Forms Talk

Two Giants

By Lisa Lee, CEBS,FLMI
Association President

In the last two months, the forms management world has lost two dear friends. Carl Brannon passed in September, and Rob Barnett in October. Both of these men were leaders in the field and openly shared their knowledge with others. We are richer for having known them, and we deeply feel their loss.

Carl was an active past president of BFMA. He served on the founding board for the Certified Forms Systems Professional (CFSP) examination sponsored by BFMA, and many other committees. I didn’t know all that when I first met him at Symposium; I was just trying to wrap my head around eforms and knew that Carl had some insight on the subject. Later, I had the benefit of working with him in his role as a forms management consultant. There are few who contributed as much to BFMA over the years as Carl did.

Rob was a leading practitioner, author, teacher, and avid participant on Formspace. As Marvin Beriss observed on Formspace, his contributions covered both forms technology and the user interface. I remember one Symposium when eforms vendors and their products were in transition as they were acquired by other companies. One piece of information that I learned from Rob in a pre-conference industry group discussion that year was valuable enough by itself to justify my attendance. Rob was truly a top forms professional.

Both of these people were thought leaders and frequent presenters at Symposium. They were always willing to help others. This is a characteristic I noticed of BFMAers early on. I think the best tribute we can make to them is to continue that practice, extending help to show the way to others as opportunities arise in our lives. May we extend their legacy as we share the knowledge we have gained with others.

Planning for the Future

By Lisa Lee, CEBS,FLMI
Association President

Fall is here. The season when school resumes and things buckle down at work. We make sure our goals for the current year are accomplished and turn to planning for the new. BFMA’s last conference of the year, the Fall Forms Institute, just came to a close. The final online Master Series for 2009 starts this week, a practical series on PDF forms that will be a great find for many forms departments. Meanwhile, the BFMA program council is looking ahead to develop an educational plan for 2010 with more offerings than ever before that may be useful to consider as you prepare your budget.

You’ll see more on the 2010 plan in this issue of Forms Talk, but the bottom line is to make the excellent programming BFMA is known for more accessible than ever. There will be both in-person and online offerings. The very newest feature will be a traveling tour, to provide local options to participate in live training. Locations for the tour will depend on the desires of members to host the event in their facilities. You’ll hear more on this, but if you are eager to volunteer your site so the tour comes to your city, contact your region coordinator or DJ Brown, VP Membership.

It was my good fortune to be present as this plan took shape. Robin Miller, VP Programs, led the development of a portfolio that includes symposium, institutes, Master Series, certification study groups, and the tour.

(To the right is a picture of Robin and Ray Killam in August.) Much work remains to put the details in place. If you would like to lend a hand to the program council for the 2010 program, please contact Robin directly. You’ll get some first hand experience and professional contacts that can’t be beat.

BFMA’s educational offerings are consistently highly rated by attendees. There are offerings appropriate to those new to the field as well as seasoned forms professionals. You really can’t find better specialized forms training anywhere than at BFMA. We hope that getting information now about coming events will be helpful as you craft your plans and budget for 2010.

So now, let’s toy with thoughts beyond a single year. An acquaintance shared this remarkable video with me. Where might we be in a few years? Clearly, we’re in a time of exponential change. All the more reason to learn and apply principles that endure. While organizations will always need forms in some form (ha ha), there is little doubt that our field will continue to evolve. We must change too. It’s in our interests to keep up on developments and stay in touch with thought leaders to help our organizations in this time of accelerating change.

Demonstrating Contribution

By: Lisa Lee, CEBS, FLMI
President

It used to kind of bug me that our department had to repeatedly explain our function and contributions when new people joined the company. Wouldn’t it be nice if we were simply accepted and didn’t have to sustain this educational effort? What I’ve come to understand is that we’re far from alone in needing to do this and that raising awareness about what our forms management program brings to the organization can be critical in garnering advocates for it.

As an example of another area that must demonstrate value contribution to the organization, consider how many companies have outsourced part or all of their IT function. We’ve seen some of these services go offshore even. What about HR? What about other functions in your organization?

It is the responsibility of executive management to set goals and vision for the company and to align the organization with them. It is our responsibility to articulate to management and our colleagues the strategic role of a forms management program and show how the program contributes to accomplishing those goals and vision.

We can point to results, and report regularly on contributions to productivity, bottom line savings and top line growth. We help the organization by providing tools (forms) to launch new initiatives, implement consistent branding, control costs and improve productivity. We help other employees by handling things they are not experts in – but we are.

Even when our programs are running well, we cannot get complacent about giving visibility to our contributions. If the benefits of the program are not known outside the work unit, over time those contributions will not be known to those who make organizational and budget decisions. This can put the program at risk for budget cuts if decision makers see only the cost of the program, and not its significant contributions.

So, really, the investment in educating others on an ongoing basis is well worth doing, and we’re not the only function that needs to demonstrate value. Plus, the more others understand our role the more they partner with us and become allies, which is rewarding for everybody.

