Forms Talk

Have You Made a Long Term Commitment to the Forms Profession?

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

Why are you a member of BFMA? And, if you are not a member, why not? Your answer to this question is important to me and I would really like to hear about it.

I have been doing a lot of analysis recently on BFMA membership patterns over the past 20 years and I find the numbers to be very interesting. Our membership has changed a great deal since 1985 (the year I first joined). We have quite a few members that have been around that whole time, but it seems many members join for a period of time, then drop out. I am sure there are many reasons, but I would like to hear specifically from you regarding your reasons, impressions and opinions.

Would you take a few minutes and send me an email (rkillam@essociatesgroup.com) and tell me why you are, or are not, a member? Is BFMA meeting your expectations? Do you participate for the education? The networking? Both? For some other reason? Please drop me a note and let me know.

BFMA is positioning itself to lead an effort in the US to develop forms management standards and best practices. This process is already well underway in Canada and we believe it will help elevate our profession if we can achieve this in the US. To be successful, we need a lot of participation and involvement from a lot of people. As you know, there is strength in numbers and we need more members if we are to establish credibility for the forms management profession.

Our databases identify more than 10,000 people that are involved in the forms industry throughout the world. We believe this is a fraction of the actual total number of people that analyze, design, develop, produce and deploy forms on an every day basis. So, we have two main issues here. One is to get a larger percentage of the people we have already identified to actually join BFMA. The other is to continue to find other people that are "in" the forms business. You can help is in both of these important areas!

We need you to tell others about BFMA and what we do. Spread the word that this is an important group to belong to. Tell your management that we are committed and dedicated to providing forms and form systems education such that it helps THEM achieve their organizational objectives. It is a win-win for all involved. It doesn’t cost very much to join and participate and the payback is enormous.

Many years ago, I fell in love with the forms business. Eventually, I found BFMA. Now, 20+ years later, I can’t imagine being able to be successful in my job without BFMA, with its education, news updates, and networking capabilities.

Please tell me your story.

Consultant's Help - 5 Cents

By: Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC
Program Council, Director of Education

You know that BFMA Symposium is just the best place to network about forms.  It is easy to strike up a conversation with a classmate or a dinner companion about your work, because we have shared experiences that are helpful.  But what do you do when you have a really sticky issue?  Call in a consultant, of course!

Do you remember Lucy Van Pelt of Peanuts comic strip fame?  When Lucy was in a mood, she would set up her version of a neighborhood lemonade stand, except she didn't sell lemonade.  Instead, Lucy offered "Psychiatric Help - 5 cents."

All good ideas have to start some where, and this is where the Symposium consultant's table originated.  At most coffee breaks there will be a consultant available at our version of a neighborhood stand.  Each consultant is a forms professional with wide ranging industry experience.  Stop by and ask your sticky question, and see what the consultant can do for you.  Don't forget to bring your nickel.

CFSP Exam Scheduled

By: Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC
Program Council, Director of Education

The Certified Form Systems Professional (CFSP) examination is scheduled twice a year, and the next exam period is May 3 - 17.  This means that you can attend the Symposium in Las Vegas and take the exam while you are there!  What a concept!  Imagine, filling your head with the latest knowledge and then taking the exam.  Taking the exam in Las Vegas is the same cost as taking it at home.

The exam period after that will be November 1 - 15.  The next CFSP study group will begin July 31 in preparation for the exam.  This 13-week study group covers all facets of the body of knowledge that is used to develop the exam.    

Reference books sold in the BFMA online bookstore will be available for review at the Symposium registration desk.  This is a great opportunity to beef up your professional library in preparation for the exam.

For additional information, contact me. 

Book Series Begins on User Interface Design

BFMA is extremely fortunate to have a long-standing relationship with one of the most respected authorities on user interface design, Mr. Bill Galitz.  He has recently published the third edition of The Essential Guide to User Interface Design (2007, Wiley Publishing Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, 857 pages). 

Wilbert (Bill) O. Galitz is an internationally respected consultant, author, and instructor with a long and illustrious career in human factors and user-interface design. For many years he conducted a screen design course for BFMA.  Click here for a complete biography.

The article below is the first in a series and is derived from the author’s most recent book, The Essential Guide to User Interface Design.  You can order this book from BFMA.

