Forms Talk

The Forms Management industry is a-changin’ – fast!

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

This year, your Board focused on internal BFMA structure needs. While we have made a lot of progress, we still have a lot more work to do to get the Association positioned for the future. While we continue to work on that, I want to begin working toward our future.

Over the next few months, I plan to write several articles on our industry and to seek your input in providing perspective, identifying trends, developing scenarios and building solutions for this constantly changing environment. These articles will present a concept and encourage you to respond with your own thoughts, ideas and comments. Over time, we will work towards Best Practices and Standards for the Forms Management industry.

The articles will cover the forms management industry, including definitions, history, structure, seminal events, incremental inventions, participants, related associations, notable people, current state, and possible future scenarios. All of this will just be conversation without your participation and active involvement.

Let’s begin with a simple definition. What is a “form” and how is a form different from other documents? Seems like a simple concept. However, lack of an agreed-to definition leads to many, many problems within organizations. Departments go off on their own, claiming that what they develop is not a form, or it is “different” and therefore exempt from forms management requirements. Oh, how often I hear this, particularly from web and application developers. They believe their GUIs (screens) are not forms, but are part of “applications”. The same claims are frequently made by accounting, marketing, sales, etc. It seems the lack of definitions really handicaps all of us.

It doesn’t need to be difficult. For me, I distinguish between documents, forms and records.

A “document” is a container of data. It can be anything, on any media. It is the container that provides context to the data and presents it as information. The more robust and better designed the container, the more context. And context is what the readers of documents need to successfully interact with the document. This applies to billboards, financial statements, books, brochures, pictures, signs – everything!

A “form” is a specialized document that contains fields for the capture and/or display of variable data. It is the presence of these fields that make a form different from all other documents. A form can exist on any media. Pretty simple? I think so.

A “record” is a specific instance of a document, including forms. A record is created when a document is used within a specific transaction. The record can consist of multiple documents within a common transaction. Records can be presented on any media.

My colleagues and I have spent countless hours debating these definitions and have considered all kinds of documents. I can tell you the above definitions hold up pretty well. Of course, there is some gray area (nothing, it seems, is pure black and white!)

Now, I’d like your opinions. Please post them to this article and I will summarize and present in a future newsletter.

Have at it!

Top 10 Stories of 2007

By: Lisa Lee, CEBS, FLMI
VP Administration

Hey, if the big publications can have a top ten list, so can we. What were BFMA’s top stories for the year?

Plan of Action | In May the board approved a comprehensive plan of action to increase communication and members’ opportunities to participate in BFMA, with specific goals and actions for each council plus headquarters. The plan was affirmed at the Fall board meeting. Members began seeing fruit of the plan in November.

Symposium 2007 | The St. Louis symposium in May was packed with 5 tracks of forms education, 68 sessions, 45 speakers and an optional Advanced Training Session on Thursday. BFMA's signature event included new features based on suggestions from members for 'hot topics' and discussion groups. Class sessions received the highest evaluation scores ever, averaging 4.6 out of 5 possible points. Sponsor sessions provided the latest information on their products and services. There was lots of networking, as we found out others had the same challenges that we have. The new Board of Directors was installed at the General Business Meeting. The hotel was right next to the ballpark – we watched a sea of red as Cardinal fans poured in for games. The excitement was contagious! Some of us took those rare spare times to go up into the Arch and tour the museum or other scenic sights in the area.

Membership Reorganization | All members were invited to participate in online meetings. Regional coordinators were added to build chapter activity so that all members can be involved with BFMA on a regular basis.

Master Series | A record-setting number of webinars – 30 – were offered throughout the year, making quality forms education easily available to members and prospects regardless of location, with no travel expense. Topics ranged from forms basics to special interests.

Newsletter | A new online newsletter was launched in November, using a combination of newsletter and blog services. BFMA has a lot of news, and now we have a fabulous way to share that news every month and to interact right away in the blog. No more waiting for Symposium to connect!

From BC Canada to DC USA | Forms Institutes brought 2-day educational programs to forms professionals on both sides of North America in April and October. Brief, online demos by sponsors were piloted and found to be particularly interesting and effective. The program at both events earned high ratings, and attendees especially appreciated the opportunity to discuss common concerns.

Madison Chapter Celebrates 30th Anniversary | Madison’s milestone meeting led to a proclamation from Gov. Doyle of Forms Management Day in the State of Wisconsin! Alice Ladd teamed up with charter members Jim Bennett, Bob Kaether and Joyce Endres to provide an educational walk down memory lane. Ray Killam described the ever-changing forms industry, from the Industrial Revolution to the present, and the possibilities that the future holds. The forms industry is changing with the times.

