Forms Talk

Fall Forms Institute at Mayo Clinic

By: Bill Hill, CFC, CFSP
Institutes Coordinator

As our thoughts are consumed with summer activities, let’s not forget September. No, not rushing you through summer, but reminding you that the BFMA Fall Forms Institute at Mayo Clinic will be conducted on September 22 and 23, Monday and Tuesday.  If you haven’t already, you should establish this event within your education budget.

Mayo Clinic is located in Rochester, Minnesota, about 60 miles south of Minneapolis.  The BFMA Fall Forms Institute at Mayo Clinic will provide education on how a large organization conducts an integrated professional forms program.  Although medical centers will want to learn through the experiences of this renowned medical facility, any business or agency can benefit from this full educational offering.

Ray Killam, CFSP, CFC, will present a session on Best Practices in Forms Management. Then, Mayo Clinic staff will present sessions on their forms management program, establishing excellent teamwork and e-forms transition and implementation.    

After Monday’s A to Z education on forms management, Tuesday will include a session on PDF/A, the new archiving and metadata tool.  Another session covers usability testing, a process too often ignored, but starting to come into its own.  Sometimes we go through a thorough analysis and careful design yet part of the form is still not working right. Proper usability testing will solve those challenges.

I have been in so many study groups or classes in which a tour brings all the discussion together, and this will happen at Mayo Clinic.  You will see how the Mayo Forms Management program operates with tours through all of their various operations and how the different units work together as one strong program.  When this tour is completed, you will take a shuttle to the Mayo Print Plant to see press operations from offset of all sizes to the latest in digital printing.  You will also view finishing processes from fulfillment to shipping.

This is a complete education program, not only studying how to run a successful Forms Program, but to also see how it works.  My first forms class was conducted by our former education guru, Norm Chilton. After 13 weeks of class, my head was bulging from information overload plus questions on how to apply it. Norm took me through his operation at Weyerhaeuser and it all fell into place. You will have the same experience at Mayo Clinic. You know the adage, a picture is worth a thousand words... well, this tour is worth more.

BFMA has negotiated with Easel Solutions (formerly Tech Ed), to make this an education blockbuster week. On September 24 and 25, Easel Solutions is conducting its Adobe Acrobat & PDF Conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center. You may attend the Fall Forms Institute and the PDF Conference at a reduced fee. The registration form will provide the info to direct you through the process.

Upcoming events

Canadian Forms Institute in Ottawa, Ontario,   January 2009

Canadian Forms Institute in Surrey,  BC,  March 16,17, 2009

And don’t forget our 50th Anniversary video at http://www.dmvideo.net/bfma.

You know you are a Forms Professional when...

By: Robin Miller
Director, Program Operations

The statement "You know you are a Forms Professional when…" popped into my head when I was visiting with my husband about the many processes all around us.  Most of these processes relate to workflow, data capture, data submission, data dissemination, production, etc.  Other processes relate to how one works, understands and synthesizes the information.

Throughout our daily routines we are surrounded by processes, manual or automated, some good, some slow, some that need major improvement.  The "normal" person doesn't notice or doesn't care.  However, those of us who are Forms Professionals identify these areas, and the skills we possess start going into motion.  We want to fix it!

Data are useless until they are identified by what they represent.  Data must be captured with “something” in order to be useful and meaningful—and that “something” that makes the data understandable is usually some type of a form.  I think, at the crux of it all, forms are data transmission vehicles.  Isn’t it amazing to be the expert who can be a part of the underlying foundation that enhances the end user experience?

The statements below were submitted during 2008 Symposium and shared during the conference.  I hope you will enjoy reading these.

