual Summit topics directly to STC.  If you plan to do that, here is a link to some tips and tricks.  http://notebook.stc.org/tips-for-your-best-ever-summit-proposal

What is a “Progression Session” anyway?

“Progression Session” is a format for an educational session at conference that has as many as 10 different speakers presenting on various topics simultaneously. Each speaker will host a table with a presentation on a topic they have developed from their own area of practice. Attendees will choose a topic and sit at that table to hear a 12-minute presentation about that topic, and then move to another table to hear the next 12-minute presentation. This process repeats 3 times throughout the hour long time slot. This means attendees will hear 3 of the topics presented.

Sessions in this format are very popular and are among the best attended at the conference. Progression sessions are a great way to share a lot of information in a relatively short time. Veteran presenters and new speakers alike can hone their speaking and presenting skills as they present new topics and research.

Subject Matter for Topics

Naturally, we will be looking for topics of relevance to members of our SIGs. But this covers a wide area of related and relevant topics, such as compliance, content management, career development, process improvement, documentation management, and the tools and technologies that we all use in our profession. Of particular interest are case studies and success stories that would benefit our attendees and members.

How to Join our Progression Session

Send me your information as soon as possible and I will submit the proposal. Send me as much information as you have right away.  mail@dawnell.com

You will need the following information:

* Your name and contact information

* Working title for your topic.

* A short abstract or description of your topic

* A short professional bio about you, especially about any speaking or presenting experiences you may have had.

* Any further details about your topic, such as an outline or graphics (if you have them).

More information is better, but even if your presentation is not fully developed, please DO propose it anyway!

* Be sure to mention any SIG affiliations you may have.

Summit link:  http://summit.stc.org/

Any questions … email me!

Dawnell Claessen, Co-Manager, P&P SIG

mail@dawnell.com

The P&P SIG is pleased to announce a free webinar for our members!

Webinar 28 September 2016 – So mark your calendars!

The P&P SIG is pleased to announce a free webinar for our members!

6 Steps to Writing Effective Procedures

Introduction This topic is a brief description of 6 Steps to Writing Effective Procedures, the presentation that Information Mapping’s David Singer will deliver to the STC Special Interest Group on Policies and Procedures on September 28, 2016.
Presentation Description  

The Information Mapping Method is an internationally recognized content standard that makes information easier to write, easier to access and easier to understand. 6 Steps to Writing Effective Procedures introduces the fundamental concepts of the Method. Using real-world documentation samples to illustrate key points, the presentation emphasizes practical strategies that attendees can apply immediately to improve the quality and usability of procedures.

6 Steps to Writing Effective Procedures is approximately 40 minutes long and is followed by a question and answer session.

For those not familiar with Information Mapping, our presenter, David Singer, suggests P&P SIG Members visit the link below and sign up and view the free “Information Mapping: What is? Why Use it?” webinar.

http://www.informationmapping-webinars.com/webinar1/webinar-register.php?trackingID1=home&trackingID2=all_events&landingpage=default&expiration=default

About our presenter / speaker:

David Singer

Content Development Manager, Information Mapping US

 

David Singer’s Background
David Singer has more than 30 years of experience helping organizations achieve better control over their business-critical information. In the early 1980’s, he joined Information Mapping, Inc., founded by Robert E. Horn to bring the Information Mapping® Method for structured authoring to the marketplace. The Method is now a content standard within large enterprises and government entities around the world, and more than 600,000 people have been trained to use Information Mapping techniques.

 

David has held several positions within the Information Mapping organization. He is currently Content Development Manager at Information Mapping US, writing and speaking to audiences all over the country about content management and the Information Mapping Method. David frequently addresses these and other topics in the Information Mapping blog.

 

 

P&P SIG Webinar

Wednesday, 02 December 2015
12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Eastern Daylight time, USA

Using Zoupio for Publishing Policies and Procedures

This webinar focuses on using Zoupio by Lexum for internal publishing of policies and procedure documents sourced from MS Word files. Throughout many organizations, Word is the preferred drafting platform. See how Zoupio (SaaS) can propel that Word file to the next web level (hosted & mobile ready responsive design).

By the end of the webinar, you will have learned how process and publish text-heavy documents with Zoupio from MS Word files. We’ll show you how to facilitate web publishing from those Word files as well as the general best practices of web publishing for text-heavy documents.

One lucky attendee will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Register now to attend.
Send an email to mail@dawnell.com for instructions on how to join the webinar.
This webinar is free for STC Policies & Procedures SIG members.
Not a P&P SIG member? Current STC members can join this SIG for only $10.

For over 20 years, Lexum has enabled the web publishing of tens of millions of pages of content, both on the public internet and client intranets with private industry, professional editors, international & domestic government entities, education, legal and medical sectors as well as the telecommunications industry.

Summit ’15 is 21 -24 June in Columbus, Ohio. P&P SIG will be there!