New CFSPs | Three people passed the exam and gained certification as form systems professionals. BFMA is pleased to recognize Teri Watanabe of Saber Corporation (Portland, OR, USA),  Ann Balak and Shantelle Boatright both of David Thompson Health Region (Red Deer, Alberta, Canada).

New Membership Categories | Two new categories were approved to make it easy for students and retirees to be part of BFMA. What is that song from my Brownie days... Make new friends, but ke-ep the old, one is silver and the other's gold...

Online Meeting Technology | Use expanded to improve Board, Council and education communication.

Did we miss anything? If you know a story that should have been in the Top 10 for 2007 please comment below to add it. On the flip side, what would you like to see in the Top 10 for BFMA in this new year 2008?

New for Jan. 08 - Student & Alumni Memberships

By: Al Howick
VP Chapter & Member Relations

Are you - or do you know - a student studying technology or business process management?  Have you retired from the workforce and want to network / share your knowledge with people in similar industries?

College students taking a minimum of 8 credit hours can now become Student Members of BFMA for an annual fee of $50.  Retirees can now stay networked and share their knowledge as Alumni Members of BFMA for an annual fee of $50.

Anyone who is a current member and qualified in one of the new Member groups can pay the new annual fee at their next renewal.  All Student Members and Alumni Members will have full member benefits.  These include full access to Website resources and discounted registration to all BFMA educational events.

Student and Alumni members will find on-line training opportunities that do not require travel and provide information not available from any other organization.  BFMA uses on-line conference technology to connect people for discussions, education and industry focus groups.  This content supports the business and technology learning at the college level and keeps BFMA members and industry professionals knowledgeable about current trends.

Do not miss the training and networking events that are held face-to-face.  These include chapter events in many areas of the US - Institutes in Canada and the US - and the 'must attend' event, annual Symposium May 08 in Las Vegas.  Educational seminar sessions are paired with exposure to our many sponsors (see BFMA.org for complete details).

Sign up now!  This is so new that the membership application has not been updated yet.  Just identify which of our three membership groups you qualify in - Standard, Student or Alumni.  Contact headquarters or any of the Board members with questions.

Forms Make Front Page News

By: Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC

Program Council, Director of Education

"New form to combat job fraud across US", front page headline from Houston Chronicle, Wednesday December 26, 2007.

What is one of the tools the US government is using to fight document fraud? It is a paper form. According to the Chronicle, the US Federal government implemented a revised I-9 form that "drops five documents from the list that employers could use to verify employees' identities and work eligibility. And, "every employer in America must use a new employment verification form that immigration officials say will help reduce document fraud." Click to read the Chronicle article.

Like the butterfly ballot in the 2000 US presidential election, forms are once again in the headlines. The change to the I-9 represents one of the first defenses in the battle against document fraud used for employee identity and work eligibility. And, all it takes is a paper form.

Have you seen forms in the headlines? Do tell! Add a comment below to share it with us.

Teri Watanabe Speaks About CFSP

By: Teri Watanabe, CFSP

Membership Council, Region I Coordinator

Hello. I’d like to share with you how my name, Teri Watanabe, came to be followed by those four infamous letters “CFSP.” During my recent job search, I hadn’t intended to become a “forms person”; I was looking in the instructional design/corporate training realm. (Then again, at 10 years old, I had thought I was going to be a lawyer — that was before working for lawyers cured me of that desire.) But, through mutual contacts at BFMA headquarters, a local software integration firm came looking for me. I was offered the opportunity to work with a fledgling line of business and shape its future, learn new software, and expand my professional horizons with continued training and development. Everything just so happened to revolve around forms. Look out, forms…here I come!

When I learned that there was such a thing as certification within the forms industry, my manager encouraged me with both training and time. And while my manager wanted to write “Obtain CFSP certification” into my first annual performance goal, I managed to delay it until my second year with the company. I was new to forms, new to the company, and really wanted a way to prepare me for this unexpected career path. I saw CFSP certification as the way to do this.

As a newbie to the forms industry, my background in editing, technical writing, document design, and corporate training served me well in preparing for the exam. I read (and hopefully absorbed) most of the BFMA library resources, as well as soaked up as much Symposium knowledge as I could. However, my contacts within BFMA were the real instructors. Networking with BFMA members and the CFSP Virtual Study Group gave me my true education and (most important of all) emotional support. I would not have attempted the exam without them. The study group was challenging at the beginning; we worked very hard to craft a format and methodology that would best serve rapid acquisition of forms knowledge. Even with all of BFMA’s current resource material, we discovered how big the forms knowledge pool really is. It’s huge! I will ever owe my study buddies eternal thanks for helping me achieve my goal.