You know you are a Forms Professional when…
• you check out the junk mail you receive just to look at the forms included and the type of mailer—and you keep them.
• your spouse asks you to redesign forms from his work.
• you find mistakes on the customs form.
• you are standing in line to attend a concert with a friend and you begin analyzing the ticket.
• you review or make mental notes on fast food process improvements.
• you can tell which font is used on the menu of a restaurant where you are dining.
• you design form solutions in your dreams.
• you get irritated by seeing “zip” where “ZIP” should be.
• you’re getting married in Las Vegas and you download the license application and make it fillable.
• you get irritated before seeing a new doctor because their intake forms are so bad.
• you send a note in the BRM envelope from your bank pointing out five errors in design to meet postal regulations.
• you tell someone you design forms and they ask if you use sculpting clay or wax.
• you are intrigued by the airline baggage tag process, bar-code, and adhesiveness.

How would you answer the question? Post your response here and make this list grow! Tell us how "You know you are a Forms Professional when..."
 

Calling All Speakers

By: Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC
VP, Programs

The Program Council has planned a full slate of programs for 2009.  These exciting events include:

·          Symposium in San Antonio, Texas, April/May 2009
·          Canadian Forms Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, January/February 2009
·          Canadian Forms Institute, Surrey (near Vancouver), British Columbia, March 16-17, 2009
·          Fall Forms Institute, Chicago, Illinois, September 2009
·          Master Series webinars throughout the year
·          CFSP online study group presentations

The Program Council wants you to be a part of the educational opportunities.  Yes, you can attend but have you ever considered being a presenter?  By presenting to your peers, you will contribute to the forms profession, establish your expertise in your field and increase your visibility and credibility.  Persons selected to present at Symposium receive a complementary registration (excluding the meals and events package.)  Complete details are found on the Presentation Application.  Some "hot topics" are on the application form, but a complete list of hot topics is available here.

Time is short!  The submission deadline is July 18, 2008.  Do it now!  If you or someone you know would like to present, please use the Presentation Application.

In our efforts to improve workflow processes, the Presentation Application is submittable.  Please complete this form and submit it using the “submit” button embedded in the form. If you are using Acrobat Reader, you can save your form with data.
1. Open the form.
2. Complete the information as required. Remember to type your name in the signature area at the bottom and date the form.
3. This form contains an e-mail submit button. After you have finished completing the form, click the submit button to e-mail the information.

Electronic submission of the application is required and is done automatically when you click the submit button on the bottom of the application. If this feature doesn’t work for you, save the form, and e-mail it to programs@bfma.org.

Many thanks and we look forward to receiving your application by July 18.

Don't Let It Slip Under Your Radar

The last Forms Talk was so packed with information about Symposium that I don't want the other excellent educational announcements in that issue to slip unnoticed beneath your radar screen.

Two new Master Series on Printed Forms Products and Forms Management Databases begin in August and September, respectively.  The instructors are top notch, and the information is absolutely current.  Check out the prior issue of Forms Talk or go to the BFMA website for full details.

The Fall Forms Institute is set for September 22 and 23 in Rochester, Minnesota at Mayo Clinic.  There are speakers on forms and usability from Mayo and a PDF consultant.  More information on this will be available on the website soon.

BFMA is your best resource for forms education!

Fall Forms Institute at Mayo Clinic and more

By: Bill Hill, CFSP, CFC
Institutes Coordinator

As we left Symposium, celebrating BFMA's 50th year, with brain bulge, many of you enticed that bulge with further education through the Master Series webinar the very next week.

We have another big event coming up on September 22nd and 23rd at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. There will be 3 classes from the forms staff at Mayo Clinic.  Everyone, not just healthcare industries, can benefit from these classes as you see how a major business handles its forms requirements. The classes will include Forms Management at Mayo Clinic, how 60+ years of experience refines a department; Working as One, developing teamwork to produce successful results; and eForms, the Next Generation of Forms at Mayo Clinic as they transition from paper to electronic.

There will be a fourth class from Mayo Clinic staff on usability testing. It’s one of those “we shoulda” things that the forms industry is starting to recognize. You’ve done all your analysis, the clients are happy, but when the form is completed, there seems to be a problem. Usability testing is a great practice and you usually find something that was never considered but so simple to resolve.