I’d be interested to hear from others on this topic. Do you agree educating others in your organization is important? What kind of things do you do to maintain visibility?  Please add a comment to this article and share your experience.

BFMA Membership and Professional Growth

By: Lisa Lee, CEBS, FLMI
President

BFMA is dedicated to forms professionals and is the only organization of its kind in the world. It offers education specific to our field, so if you are responsible for an organization’s forms, BFMA is really the place to be. You will find experts who have thought about forms to depths you never dreamed of. Developing and deepening expertise helps us to make valuable contributions to our organizations. There’s a lot going on at BFMA that can be of value to you.

What are these opportunities? Some of them are online activities, available right from your desk. Others offer the richness of in-person events. Still others provide leadership opportunities and experience. It is up to you to reach out and take advantage of them.

• Symposium or Institutes – There’s nothing quite as refreshing and stimulating as in-person educational events. I find it recharges my batteries to get out of the workplace and have a chance to get ideas from both the presenters and attendees to improve our forms management program. I have met some outstanding people this way and forms people are often so delighted to find each other. The next such event is the Fall Forms Institute in Chicago. This institute has 3 tracks, is conveniently located, and BFMA is offering some financial help for this event, which will be co-located with 3 other conferences. It promises to be a great inaugural event.
• Chapter meetings – Whether these are online regional meetings or in-person local ones, they usually provide an educational element as well as networking among those attending. Listings are often available in Forms Talk, or watch for personal email notifications, or write to a chapter leader.
• Master Series – These are webinars organized around a particular topic, specific to our field, of course. Since they are delivered online, they are especially helpful for extending your training budget. They are accessible directly from your work site, avoid travel expense, and multiple people from your organization can sit in on the session for the same price.
• Industry groups – These meetings of people in common industry groups allow members to share experiences and information. This is the favorite feature of some members. They are held in person at symposium and by telephone the rest of the year. Non-members can sample one or two of these telephonic meetings before joining.
• Networking – All these people and contacts you make within BFMA can be very handy. When an issue arises in your office, you know other forms professionals to reach out to for perspective and counsel.
• Certification – BFMA, through the Forms Systems Certification Board, provides a certification program. Certification can help demonstrate and increase your credibility, and helps to build visibility for our profession. The next examination period is coming up in November. If you are a seasoned forms professional, this is something to consider.
• FormSpace – This is the closest thing BFMA has to a chat room or bulletin board. If you have a work problem, post a question to FormSpace, and someone in the great forms world out there will have an answer for you. You may have noticed that FormSpace has been active lately, and it is a great resource for peer to peer advice and networking. When you can't wait for Symposium or Institute or Master Series, post to FormSpace for an immediate answer from the industry experts and your peers. You can become informed about these issues yourself by participating in the education programs.

Beyond this, BFMA offers additional opportunities. One of the very real benefits of a professional association is to provide a place to develop leadership skills. These skills can then benefit you in your workplace.

• Give a presentation – if you have expertise in any of the ‘hot topics’ identified by the Program Council, consider becoming a presenter. One clue is that if you look at a topic and think, “Oh, that’s easy” it probably means you’re an expert in it and a colleague could benefit from your knowledge. Speaking opportunities include both online and in person events, so don’t let travel budget limitations prevent you from growing in this way. There’s a lot of learning that happens in preparing and presenting a topic. If you have questions about this, talk them over with someone who is a speaker, or any board member. The deadline for the Call for Presentations for 2010 has just been extended, so you can still get in on this.
• Help make the association go – you could be a coordinator or contributor to the Membership, Program or Marketing Councils, or a chapter leader. Perhaps you could write an article for Forms Talk. It takes many contributors to support the activity of this active association. There is no need to wait to be asked; pick up the phone or email to get started. If you’d like a little something to do outside your job duties, this can be a constructive and stimulating sideline. Do things you never get the opportunity to do in your regular position.
• Serve on the board of directors – usually people serve in other ways before stepping up to the board of directors, but it is a huge learning opportunity. If you have ever wondered if it is stimulating to help run an organization, I can tell you that it is! I am very thankful for the mentors and colleagues I have been fortunate to learn from on the board.

Everybody today has to balance work and personal activities in one’s life. At the same time, you can’t ignore your career and the importance of developing professionally. Take full advantage of these educational, networking and leadership opportunities to make yourself more knowledgeable and valuable for your organization.

When your dues come up for renewal, rejoin and leverage your membership. If you are not yet a member, join now, and become a contributing member of this unique association.

We know there are thousands of forms professionals in the world and that BFMA can provide directly relevant benefits to them. I hope you will decide to actively participate and profit from the benefits that are a match for you.