Fitts’ Law

A common activity in screen or Web page design involves moving a pointer over the screen (using a device such as a mouse or trackball), positioning the pointer over an object or button, and then making a selection to implement the action or the choice presented. A common failing of many screens is inadequately sized buttons for easy human selection. I have seen many pages with buttons scarcely larger than the letter "o" in this article. (In spite of sufficient available space on the page.)

In 1954 a researcher named Paul Fitts studied the relationship between speed of human motor movements and the size and distance of an intended target. The results of this study have since been referred as Fitts’ Law.

Fitts’ Law states that the time to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target. This simply means that the bigger the target is, or the closer the target is, the faster it will be reached. The implications in design are as follows:

Provide large buttons or objects for important functions. Big buttons are better than small buttons. They provide a larger target for the user to access with the screen pointer. Large buttons reduce the need for very precise hand positioning movements.

Locate buttons or objects in the logical sequence of user activities whenever possible. Buttons positioned in the logical sequence of events always result in shorter pointer movements

Take advantage of the "pinning" actions of the sides, top, bottom, and corners of the screen. Create toolbar icons that "bleed" into the edges of a display, rather than those that leave a one-pixel, nonclickable edge along the display boundary. The edge of the screen will stop or "pin" the pointer’s movement at a position over the toolbar, permitting much faster movement to the toolbar. A one-pixel edge will require more careful positioning of the pointer over the toolbar.

Fitts’ Law is one of the most "common-sense" rules for interface design. Tiny and improperly positioned buttons always reduce user speed and increase selection errors. Adequately sized and properly positioned buttons will make the user’s task much easier.

Reference
Fitts, P.M. (1954). "The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement." Journal of Experimental Psychology, 47, 381-391.

New Master Series on Implementing E-Forms

By: Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC
Program Council, Director of Education

Beginning on Thursday, May 15, BFMA will present a six-part Master Series on Implementing E-Forms.  This comprehensive series covers everything from planning for the move to electronic forms, funding it, designing forms, working with IT and everything in between.  Join us for six stimulating presentations from authorities in the field with hands-on experience.

Session 1: May 15, 2008 - Chad Parks, Tessada & Associates
Stages to Plan for When Converting to E-Processes
You began with print forms.  Now you are ready to move up to e-forms.  But what level of e-forms are you really talking about: print-on-demand, fill-and-print, intelligent forms, e-forms with full database connectivity, e-forms with e-signatures or e-forms fully integrated into e-business processes?  Many companies choose to move gradually up through these ranks to defray technology costs and to ease corporate culture shock.  Learn more about the project planning requirements for each level and what types of resistance you can expect to meet along the way.

Session 2: May 22 - Jim Healy, FormRouter, Inc.
Selecting the Best Format for Your Project Scope
The forms and business process professional has a huge array of e-forms formats to choose from:  HTML, XML, ASP, PDF, Excel, Word, Flash and the list goes on.  Walk through this evaluation of the most popular formats to determine which is the best match for the type of e-forms you want to create, for the skill sets available to your team and for the future scalability of your project.

Session 3: May 29 - Duane Nickull, Adobe
Forms Gone Wild:  Electronic Forms Design Considerations
As data collection tools, e-forms aren’t simply the electronic counterparts of their static paper cousins.  What are user expectations with regards to e-forms?  What are some common errors made by e-forms systems designers?  What are some front-end and back-end design elements that can really make your new business processes sing?

Session 4: June 5
Working with IT to Create an RFP and to Define Responsibilities
In most cases, implementing e-forms involves interfacing with your company’s IT department.  Bringing them in at the early stages can help diffuse misunderstanding later in the project.  Learn about the components of an e-form Request for Proposal (RFP), the kind of expectations or reservations IT may have about them, and how to address those concerns.  Breakdown which elements of the project you may be able to handle internally either with help from the vendor or with proper employee training, so that IT is not overburdened and the project flows smoothly.

Session 5: June 12 - Liz Rogers, GlaxcoSmithKline, Inc.
Establishing a Reasonable Projected ROI
Transitioning to e-forms usually requires approval from upper management and upper management needs numbers in order to make a decision.  How much money can your organization save by adopting e-forms?  What are the real costs associated with paper forms processing?  What are the real costs associated with acquiring and implementing e-forms?  Where are the savings and how do you quantify them?  Learn to use real-life metrics for quantifying your projected savings.

Session 6: June 19
Efficiently Serving a Dual Paper/Electronic Environment
Most companies are not fortunate enough to be able to convert to completely electronic processes.  And most forms departments are not lucky enough to double in size just because e-forms were added to their responsibilities.  Learn tips, tricks and shortcuts for maintaining an interconnected load of paper and electronic forms.