President Ray Killam, CFC, CFSP will present a new class on Best Practices in Forms Management.  Popular presenter and Adobe expert, Ann Sargent, will conduct a class on searching and archiving forms utilizing Acrobat 7 and 8.

In addition to the classes, there will be tours. We will break into small groups as we tour through the three major areas in Mayo Clinic's forms unit. After I took my first series of classes from forms guru Norm Chilton, I had no idea what a forms department looked like. Norm invited me to tour his operation and I, in effect, developed my layout and process like his… and it still exists today. The principles are enduring, and we can learn so much from our colleagues.

As a person who has participated in and moderated numerous CFC and CFSP study groups, one of the most informative tours for me was that of a print plant... which was also very popular at the fall institute in Seattle several years ago. Yes, we are in the electronic age, but the majority of us still print forms. I would make it a priority to visit your print facility/vendor, but by all means, participate in Mayo Clinic Print Shop tours as they have everything from Heidelberg offset presses to the latest in electronic printing and a mailing and fulfillment operation.

More details and descriptions will be published soon, but mark your calendar now for budget planning.

BFMA member price for this great event is $299.
Non-member price is $399.
A non-member may join BFMA for an additional $75.

BONUS:
On the following days, the September 24 and 25, Easel Solutions, a BFMA sponsor, is conducting a two-day PDF Central Conference in nearby Minneapolis.  Easel Solutions and BFMA are offering a discount package to attend both events.   BFMA member cost is $944.  Non-BFMA members should register at www.pdfcentralconference.com .

The education never stops. Remember to "Just Jump!!!" as we were instructed at Symposium!  Take the plunge and learn.

Canadian Forms Institute - West

By: Bill Hill, CFSP, CFC
Institutes Coordinator

After a successful Institute in Langley, BC last year, BFMA is pleased to announce a return event. 

Please mark your calendars for March 16 and 17, 2009 as the dates for the Canadian Forms Institute - West.  The Institute will be held at Terasen Gas Operations Centre in Surrey, B.C., near Vancouver

More details to come as time progresses.

Hot Topics from Las Vegas

By: Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC
VP, Programs

Program Council is planning the 2009 events now:  Symposium, Institutes, and Master Series webinars. 

Help us get you the education you want.  If there is something that you want education on, BFMA is the right venue and it is not on this "hot topics" list, please e-mail me with your ideas. 