The test itself was a computer-based exam with an easy-to-use interface. Four hours is a long time for anything, let alone an examination. I took plenty of breaks (mental and otherwise) to try to stay fresh for the next battery of questions I attempted each hour. Then came the long weeks of waiting for the results.

I remember the day the envelope came (or at least when I opened it). I had just returned from an anniversary trip to Japan with my husband of 12 years. There it was in black and white. I was certified! Those distinguished letters “CFSP” have now graced my business cards, project resumes, and presentations in my daily work in the forms industry. I’m proud to be a “forms person” and even prouder to be a part of the community of forms people within BFMA.

If anyone thinks that studying for certification is difficult, time-consuming, and draining…well, you’re right. It is. But the hard work does pay off — financially, professionally, and in the recognition both inside and outside our industry — and there are plenty of forms people here to help.

It's Less than 4 months away

By: Robin Miller

Program Council, Director of Program Operations

It's Less than 4 months away--are you registered for the 2008 Symposium?
If no, register today and don't delay. Go to www.bfma.org for the registration form and additional information.

BFMA’s Symposium 2008 will be May 4 - 8, 2008 at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Registration fees are:

$1,189.00 for BFMA members
$1,439.00 for non-members which include a complimentary one-year membership

These rates will increase after April 5, 2008.Remember, this is BFMA's 50th Anniversary and we want to celebrate this with all of you.

See you there!

A new year, a new name

By:Justiss Boyer – Cowland

Marketing Council

First of all I would like to thank everyone who participated in helping name the newsletter!  We had some great titles to choose from and it was no easy task, believe me!  The winner is… Forms Talk!  This name was actually submitted by our lovely Lisa Lee, but since she is on the board she has graciously given up her spot at a webinar.  However, we still need to give it away so be on the lookout for your chance to grab it!

The new name has been created into an awesome graphic by a marketing council member, Sarah Richart, as you can see above.

Along with this new name, there are tons of new things going on in the world of forms and we want to use the newsletter as an interactive tool. As technology has expanded, we’ve had to grow and redefine as well and we hope you’ve been doing the same.  There is always a need for an outlet, and I don’t know about you but until I heard about the headline in Houston’s Chronicle, I hadn’t heard of forms being newsworthy enough to be talked about!  But then again, maybe Forms are being talked about and I don’t know!  Not only are we here to share the news, we’re also here to listen!

So how do we use the newsletter as an interactive tool?  When you click on a link from the newsletter it takes you to the BFMA blog, the placeholder for the newsletter articles.  This is where you can read the articles and search for old ones.  We’ve also got calendar information and photo albums!  Add something about: bookmark this site so you can come back throughout the month and check out the comments. Communicate with us first and foremost by leaving a comment.  Just saying hi and giving us an opinion about an article is a great start. Then, if you want to go further, ask a question.  Did you know that when you leave a comment, an email gets sent DIRECTLY to the author of that article?  It is amazing!  So please leave your name and email so we know who you are!!

Blogs, though they have been around for about 10 years or so, have become very popular within the last 3 or 4 years and are gaining momentum every day.  Do you have some favorite blogs you venture to?  Are you new to the blog-scene?  Or maybe you’ve got no clue how to use this thing!  Or better yet, you have your own! Leave a comment, and let us know!  Maybe there are some form blogs out there and we just didn’t know!

Next month I will list a couple blogs I’ve found on the subject of forms. Hey, we might even be reading the same ones!

Meetings, Meetings...all around

By: DJ Brown

Membership Council, Director of Member Relations

Were you there with us? In the last few months, local and region meetings were the happening event for BFMA members! I was so glad to have the opportunity to meet many of you during the meetings. The exciting news is that for most of these meetings we used the online Live Meeting technology. So how did you like the new meeting format and content?

We conducted meetings at the Chapter level and at the Region level. There are many existing active chapters and many chapters revitalizing their activity throughout the various regions. We are working with the Region Coordinators to help these chapters hold local meetings in person and/or online. Have you heard from anyone in your area or from your Region Coordinator yet? We are also working at the Region level to allow those in areas with no local chapter to participate in regular meetings. Eventually these Region areas will resemble the standard chapter structure. The goal is to help you participate by bringing this information and these opportunities to YOU!

Why do some of these meetings overlap? Well, there will be Region meetings for each Region - even if they have active chapters. This allows you to connect with others in your general area of the country and to communicate with your Region Coordinator.

All BFMA members are welcomed to attend any other Region or Chapter meeting. Isn't that a great opportunity!  So watch for topics, demonstrations and presentations posted in the upcoming events of the Newsletter that interest you. Can't find what you're looking for - let us know and we'll get one scheduled!

We will talk to you soon!

Defining Chapter Board Postions...so what do you need me to do?