BFMA is 50 years old. Think about it, a HALF CENTURY

By: Bill Hill, CFSP, CFC
VP Program Council

How much money has BFMA saved industry and government in 50 years?   It boggles the mind.

Yes, it has been 50 years of educating people to a more efficient way of conducting business. Our knowledge may be the most unappreciated key to successful business processes. If BFMA could collect 1% of all the cost savings people have utilized from our teachings, would there be a bank big enough to hold it all?

Craig Dartnell from Australia has stated it best, "Forms are the lifeblood of business."  Remember, Forms reflect Philosophies, Policies and Procedures or your business/ agency.  Therefore, forms are: Mini Public Relations Statements, Mini Policy Statements and Mini Procedure Manuals.

We have been doing this for a half century. We are celebrating this awesome anniversary at our BFMA Symposium in Las Vegas on May 4 through 8th. Many people think of Las Vegas as a party town, but Las Vegas has also become convention central as numerous conventions are held in Las Vegas every week.

You can look at the website to sign up for the fantastic education opportunities we have available for you. Be sure to define your education path and get management’s approval, as your training will enhance your job performance and your company’s profitability.

Example:  You have a form that takes one minute to complete and 100,000 are completed a year. You learn a concept from a Symposium class that will save 5 seconds in completing each form.    Do the math.   Be amazed at the amount of time you will save in the measurement of an FTE.  You can save days, months, tons of paper, increase return on investment that management never thought could be saved by a person... who just draws lines.

Our history in Video

Yes, this Anniversary celebrates what BFMA has accomplished in 50 years.    Andy Browne has created a video that will display our history over many of these years.   Unfortunately, some of the earliest years are lost to time.     If you have some ancient pictures and wouldn’t mind showing them, bring them along.    

Sunday night at our Ice Breaker, several things will be accomplished.  We will start with industry group meetings and develop networking within our industries as we meet people that share our challenges. We will then have an anniversary cake with a short presentation from our President, Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC.  Ray will introduce the video developed by Andy Browne. We will see people that were involved in developing BFMA and those bringing our organization to today’s level. You will see people that you have heard great stories about but never met. You will see people that look familiar... then realize that some of us old fogies were young at one time... although there are some who seem to never age.

We have an extremely rich history and that will be revealed throughout the video. The video will loop during the night so you can grab people to ask who certain people are that you may have heard something about. In the replaying of the video, the sound will be reduced so those who want to hear more details can, but still allow you to converse with new and old friends.      

We did the same thing at the 50th anniversary of a racing organization I participate in and as the night went on, the enthusiasm grew as more people were asking questions about events on the screen.   This should be no different.    Don’t be afraid to ask someone if they recognize an event on the screen... particularly the more senior people who have the blue ribbon on their nametag.

WE OFFER QUALITY EDUCATION.    WE OFFER A LOOK INTO OUR GOLDEN HISTORY. We also offer an auto museum at the location that can be visited afer events. THIS HAS GOTTA BE ONE OF THE BEST BFMA EVENTS EVER.

If you know former members or know people who know former members, alert them to this event and tell them there is now a special membership for retired forms people.  They need details that are available from headquarters.

They say what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas.   BREAK THE RULES.   BRING HOME WHAT YOU LEARNED IN LAS VEGAS TO MAKE YOUR COMPANY/ AGENCY MORE EFFICIENT!      See you there.

Chapter Activity

Region I Chapter Events

• Wed., April 16, 1 – 2 pm   Cerenade and the BFMA Program Council

NW Washington Chapter Events – (Meeting in Bellevue, WA at 5:30 pm)

• April 10, 2008    LEAP: an eForms RFP Case Study - Karen Albright, Puget Sound Energy
• May 15, 2008    (3rd Thursday) Revolutionize the Way You Manage Your Enterprise Print Spend Processes - Steve Murawski and Mike Presley, WorkflowOne
• June 12, 2008    40th Chapter Anniversary Celebration (50th Association Anniversary), Awards and officer installations. Veterans Roundtable will discuss industry and career changes over last 40 years.

Madison Chapter Event - (Meeting in Madison, WI from 8:30 to noon)

• April 28, 2008    Adobe Acrobat 8.0 and LiveCycle Designer - Joe Chiaro & Julia Towne Mendelson, Adobe Systems