The Policies and Procedures SIG is gearing up for another great Conference in Columbus, Ohio NEXT WEEK! Below is a quick preview of P&P SIG-related and SIG-sponsored events, as well as a selection of sessions that may be of interest to policies and procedures professionals.  Check your Conference Program for times and locations of other sessions.

 Sunday, June 21

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Leadership Program

5:30 – 6:45 p.m. Opening Keynote (Nancy Duarte)

Regency Ballroom

7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Welcome Reception and EXPO

Monday, June 22

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. Progression: Business Management Topics

  • Solving People Problems (Beth Agnew)
  • Communicating with Clout: Enhancing Your Organizational Power (Liz Herman)
  • Approvals: How High (or Low) Should You Go? (Emily Kowal)
  • Simple Scheduling: Tracking Projects in Excel (Mike Sawyer)
  • Copyright Licensing for Review and Reuse (Dylan Tuttle)

Regency Ballroom

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. 6 Steps to Writing Effective Procedures (David Singer)

Union A

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Annual P&P SIG Business Meeting.  This is our only face to face meeting of the year. Every SIG member is invited (and encouraged) to attend and participate. We will provide attending SIG leaders, members and volunteers a report and we will hear SIG news, stats and make our plans for the coming SIG year. Directly after our meeting, we will adjourn to lunch at Market Stand Café in our hotel for a networking lunch. All attendees and guests are welcome to join us for lunch at this modest priced restaurant. The SIG will buy lunch for P&P SIG members who attend our business meeting.

1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Information Design for Technical Communicators (Linda Oestrich)

Delaware A

3:45 – 4:30 p.m. Get Out of Your Office: Conducting Successful Site Visits (Rhyne Armstrong)

Franklin A

3:45 – 4:30 p.m. Performing a Global Audit (Leah Guren)

Franklin C

5:00 – 6:00 p.m. STC Annual Business Meeting

Regency Ballroom

Tuesday, June 23

9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Progression: Policy and Procedure Topics

  • Best Practices in Policies and Procedures (Audrey Bezner)
  • Links, References, and Resources for Policy and Procedures Analysts (Dawnell Claessen)
  • Career Development in Policies and Procedures (Emily Kowal)
  • What I Know Versus Reality (Cindy Pao)
  • Getting Started in Policy and Procedure (Jayme Sagan)
  • Technology and Tools in Policy and Procedure (Louise Tincher)

Regency Ballroom

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Communities Reception

Check the P&P SIG table in the exhibition hall for news, flyers, and updates!

Expo Hall

5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Honors Reception

Regency Ballroom

Wednesday, June 24

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. The Secure Communicator (Ben Woelk)

Delaware D

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Closing Keynote (Denise Jacobs)

P&P SIG Progression at Tech Comm Summit

This year’s Tech Comm Summit will be in Columbus, OH 21-24 June 2015. We sure hope you plan on attending.

Here is a link to all the conference particulars: http://summit.stc.org/

The P&P SIG will be there! We will hold our annual meeting and there will be a luncheon. In addition, we will host the following progression session topics:

#1 Dawnell Claessen – Topic: Links, references and resources for policy and procedures analysts. A presentation and discussion of a bibliography of printed and online resources for everyday use in Policy & Procedure.

#2 Emily Kowal – Topic: Career Development in Policies and Procedures. Practical tips and ways to develop your skills set, gain experience and advance your career in Policies and Procedures.

#3 Louise Tincher – Topic: 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.

#4 Jamye Sagan – Topic: Getting Started in Policy and Procedure – What I know now that I wish I’d known then. A presentation and discussion of what I consider my most helpful lessons learned in P&P.

#5 Audrey Bezner -Topic: Best Practices in Policies and Procedures. A set of guidelines and “tips and tricks for policy and procedures analysts to work with.

#6 Cindy Pao – Topic: What I know Versus Reality. What we memorialize in a policy or procedure versus what really happens in the field. Releasing a policy or procedure that has been approved, but was never edited by me. Hurry up and produce this document; wait and wait and wait to release it. What should be versus what the field says.

#7 Sherri Henkin – Topic: Documentation and Compliance: What regulations do you answer to? All industries have regulations, sometimes multiple sets of conflicting regulations. The key to compliance is clear documentation – policies, procedures, and forms, etc.  THIS TOPIC CANCELLED.

P&P SIG Site is Up!

I am thrilled that our new site is finally up! One of our goals with this site is to be more inclusive and encourage our members to visit and to contribute, even if it is just a comment. I hope all P&P SIG Members will visit the new site and tell us what you think!

You will find announcements (P&P SIG webinar next month!) and a link to our discussion lists.

P&P SIG Webinar

SharePoint Information Architecture
Improving the Policy and Procedure Process

Mark your calendar for 16 0ctober 2014 (Thursday)
1:00-2:00 pm eastern time
This webinar is free for P&P SIG Members

Here is a link for more information and to register:

http://more.earley.com/sharepoint-information-architecture-for-policies-procedures

Once you register, you’ll get an email with links and instructions. Be sure to manually mark your calendars.

STC Member Rate is $29

Non Member Rate is $59