By: Alice Ladd

Membership Council, Director of Chapter Relations

In follow-up to the Regional and Chapter meetings that DJ Brown had mentioned; we at Membership Council wanted to share some excerpts from the BFMA Operating Guide as well as the Chapter Formation Guide. I encourage each member to review the articles and see how you can develop your membership.

The Chapter President manage and provide general leadership and direction to the functions of the BFMA Chapter, coordinate Chapter communications within the Association and officially represent BFMA locally within the professional community. Some of the duties include but are not limited to:

1.      Coordinates all administrative functions necessary to form the chapter.

2.      Appoints all chairs of committees.

3.      Leads the members in setting objectives and preparing for chartering.

4.      Presides at all meetings of the chapter.

5.      Communicates formation activities to the Regional Vice President and Association Headquarters.

The Chapter Vice President serves as the second highest elected officer of the Chapter. In the absence of the Chapter President, the Vice President shall perform the duties of the Chapter President. Some of the duties include but are not limited to:

1.      May direct the activities of one or more committees during the formation process.

2.      Performs all duties assigned by the President Pro Tem.

3.      Performs the duties of the President Pro Taem in their absence.

The Chapter Secretary serves to receive record and maintain all Chapter records. Maintain necessary correspondence as required for the proper functioning of the Chapter. Some of the duties include but are not limited to:

1.      Records and maintains minutes of chapter formation meetings.

2.      Receives and counts votes on all matters on which voting is required.

3.      Maintains a mailing list of members, potential members and Association members.       

              

The Chapter Treasurer serves as the financial officer of the Chapter. Receive, disburse, retain and account for all moneys from sources outlined in the Chapter Bylaws. Some of the duties include but are not limited to:

1.      Establishes and maintains bank account to handle funds during the chapter formation period (see Section H).

2.      Maintains records showing details or receipts and disbursements.

3.      Receives and reconciles bank statements.

4.      Collects payments for luncheons or dinner meetings.

5.      Prepares treasurers report for presentation at meetings of the chapter.

Our Regional and local Chapters will be holding elections soon, perhaps this is the time that you can volunteer at the Chapter level and become a member of the board. This type of commitment is a wonderful opportunity for you to gain experience, exposure and awareness of what it means to be on a board. Ultimately the decision is yours and how you wish to serve. BFMA is always looking for members who are ready to move onto the BFMA International Board, in other words the sky is the limit!

Got a question? Want to know more? Contact the Membership Council and we will be glad to help. 

Forms Institute and Symposium Programs Ready for You

By: Bill Hill, CFSP, CFC

VP Program Council

Canadian Forms Institute in Ottawa

We now have classes confirmed for the Canadian Forms Institute on March 3rd and 4th. The fee for BFMA members will be $299, non-members for $399. For an additional $75, the non-members may join BFMA to take advantage of our membership benefits and lower costs at future events.   

The classes and speakers are:

·         The Strategic Importance of Forms Management, Ray H Killam, CFSP, CFC

·         Conducting a Systematic Review of Forms, Carol Cousineau

·         Mitigating the Risk of Fraud, David Badilla, CFC

·         Management Reporting – What to Tell Your Management, Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC

·         How Good Business Processes Translate into Good Forms, Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC

·         Why People Make Mistakes on Forms,  Andrea  Doray, M.A. & Kristin Kleimann

·         Canadian General Form Standards, Patricia Dolhan

·         Is it Obsolete?  Are you Sure?,  Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC

Most of these classes were on the Hot Topics lists that have been driving our educational offerings. Again, we have a lineup of high caliber speakers.

I don’t think this has ever occurred before, but we are moving our traveling Forms Institutes from the Capital of one country to the Capital of another country.  Cool.

BFMA  Symposium in Las Vegas

The early registration discount is now a thing of the past, but that does NOT lower the QUALITY of education we will have in Las Vegas. I can’t emphasize enough the excellence of the educational offerings that will be available in Las Vegas. The Program Council, consisting of Director of Education Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC,  Director of Operations Robin Miller and I, developed which we believe is the strongest offering yet for Symposium.

All of this will be published on the website soon.   

I have already been sending pictures to Andy Browne at: andy@browneweb.com.   Have you? If you have pictures or videos of past BFMA Symposium events you want to mail, contact Andy by email and make arraignments.

This will be the Golden Anniversary of BFMA, so we want to make it memorable.    Most important, we will have quality education.   We want more people to come to enjoy the education offered and to partake in this major accomplishment. How many organizations do you know that have lasted this long? Fifty years of teaching people how to improve their business processes. How many billions of dollars have business and government saved through the teachings of this organization???   

When I first entered the forms industry, I had to turn in a savings report. I would document $100,000+ each year.  But, the reporting came to a sudden end, when the Legislature saw my savings report and deducted that from our budget. So we stopped doing savings reports… go figure