BFMA Announces Selection for Headquarters Function

By: Lisa Lee, CEBS, FLMI
President

Last month we advised of the decision to outsource the association’s administration, marketing, event management and technology implementation activities. The purpose of the change is to benefit from the skills of an association management company (AMC) to improve service to our members, get the association on a growth track, improve support to our sponsors, and better leverage technology.

I’m pleased to announce that the board of directors has selected The Center for Association Resources Inc. The Center is an experienced and accredited AMC located outside of Chicago in Schaumburg, Illinois. We are looking forward to the breadth of resources that The Center will bring to help build BFMA’s services and growth.

The formal switch occurred on July 1. Key staff assigned to BFMA include Rob Patterson, executive director, Michele Anderson, associate director, and Laura Rezek, account manager. They are profiled in this issue of Forms Talk. (To see all the articles in this issue in one go, select 'Main' from the menu at the top center of this post.)

BFMA’s address and telephone number have changed. Please update your records and begin using the information below immediately for direct contact. Mail and calls to the closed Portland office will be forwarded.

Address: 1901 N. Roselle Road, Suite 920, Schaumburg, Illinois 60195
Telephone: 847-885-1839
Fax: 847-885-8393

I invite you to respond to this message with any questions, concerns and suggestions; or feel free to contact me directly. We know that the key to our success as an association depends on active support from all of us, and we welcome your participation!

BFMA Announces the Restructuring of Headquarters Function

By: Lisa Lee, CEBS, FLMI
President

Each year, during Symposium, BFMA conducts its annual meeting. This year, we made a major announcement that, we believe, will usher in a new era of growth and contribution to our industry.

We have selected an association management company (AMC) to which we will outsource the association administration, marketing, event management and technology implementation activities. Leveraging the skills of an AMC will help to improve service to our members, get the association on a growth track, improve support to our sponsors, and better leverage technology. This decision was reached by the Board of Directors after updating our strategic options and examining the state of the association.

The headquarters function will be assumed by the Center for Association Resources, an association management and consulting firm for non-profit organizations located in the Chicago area. We expect to complete the transition by July 1. At that time, we will close the Portland office. After 20 years of service, Andy Palatka will be leaving BFMA. We appreciate his service and wish him well in his future endeavors.

We believe this is an exciting time for the forms management profession. We have identified thousands of practitioners in forms management, forms analysis, forms design, forms programming, and related skills and have started marketing efforts to effectively reach out to them on a regular basis. Using our web site, Forms Talk, LiveMeeting, and StreamSend, we have implemented regular communications with all members and prospects. We are continuing our efforts to find additional prospective members and sponsors and to reach out to them.

We will keep you informed of our progress. In the meantime, please respond to this article with any questions, concerns and suggestions. We know that the key to our success as an association depends on active support from all of us.

More information and details will be forthcoming.

BFMA's Signature Event

By: Lisa Lee, CEBS, FLMI
President

We are fresh back from the fortieth annual symposium. Think of it. Forms professionals have been gathering for 40 years for the best forms education event anywhere. There is good reason for it. It is the place where people relate to your issues and concerns. But wait. Something new is coming. For the first time, BFMA is putting on a second major forms education event in one year.

We are excited to announce a new event, which will be co-located with the Document Strategy Forum this October. The expanded Fall Forms Institute (FFI) will include a trade show, a first for BFMA. You will not only be able to learn about technology but also be able to see it in action. The FFI will have four tracks, corresponding to the four bodies of knowledge identified by BFMA.  Click here to read more about the expanded FFI.

Our biggest event of 2009 has just ended.  As always, Symposium was a full and interesting time. I enjoyed the conversations I had with people, but, despite my desires, didn’t get a chance to chat with everyone. Ah well, maybe next time. The speakers and sponsors provided the great information that is the heart of this event. The venue was wonderful, right on the Riverwalk and two blocks from the Alamo, and the hotel was outstanding. Attendance was lower than usual due to the current economic conditions, but Symposium received great marks from those able to attend. You’ll read more about some of the things that happened in this issue of Forms Talk.

I especially want to recognize the members of the Program Council – Margaret Tassin, Robin Miller, and Carol Casper – for the work they did to present an excellent program. These members volunteer their time to organize the programs BFMA offers. Andy Palatka, executive director, coordinated many tasks that make symposium happen.

We are pretty jazzed to offer a second major forms education event this year. We know that many of our colleagues were unable to attend symposium this year, due to the economic conditions. Now there will be another opportunity to attend a substantial in-person event. You can count on BFMA to present an excellent program. We ask you to be our evangelist and spread the word about this event.

BFMA has more developments ahead. Stay tuned and spread the word.

Opportunity is Fleeting … The Time is Now

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

It’s hard to believe that Symposium is less than one month away, and my term as President comes to an end. It seems only a couple days ago that I first took office!

Symposium 2009 promises to be a great event, even with a major recession hurting attendance, just as it has hurt about everything else. The good news is that we had a surge of registrations last week and we could see more to come. If you haven’t made your plans yet, there is still time to do so. The Board voted to extend the current registration price and provide more opportunity for those making last minute plans. I really hope to see you there.

