Forms Talk

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.

Networking in Las Vegas - It Doesn't Get any Better than This!

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

In about two months, forms professionals from all over the world will converge at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas at our annual Symposium. It will be my 19th consecutive Symposium and the 50th anniversary of our Association. It has become the "can't miss" event of the year for me because it gives me the opportunity to see all my friends again and to immerse myself in my chosen profession. It is the only major opportunity available to find out what's new in forms management, attend a wide variety of classes taught by experts in the field, and to have an hands-on experience with the latest forms technology. Why would I want to be anywhere else?

Another significant event is the  the Canadian Forms Institute in Ottawa. This is another great opportunity to meet peers and spend a couple of days with the experts. Our program council put together another solid program and registrations are strong. As I write this article, I am preparing to leave for Ottawa. Perhaps I will have some time to go to "the world's longest skating rink" while I'm there!

Patricia Dolhan of the Canadian General Standards Board will provide us an update on the Forms Management Standard for Canada. This break-through effort will provide forms managers with guidance for establishing a forms management program and will go a long way to helping build credibility for our profession. I think we can all use this standard to help explain the value of what we do and, hopefully, we can use this to promote our profession throughout our organizations. We'll provide you with updates after I return from the meeting.

Your Board continues to meet regularly and is involved with several initiatives to promote our profession. We are a co-sponsor of the inaugural Document Strategy Forum (http://www.documentstrategyforum.com)  in Chicago this September. We are finalizing the Fall Forms Institute location and dates and expect an announcement soon. Look for another round of online chapter meetings soon.

If at all possible, find a way to attend Symposium 2008. Convince your management that this is truly the must-attend event for you and it will be a rewarding and profitable experience for you and the organization you work for. New ideas will flow, important contacts will be made, and tips and tools will be provided that will easily translate to improvements you will make as you position yourself for an increasingly valuable role and more responsibilities and contributions. You will truly be glad you did!

See you in Las Vegas! 

The Quest for Standards – Forms Management

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

Several people responded to last month’s column on the definition of a form. It seems we are not too far apart. We all agreed that the media was irrelevant – form containers can be any media. We agreed a primary differentiator for forms was the presence of fields for variable data. There was less agreement when it comes to purpose. I encourage you to read the blog to see the specific definitions offered.

I still think it is important to separate the record from the form. Certainly, forms are used to create records, as are other document types. Certainly designers must consider the records function when creating the design. You will get no argument from me that there is a close relationship between document management, forms management and records management. However, I argue that the requisite skills required, and the tools used, by each function are quite different.

The same can be said for the skills and tools used by IT professionals. Of course, there is overlap. In certain specific actions, the skills are the same. Nonetheless, forms analysis, design and management is a very different function than is programming, database management, network management and related IT functions.

I think one of the challenges for forms professionals is to take a larger view of the forms profession than that frequently presented within the confines of a single organization. BFMA offers a unique opportunity to do this. If we were to view the world from within our own job description, or our own company, we would miss the larger reality. In point of fact, forms management is practiced quite differently in many organizations. For some, electronic forms are more prominent, for others, paper forms rule. For most, an eclectic blend of paper, print-on-demand, fill and print, and a small number of intelligent forms are the norm. For most, warehousing and distribution are very much a daily reality, as is forms procurement and production. And, for most, a high level of support from their IT department just hasn’t yet happened.

I recently wrote an article that will be published in the March edition of DOCUMENT magazine that discusses the differences, and similarities, between document, forms and records management, and where these functions should report. I really would appreciate your feedback and opinions. Let’s keep the debate going!

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!

Message From the President

By: Ray Killam
President

 

Now THAT was exciting! Just seeing our new web-based newsletter come to life was a big deal in itself, but all the activity that has transpired since is enough to really get me going in the mornings.

Allow me to recap:

Chapter meetings are being scheduled at an increasing rate. Los Angeles has held their second meeting (online), Ottawa has one scheduled, Portland has held a meeting, Region 1, Region 2, Region 4, Region 5 and Western Canada (part of Region 6) have meetings scheduled. I have probably missed a few. It's really great to see so many people participating again. Kudos to the Membership Council, with Al Howick, Alice Ladd and DJ Brown!

The Program Council, led by Bill Hill, Robin Miller and Margaret Tassin, has announced the Canadian Forms Institute for March 3-4, 2008 in Ottawa, ON. Margaret Tassin and I plan to be there and we are really looking forward to seeing all our friends again. It will be a great program and important networking opportunities.