• Personal identifiable information
• Security in documents, data collection, networks
• More sessions on how forms management personnel can better communicate with the IT people
• Forms management for IT professionals
• An IT perspective for forms managers
• How to get buy in without take over
• Writing requirements for your software vendor so that you can purchase the product needed.
• RFP - List specific details to cover on an RFP
• How to decide on a forms design package. What do you do? How do you go about it?
• Options from inception to implementation
• Detailed form success stories that are completely implemented
• Process analysis
• Workflow - how to create, tips and enhancements
• Classes on more data exchange technologies (ITM, SOAP, XML)
• Classes on backend servers
• More electronic signature
• Building a library of digital certificates
• Archiving electronic forms
• Converting from Word and Excel
• ISO 9001 What is it, why do you want it, how to go about obtaining it
• How to get management to understand the legal and regulatory consequences of not properly following forms policies
• Extended workshop on usability testing: how to, practice examples
• More panel presentations on different topics, like with the database showcase
• How to structure a forms management team: best practices and key personnel
• Team integrations: with forms management team and other sister teams
• How to start up a FM program, what to do first, what needs to be set up, etc.
• Forms Management - department structure and responsibilities
• How to structure a forms management department
• Forms department structures and development
• Creating a forms program
• How to write standards and policies, getting it started, part 1
• How to implement and enforce standards and policies, part 2
• Samples of standards, samples of policies
• Common forms metrics
• Best practices specific various types of forms
• Develop a best practices model for all forms users to refer to
• Developing form standards
• Have sessions for form design based on specific industry and their regulator agencies. Example: healthcare forms based on what is required for CMS and JCAHO
• Sessions that deal with government department issues. Most sessions give examples, etc. of private industry case studies that only "sort of" apply to government situations. Trying to relate the case studies to government would help.
• Peer group meeting/discussion for managers of forms programs. Not the technical part. Deal with the management issues we have to cope with. Perhaps poll some managers in advance and have some topics lined up. Meet on the front end of Symposium so we can network from the get-go and swap ongoing dialog through the event
• Proofreading: common editing marks, different techniques (read upside down, read for fonts, read for leading), risk of errors during document conversion, difference between editing for grammar/copywriting versus editing for design, typos, layout, format, font, headers, graphic standards, logo
• Trends/Development in Print Manufacturing: sustainability, recycling effect/greenness, digital printing
• How to create a nicely formed XML data structure
• Transpromo: definition, key concepts, success factors
• Variable Data Printing - promotional items, transactional items, what are all the ways to do this?
• Using bar codes to support imaging: Consideration about how to make sure the bar code is readable after printed on a form. Design considerations how to apply such static bar codes that are not ugly and distracting from the purpose of the form; what your vendor should do to test to assure quality control during the printing process.
• Bar codes, scanning technology
• Data capture technologies like OCR, ICR, bar code
• Intelligent mail bar codes
• Bar codes: uses in the forms industry
• Good OCR/ICR form designs and other data capture methods for forms
• How can eforms and paper forms co-exist
• A workshop on an end to end electronic process starting with a form
• Designing electronic forms - layout issues, etc. Classes on electronic that are similar to the excellent paper form design classes
• Web design and eForms (web design versus eForms?) What to do about web standards and form standards
• Large print forms for elderly users, not just the ability to zoom into the form on computer screen, but to print in large print. Caste study with methodology.
• On line forms
• Forms as a communications tool: how to write user instructions in forms
• Crucial conversation
• Customer service - how to be a better professional
• Working sessions - projects, experiences
• Building Form Apps with IS SilverLight/Adobe AIR and comparison
• Discussion on information architecture/human factors
• Building an Access database
• Database collection
• Building a forms repository
• Management topic to transition analysts and designers into management. Courses include
  • Leadership
  • Coaching
  • Leading teams
  • Quality improvement
  • Operational metrics
  • Performance management
  • Marketing, especially to internal customers
  • Strategic planning
  • Effective business communication and presentations
  • Developing and writing business cases
• Records management
• Plain language

Master Series on Printed Forms Products

By:Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC
VP, Programs

Are you handling mostly electronic forms and are stumped when it comes time to print something?  Do you know a little about printing but are not current with the latest technologies?  This next three-part BFMA Master Series is just for you.  The Master Series on Printed Forms Products covers the various types of form products and how to make those products secure.  Next, learn about the forms technologies that can turn your problem into an innovative solution.  Finally, once you are ready to print, learn how to prepare your artwork and electronic file so that your job runs smoothly at the plant.

Registration is open now.  All Master Series are scheduled from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Pacific time.

Session 1: August 7
Print Products and Security in Print Products
Speaker: Roger Buck, Appleton

You have a customer with a problem that needs a solution, and that solution is a printed form. There are many types of form products available to you from cut sheets to unit sets to continuous forms to envelopes to labels and many more. Some form systems require highly specialized products such as form/label or form/envelope combinations. Each of these products has special application and design requirements. Learn when to use which product and what types of things to look out for. In addition, these products can help you lower your risk of fraud by including security features. Hear about the latest technology available to make your forms more secure.

Session 2: August 14
Technologies that Impact Forms
Speaker: David Washburn, Standard Register

There are many technologies that impact forms manufacturing, including computer-to-plate, digital presses, specialty inks (thermocromatic, bleeds, ultraviolet, laser, etc.), carbonless papers with sensitizing and de-sensitizing chemicals, integrated labels, sheeters, roll rewinds and folders mounted inline on a press, automatic splicers, bar codes, optical scanners and many more. This topic will expand your knowledge about a wide-range of products available to forms designers to resolve complicated workflow problems with innovative solutions.