It has been a busy year for BFMA. We will review the year in detail at our annual meeting, held during Symposium. We will also outline some new plans that will continue to help our association grow and prosper. Integral to our efforts is the need to attract new leaders to serve in a variety of Board and Chairperson positions. In return for your volunteer efforts, we will provide leadership training and an opportunity for you to show what you can do. Why not plan to join us now?

It sure was great attending the Canadian Forms Institute held recently in Surry, BC. I got a chance to meet some old friends and make some new ones. The classes were outstanding, but the networking was even better! A special thanks to Carmen Barbour and Terasen Gas for their hospitality and for hosting the event.

Well, I may be completing my term as president this month but I still have some things I would like to get accomplished. I think we will have an opportunity to work on a new direction for the forms management industry which will finally earn us more respect with senior management. Some of the lessons learned during the recent financial crisis in the US and around the world should place a renewed focus on improving business processes. We’ll be talking about that some at Symposium.

It is never too late to sign up for more education and training. I urge you to make that effort now, and I’ll see you in San Antonio!

Canadian BFMA Members Lead the Way

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

There sure is a lot of activity in Canada. The Canadian General Standards Board’s Committee on Forms Management is in the process of voting on a draft standard that, if passed in its present form, will provide forms management practitioners with solid guidelines that can be implemented within their organizations. This will upgrade the entire profession and create more visibility for our profession.

There is much to this proposed standard that immediately provides credibility to forms management. The introduction states: “Forms are a part of everyday business life. Forms record data and communicate information in an abbreviated, efficient manner. They are the vehicle that carries information through business processes. As such, forms require competent, continuous management. An organization that manages its forms manages its business processes.”

Wow! That last sentence really packs a punch. Of course, we have known for a long time that forms are really all about business process management. We know that eighty percent of effective forms design involves understanding the business process the form will support. Now, that understanding is about to become part of a standard! (I must point out that this standard is in draft form and may be significantly altered before it becomes official, if it becomes official at all.) The rest of the proposed standard just gets better!

Congratulations to the Standards Committee for their work to date. Many of the committee members are also BFMA members.

The Canadian Forms Institute-East was recently held in Ottawa, ON, with more than 20 people in attendance. Adobe, a BFMA sponsor, hosted the event. Margaret Tassin, BFMA Vice President – Programs and her team put together the program and logistics. Reviews were great and everyone attending seemed to enjoy the classes and networking. In fact, enthusiasm was contagious and volunteers stepped up to get the Ottawa chapter and Region 6 more involved. Look for more information from the Membership Council.

We’re not finished yet. The Canadian Forms Institute – West is fast approaching. It will be held March 16-17 in Surry, BC. Already, registrations completed promise to make this event successful and the event will continue the fine efforts in Canada to strengthen our profession, which strengthens BFMA. If there is any way possible for you to attend, make plans to do so now. The networking is invaluable!

There are many reasons to join a professional association. The obvious reasons of education and networking opportunities are well understood. The not-so-obvious reasons are the friendships, positive feelings that come from involvement, and the opportunity to contribute to the success of a non-profit association that is integral to your career. It has been a rewarding and enjoyable part of my life for the past 25+ years.

Surviving the Recession – Dealing with the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

The bad news regarding the economy continues, with continued layoffs, declining stock values and more. It is pretty ugly out there.

However, it is precisely during bad times that companies should be preparing for the next upturn. Proper positioning now will set the stage for growth in the future. So, what should you be doing within your organization to help position for the next recovery? Here are a few suggestions.

• Report to management on your department’s contribution to profitability. Look at the projects you do and assign a value to your work in terms of dollars contributed through increased revenues, improved customer service and cost reduction. Accumulate this contribution over a reporting period and let management know what it is. You may be surprised by the numbers.
• Focus on projects that can be turned into cash. Of course, we know that projects that improve productivity can return substantial benefits, but projects that directly affect cash are the most interesting ones to management right now. Look to reduce printing and distribution costs, or reduce the number of forms in use or other projects with tangible value. Calculate the expected hard-dollar savings and tell management what you did.
• Keep up with legal requirements for reporting or registering forms and tell management how to avoid any regulatory problems.
• Prepare a long-term plan to maximize the efficiency of the forms management function. Leverage the investments you have already made to the maximum extent possible.
• Work with your suppliers to identify any cost savings opportunities such as combination ordering, streamlined specifications, or elimination of unnecessary copies.
• Convert paper forms to print-on-demand and eliminate inventory.
• Communicate regularly with all levels of management and promote your efforts to attack costs while focusing on revenue-generating projects.
• Look into online training opportunities that can be leveraged without spending a lot of money. This will enable you to be even more effective. A new Masters Series and a new CFSP Study session are just getting started. Now is a great time to participate.