We are taking a close look at the many, many pages of information available on the BFMA website and working to get it updated. There really is a lot of stuff there, so be patient with us as we get it done.

The BFMA leadership team is very active and is addressing priorities on multiple fronts. Our focus this year is to increase the opportunities for all members to participate in multiple events that provide education and networking benefits. We want your membership to be valuable to you and to your employer. The forms management industry is large, diverse and growing. It is a constant challenge just to keep up. BFMA can be a valuable resource to you and we are focused on making sure that it is!

Speaking of our team, we have several people that have accepted the challenge and joined the team. They include Teri Watanabe, Sharon Freeman, Anna Romero, and Kelly Halseth, Region Coordinators for Regions 1, 3, 4, and Western Canada (part of Region 6), respectively. We still need a few good people for Region 2, 5, and Eastern Canada (the remaining part of region 6). Let me know if you want to get involved with us as we move BFMA forward!

We also have a Region Coordinator for contact and information purposes in Region 8 (Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East). Caroline Jarrett has agreed to serve in this capacity, although we don't currently have LiveMeeting capability in that Region.

We need a Coordinator in Region 7 (Australia, New Zealand and Asia) to serve in the same capacity. Any volunteers?

There are plenty of other opportunities to get involved. Interested in forms and form systems education? Contact Bill Hill. We need program coordinators for the various events we hold. Don't hold back - get involved!

As I write this, the holiday season in the US is upon us. Let me wish all our members worldwide a very happy season. I really look forward to meeting all of you at Symposium 2008 in Las Vegas, our 50th Anniversary celebration!

September and October were busy months for BFMA

By: Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC
President

Your Board continues to work to implement our Plan for 2007- 2008. Already, this activity has some results that directly impact you and your opportunities to participate with BFMA.

It is really a great time to be involved with BFMA and with the forms management industry. I just returned from a Central Ohio chapter meeting, where we toured the Standard Register Print-on-Demand Center in Dayton. The folks at Standard Register were great hosts and provided us with several presentations on digital color, document management capabilities, and their SMARTworks system. I had an opportunity to network with several members of the chapter before and after the presentations. Many thanks to Alice Ladd, Mike Steinburg and all the folks at Standard Register!

Just last month, I visited the Madison Chapter for their 30^th anniversary celebration. It was a great opportunity to catch up with friends from Madison and to discuss trends in the industry. Alice Ladd, Director, also presented at the meeting. Many thanks to Joyce Endres, Jim Bennett, Lori Linde and all the members of the Madison chapter for their hospitality and participation!

In September, I was a guest speaker at the Mid Michigan chapter seminar in Ada, MI. They had great attendance at this day-long meeting, which also featured Dr. Ben Graham, Jr. I just received an announcement that their next meeting, Nov. 7, will feature a technology presentation. Congratulations to Theresa Verburg and the Mid-Michigan chapter for the excellent educational opportunities they offer.

I also met with the Los Angeles, Ottawa and Portland chapters using online meeting technology. It was great to see these chapters meeting again, which was made possible by BFMA’s acquisition of this technology and ability to allow any chapter to use it on demand. Now, any chapter, board, committee or special interest group can meet online whenever they want. This technology makes it easy to secure speakers on any topic because travel time and expenses are eliminated.

Also in October, BFMA, working with Shirley Green, Paul Showalter and the Nation’s Capital chapter held the 2007 Fall Forms Institute in Washington, DC. This two-day event featured speakers on a variety of topics, sponsor presentations, networking opportunities, and an Association Board of Directors meeting. It received excellent reviews from all participants. Altogether, more than 25 people were in attendance.

Your Board approved two new categories of membership – Alumni and Student. Alumni members include both those members not currently active in the forms management profession and retired members. Student members are those persons that are currently enrolled in at least 8 hours at a accredited college or university. For both categories, the annual membership dues are $50. This provides such persons with an opportunity to stay involved with BFMA and keep their knowledge current at a more affordable rate. We want, and need, our present and future knowledge base to stay with us!

Thanks to Lisa Lee, Justiss Boyer, Ray Garner and all the members of the Communications and Marketing committees for their fine work in bringing our web-based newsletter to reality. They have established a blog as the basis for the newsletter, which holds exciting opportunities for the future on communications within BFMA.

It is truly an exciting time to be in the forms management profession. At lot of change is occurring, with new technology, mergers and acquisitions, new products, and new challenges. Your association is working to position itself as the primary force in the profession. We have a lot of plans for the near future. We need you to volunteer your expertise and join our team.

Thank you for your continued support. I hope to see all of you next May 4-8 at Symposium in Las Vegas!