There is no time like the present. So, get going with some fresh ideas now! Point out how your efforts will reap rewards in the near term while positioning your company for the next round of growth. The economy won’t stay sour forever! The time for positive action is NOW! That’s the good news.

Wanted: Leaders. No Previous Experience Required. Apply Within.

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

It takes quite an effort to manage an association and that effort requires leaders. Our industry, the forms management industry, continues to grow in importance and the impact it has on our employer organizations and BFMA needs to keep pace in order to thrive.

There are many benefits of participation in leadership roles for non-profit trade associations. Serving on the Board or as chairperson of an important activity provides leadership training that is recognized by management. It provides training in management skills such as strategic planning, organizing work, delegation of responsibility, tactical planning, and much more.

Most senior managers also serve on various boards. Take a look at the resumes of the managers in your organization. Most of them were involved in several organizations and continue that involvement. There is a good reason for doing it, even though it requires time and effort. The experience, contacts, networking and exposure serves them well as they advance their own careers.

BFMA represents a golden opportunity for all members interested in advancement. We need Region Coordinators, Program Chairpersons for institutes, Masters Series, CFSP Study Groups, and Industry Groups. We need leaders to step forward for Board positions. We need participation in strategic planning, program planning and more.

Fortunately, BFMA has leaders that have been willing to step up to the challenge at the Chapter, Region and International level. Their valuable input has served us well over the years. Now, with fewer chapters meeting on a regular basis, the responsibility has shifted to International and we need more people to accept the challenge of service to BFMA.

Such service is usually very rewarding personally. It is a true win-win for our members and for BFMA. Of course it takes some time and hard work. Is anything worthwhile ever easy? However, you can be assured that your efforts will be appreciated. You can also be assured that management is watching. Wouldn’t service to BFMA look nice on your resume!!

When Times Are Tough…

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

I am beginning to wonder if there can be any more bad news about the world economy. There has already been so much – can there be any room left for more? Most businesses are really hunkering down and that means fewer employees and smaller raises. Government is not immune as reduced economic activity means lower tax revenues. Many businesses are now paying the inevitable price of not paying attention to running their businesses well.

As with any slowdown, opportunities abound for those willing to look for them. Now is a great time to focus on activities and priorities that improve efficiency, reduce operating costs and position your organization for the inevitable recovery ahead. Workflow and process analysis can help you understand where improvement opportunities exist. Continued automation of forms development activities will position you for the future. Establishing priorities for revenue growth and improving customer service will help you select the most important projects to work on. The list goes on.

Of course, when you are already working overtime just to keep up with the daily work it is difficult to think about next year. At times, it seems there just isn’t any light at the end of the tunnel. With all the national focus on negative news, it saps one's energy just paying attention.

Don’t let all that negative stuff get you down. Remember, the news organizations thrive on controversy and bad news. I’m not sure why that is the case, but it is true. I think the advent of 24 hour news has fundamentally changed our society as more news organizations become entertainment oriented and must ratchet up the noise to keep up with the competition. They find a never ending source of “experts” to offer divergent opinions and keep things stirred up.

I try to cope by watching different stations every night, tuning out the repetition and focusing on the positive news (when I can find it!) There really is a lot of good news out there. Even with a 6.5% unemployment rate, there are 93.5% of the people still employed. Even with spending cutbacks, smart companies find new customers.

Speaking of smart companies, those are the ones focusing on process improvements and opportunities and making sure their organizations are operating efficiently even as they take steps to ensure they remain fiscally healthy. And, I suspect, they are the ones that recognize the improvement potential existing within their workforce. They are the ones that still invest in training. I see evidence of this foresight in my day-to-day contacts with these companies.

The forms management community is all about process improvement and increased efficiency. Where properly implemented, forms management can make a huge difference in profitability and growth. Management teams that place a priority on running their businesses well and less time on money manipulation and other non-core functions are the ones that will survive the long term intact. Now is a great time to invest in forms management.

Now that is a positive piece of news.

Obviously, Forms Management Should Get a Lot of Respect!!

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

Last month, I wrote that forms management doesn’t get any respect from senior management. Now, TIME magazine shows why we should!

In the November 3, 2008 edition, TIME published an article titled “7 Things That Could Go Wrong On Election Day”. Number three on their list is “Bad Forms”. This point recounts the fact that the 2000 Presidential election may have been decided by bad form design involving the now infamous butterfly ballot that resulted in voter confusion and improper form fill by many citizens. That form was designed by a non- forms professional. Seems as if the lesson of that day has not yet sunk in for election officials!

TIME states: “Eight years later, punch-card ballots are mostly a thing of the past, but bad forms design lives on. This summer, the McCain campaign sent poorly designed absentee-ballot forms to more than I million voters in Ohio. The form included a redundant box for voters to check if they were “qualified electors”. Though the box was not required by law, the Democrat Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, rejected thousands of otherwise complete forms with unchecked boxes. While the article does not discuss who designed the form, it is obvious that proper analysis was not conducted and the resulting form just did not work.

I don’t know what it will take before folks begin to understand that not just anyone can do forms development work. It takes a person with detailed knowledge of the entire forms development process. Errors that seem to plague the US election process are but highly visible examples of the results of poor forms management processes that negatively affect most organizations every single day!

Our profession needs to raise our visibility with senior management and make them aware of the very significant contributions we make to improving business processes and business results. It is up to us to educate them on what we do.

When is the last time you reported to your senior management? What do you tell them when you do get the chance? How about pointing out to them that the very future of the democratic process may be linked to improving forms design.

Forms Management as a profession is the "Rodney Dangerfield" of the business world. We "don’t get no respect".

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

Forms Management has an image problem and that problem negatively affects our ability to get things done. Over the years, it seems to me that this image has been in decline even as the need for our profession increases. This is demonstrated by a lack of standards and consistency within our organizations. It is a problem that BFMA must address.

I recently posted a question to Formspace as follows: "I am interested in finding out where the forms management department reports within your organization and how that reporting structure is working for you." I received 21 responses within a manner of hours. The results are revealing:

Company	Reports To	Major Area	Previously Reported To:	Comments
1. Energy Company	Procurement Department	Procurement	Corporate Communications, then Records Management	Likes relationship, but few people know what we do
2. State Agency	Electronic Records Management Group	IT	Graphics, part of Document Services	They don’t understand forms
3. Financial Services	Finance Division, Risk Management, Policies & Procedures Dept.	Financial		Good support from IT, but not where it should be
4. Insurance Company	Financial Division	Financial		Director is also over Document Services, Word Processing, Mail & Print Services, Inventory Control, and Records. Structure works fine.
5. Travel Services Provider	CFO, through the Chief Procurement Officer, under Document Management Services	Financial		Could work better if reported to Procurement; we have little clout
6. Hospital	Quality/Risk Department	Operations		Coordinates with IT and Electronic Medical Records effort
7. State Agency	Administrative Services, Records Services Dept.	Administration		Has good support from the top down
8. Provincial Government	Public Affairs, e-communications team	Communications
9. Energy Company	IT, Records Management	IT	Computer Operations, then Purchasing, the Graphics, then Records Management (Accounts Payable), Records Management (Legal), and back to Records management (IT)	IT is too massive and doesn’t know what we do, but Records management is a good spot. Best place was Legal
10. State Agency	IT, under Records Management	IT
11. Manufacturer	Finance and Controller, External Financial Reporting, Corporate Policy & Records Management	Financial
12. Government Energy Contractor	Information Solutions & Services, Recorded Information Management	IT		Would like to report to Legal
13. Federal Agency	Services & Enforcement, Wage & Investment Operating Division, Customer Assistance, Media & Publications Division, Publishing Division	Operations		We are buried too far down the organization
14. Federal Agency	Information Management, Business Systems	IT
15. Energy Company	Corporate Communications	Communications	Several different departments over the past 25 years, this department for 2 years	Not a good fit, maybe better fit in IT
16. Financial Services	Marketing Group, Solutions Services	Operations		Reporting structure makes sense
17. Insurance Company	Administration	Administration
18. Hospital	IT, Health Information Management-Medical Records	IT
19. Bank	Retail Bank Division, Director of Delivery and Support, Documentation Department (Policy & Procedures Area)	Operations
20. Insurance Company	Global Procurement	Procurement		However, we do not control printing of forms and are more focused with design, electronic distribution, and moving the company to eforms.
21. City Government	IT, Deputy General manager for IT, Process & Information Management Department	IT	Administration (paper forms)	Works well for us

I am still interested in hearing from you about your answer to the question posed. Please drop me an email at rkillam@essociatesgroup.com and let me know your situation.

What's in a Number?

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

It happened again last week. While working with a client, we got into a debate about what constitutes a "good" form number. My customer had created a complex numbering scheme and was faced with a crisis caused by an organizational change. It seemed like a good time to start with a completely new system.

What’s so important about a form number? What purpose does a form number serve? What purpose does a form title serve? What constitutes a “good” form number and title? These seemingly simple questions create a lot of debate within the forms community and can result in significantly increased cost for a business or government agency.

Let’s start with the form number. It seems to me that this number serves several distinct purposes:

• Helps "search" and "find" efforts
• Used as a reference within a procedure
• Legitimizes the form
• Provides a kind of “shorthand” for referring to the form

In this context, the form identifier can consist of several elements, including:

• Base form number
• Record number
• Edition date
• Language version
• Type identifier
• State or Province version
• Responsible department
• Line of business identifier
• Business system identifier
• Status
• AKA (Also Known As)
• Cost center code
• Packaging Configuration
• Related To (other forms)

Obviously, incorporating all these identifiers into a form number would be quite confusing and maybe even incomprehensible! Fortunately, there is a process that simplifies.

Let’s start with the basic form number. It should be simple, unique to the form, and easily remembered and understood by all users, even the general public. Therefore, we advocate the form number start with a five digit number, 10000, and simply increment by one for each new number. That works fine, but it doesn’t provide for all the variations the form can take. When adding these variations, the form number no longer is unique, therefore losing its value as a primary key in a database.

To get around this problem, we can add a Record Number that servers as the primary key in the database. This would be an automatically incrementing number, beginning with one (1). Our data table looks like this:

RecordNumber	FormNumber
1	10000

The next identifier is the Edition Date. We use edition to describe the date the form became active and express the format as mm/yyyy. All forms, even the first edition of the form, have an edition date. There can be more than one edition for a given form, either concurrently active, or one active and one obsolete, and so forth. Our data table now looks something like this:

RecordNumber	FormNumber	EditionDate
1	10000	11/1999
1	10000	02/2006

Each edition of each form can exist in a variety of formats, including language versions, state or provincial versions, electronic formats (Types), and more. Since we need a unique way to identify each variation, we can simply add more records, giving each one a unique identifier (primary key in the data table). Using this methodology, we never run out of primary keys; we simply add more fields to our table. The result looks something like the following:

RecordNo	FormNumber	EditionDate	Language	Type	State/Prov	RespDept	LOB	BusSys	CostCtr
1	10000	11/1999	EN	Paper	All	1002	Annuities	Sales	56
2	10000	02/2006	EN	Paper	All	1002	Annuities	Sales	56
3	10000	02/2006	FR	Paper	PQ	1002	Annuities	Sales	56
4	10001	05/2004	EN	PDF	All	5006	Life	UW	861
5	10002	11/2005	EN	Paper	All	3200	ADD	Legal	500
6	10002	11/2005	EN	PDF	All	3200	ADD	Legal	500
7	10002	11/2005	EN	Word	All	3200	ADD	Legal	500
8	10003	10/2004	FR	PDF	PQ	5006	Life	UW	861
9	10003	05/2005	FR	PDF	PQ	5006	Life	UW	861

In this scheme, any number of variations can be provided because the Record Number is unique. A search for a form returns all the variations for a base form number, or the user can bookmark the Record Number. The Form Number cannot be the primary key because it is repeated with each variation. The Record Number cannot be the form number because it doesn’t uniquely describe the form.

As for printing identifiers on the container, there are really no restrictions except practically. For example, the container could include identifiers such as:
     Form ADD-10002 (11/2005) EN PDF
which clearly identifies the form as Form 10002, Nov. 2005 edition, English version, PDF variation, assigned to the Accidental Death & Dismemberment line-of-business. There is no conflict with the database for the person looking at the form.

Some schemes attempt to encode all the data into a form number. This is generally not a good idea because as business systems and procedures change, changes to the form number become necessary. The numbering scheme described above is indifferent to any such changes. Of course, the more information printed on the container, the more changes are required when re-printing or updating the container.

Forms and Form System Education Is Always Available

It seems there is always a lot going on at BFMA. In addition to the Masters Series and CFSP Study Group, we are entering the busy fall season for on-site events. First up is the first ever DOCUMENT Strategy Forum, to be held September 10-12, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in the Chicago area. BFMA is a co-sponsor at this event and will represent BFMA at a table top exhibit. This event focuses on transactional documents, which is a prime area of interest to many forms professionals. For more information, and to register, visit www.documentstrategyforum.com.

Next year, BFMA plans to co-locate the Fall Forms Institute at this Forum, combining forms education and networking with an opportunity to visit an expanded trade show and take classes of interest at the Forum. Look for an announcement in October.

The 2008 Fall Forms Institute will take place at the world-famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN on September 22-23. It will provide superior educational and networking opportunities for all forms professionals, with an added bonus of touring Mayo Clinic's forms management operation. If you are a forms or Form System pro working at at a health care institution, this is a once in a great while opportunity to get a hands-on view of a best practices operation. It is a "can't miss" opportunity! Of course, you will get a great deal of benefit even if you don't work in the health care industry. I hope to see you in Rochester! Visit http://www.bfma.org/training/2008FFI/main.php for details and registration.

Immediately following the Fall Forms Institute, Easel Solutions, a BFMA sponsor, is conducting its Adobe Acrobat & PDF Central Conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center on September 24 & 25, 2008:  www.pdfcentralconference.com.  Double your education by taking part in both events!

I think this is a pretty powerful line up of events. I urge you to leverage your membership and take advantage of all that BFMA has to offer. You, and your organization, will benefit greatly.

Some things never change...

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

I recently read that Staples is acquiring Corporate Express. I have a personal interest in this news item, since I was employed by Corporate Express at one time. The company I worked for was originally named Data Documents, a major forms manufacturer. DDI, as we called it, was once owned by Pitney Bowes, was sold to management, went public, was acquired by Corporate Express, which was then acquired by Buhrmann (a Dutch company). Now, Corporate Express, and the old forms manufacturing company, is a part of another big office supply company.

So, why is this important? Well, I think this acquisition mirrors what has happened to the once large forms manufacturing industry and that affects all forms professionals.

For all intents and purposes, the forms manufacturing industry no longer exists. The largest companies of the last decade, Moore Corp and Wallace Computer Services, merged a few years ago into Moore-Wallace, then were acquired by RR Donnelley, the world's largest commercial printer. The name Moore-Wallace is no longer officially used. The forms company was assimilated into the larger company. Similarly, forms manufacturing has been assimilated into the printing industry, where it was originally born. One could say the industry has gone "full circle".

We all know that the forms products have changed. Continuous forms have declined and, allowing for some growth at the high end, have declined dramatically. Unit sets have declined steadily. Most other traditional forms products have also declined, both in units and revenues. The overall market for paper forms is a mere shell of its former self.

Yet, forms management as a profession continues to thrive. Certainly, this segment of the forms industry has also seen significant change, as forms departments have migrated from primarily paper forms produced and distributed to users, to various iterations of electronic forms distributed electronically via the web. Information Technology departments have played an increasing role in forms management in this electronic forms era. Nonetheless, forms management, where professionally implemented, continues to make major contributions to improved productivity, revenue growth and cost reductions.

All organizations use forms and all organizations have a forms management function. Where this function is strong and supported by senior management, the contributions are substantial.  The ultimate goal of forms management is to make business processes work better.

Some things never change.

Leveraging your BFMA Membership

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

I think I have finally caught up after all the activity generated by Symposium. My email is back to normal and the "to do" list is manageable again. Now it is time to look ahead to all the activities of summer and into next fall. It is encouraging to see all the opportunities to continue our education and networking within BFMA.

The Program Council will be meeting in August in Houston to map out the programs for the forms institutes and Symposium 2009. We will take a look at the plans for the Document Strategy Forum, CFSP Study Groups and the Masters Series webinars. We received a lot of suggestions from the Hot Topics submitted and are looking to responding to those in our programming.

It is also an active time for Membership. For many of us, it is dues renewal time. This presents an opportunity to review all the activities and opportunities we can select from within BFMA and use this to leverage our membership into career-enhancing self-improvement. And there is a growing list to choose from! It seems there is something going on all the time.

I recently heard from a member who is contemplating retirement. He remarked that while the industry has been very good to him, the rate of change continues to accelerate and he wonders if he can continue to keep up. It seems his comfort level is constantly challenged. I can certainly relate to his feelings and I know all this change will continue. BFMA is really the only constant source of information that enables us to keep on top of the industry challenges. Without the programs and training our association provides, it would be practically impossible to stay informed.

I wish everyone a happy and productive summer! Stay in touch and enjoy! 

Our Future Looks Bright Indeed!

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

I can't help but be encouraged by the events at the just-completed 50th Anniversary celebration at Symposium 2008. We experienced a slight increase in attendance, enjoyed an excellent curriculum and networked extensively with many old and new friends and fellow forms management professionals. Our sponsors once again came through for us and provided excellent instruction, product demonstrations and hospitality. Our volunteers demonstrated their commitment to BFMA with their tireless efforts and professionalism. HQ staff was on top of their game with a smooth-running program and special events. Although the hotel facility was a little shaky, the food was excellent. All-in-all, Symposium received great marks as evidenced by the evaluations received.

BFMA has many opportunities ahead of us and a few challenges. We are planning to add a new event in 2009 - the Document Strategy Forum. BFMA is a co-sponsor of the inaugural 2008 event and plans to be a full participant in 2009. Held in Chicago, this event offers our members in increased opportunity to learn, network and participate. It will include an expanded trade show event that will showcase many products of interest to forms professionals.

We are exploring the requirements for BFMA to become an ANSI-certified standards developer so we can work towards a comprehensive Forms Management standard. Such a standard will elevate our profession and provide for Best Practices implementation. This will be of considerable interest to our organizations and to senior management. It will be an exciting project to work on . Interested? We need volunteers to get this going. Contact me if you are interested.

We need to continue to increase opportunities for members to get involved. We have added online chapter meeting capabilities, expanded our educational opportunities, added this web-based newsletter (FormsTalk) and increased our communications activities. So - spread the word about BFMA. Get active. Join a committee. Sign on to Formspace. Register for the Masters Series. Begin the process to become a CFSP. Opportunities abound!

It is a great time to be involved with forms management. The application of technology in all aspects of forms management provides us with an opportunity to improve productivity, contribute to revenues and effectively manage costs within our organizations. Our sponsors are diligently working to improve capabilities and make it available to us. Our Association provides the forum to learn and interact with others. The rest is up to us!

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.