Session 3: August 21
Designing to Print
Speaker: Alice Ladd, Mount Carmel

This session will cover things to consider before you begin creating your design for your print product, plus file preparation, file transmission, file compression and how to save time and money on production preparation. If you are working across platforms, learn how PC and MAC platforms can work together. You will receive a list of questions to ask your print vendor before you send your print-ready file. The goal of this session is to help you create a production ready forms design.

Master Series on Forms Management Databases

By:Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC
VP, Programs

Beginning on Thursday, September 4, BFMA will present a four-part Master Series on Forms Management Databases.  This comprehensive series covers everything you need to know about developing a forms management database:  planning for the database, selecting and organizing fields, developing tables, reports and queries and finally, how to add greater functionality to it to make it easier and more useful.  Join us for four fact-filled presentations from experienced developers.

Registration materials will be availabile on the BFMA website in June.  All Master Series are scheduled from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Pacific time.

Session 1: September 4, 2008
Planning a Forms Management Database
Presented by Susan E. Cook, CFSP, Premera Blue Cross

A forms management database is a critical tool for streamlining the huge amounts of data involved in managing a large number of forms and for coordinating the workflow and ordering processes involved in keeping those forms up to date. Learn the basics of database structure and capability and discover what data you can capture and manipulate to help your department run more smoothly.

Session 2: September 11, 2008
Forms Management Database 101
Presented by Susan E. Cook, CFSP, Premera Blue Cross

Still using spreadsheets or manual tracking tools for your Forms Management data? Are you afraid to take that first step to convert to a simple database? Using Microsoft Access as an easily obtainable tool, explore the difference between a spreadsheet and a simple relational database. In this class, we build a sample database using data specific to the Forms Management structure. You will learn how to create a basic model for your database, set up your tables, create “many-to-one” and “one-to-one” relationships, and create your first input form. See how the input data posts to the tables. Attendees receive a packet of recommended fields for a startup FM database, standards for naming conventions, and a step-by-step exercise to create your first database on your own time.

Session 3: September 18, 2008
Forms Management Database 201
Presented by Susan E. Cook, CFSP, Premera Blue Cross

Are you working with an inherited Forms Management database? Are you developing or managing a Microsoft Access database for your Forms Management requirements? This session will cover features such as what to do with an inherited database: how to create queries and reports to provide the data that justifies the existence of the Forms Management structure; what data output options such as Excel or the use of InfoPath will allow your management to pull their own reports on demand. Participants will view an advanced Forms Management database to see what options are available when designing your system. We will work with standard Microsoft tools that do not require large budgets to acquire.

Note:  There is no presentation on September 25.

Session 4: October 2, 2008
Making Your Database Work Harder
Presented by Jana Faust, Administaff

So now you have a forms management database. You have defined the fields, built the tables, established relationships and designed queries and reports. It tracks your information but you wish it had more functionality and could do more of the work for you. This session will cover the tricks to turning your simple database into an easy to use marvel: how to use the power of subforms to easily keep your relationships straight and still view multiple records; how to use look-up tables and combo boxes (drop-down fields) to navigate across screens and tables; how to overcome the problems of too many fields to fit on a screen; how to track parent forms and their related children; how to track forms distributed via multiple media and/or grouped into packets like a new hire booklet. These are all things that will turn your database from everyday “business casual” to a high powered “business suit.”

Instructors

Instructor Susan E. Cook, CFSP, currently is a systems administrator and developer of forms management systems at Permera BlueCross. She has broad background in business and systems analysis, as well as extensive experience in print manufacturing and warehousing. She spent 7 years as an independent consultant working with large organizations to analyze business flow and develop and test processes for systems improvements. Prior to that, Ms. Cook was the operations manager for a large business forms manufacturing and sales company. She developed, implemented and maintained the national forms management division specializing in systems integration, implementation and inventory management. You may contact her at susie.cook@premera.com.

Instructor Jana Faust was introduced to the world of forms design and administration more than three years ago. She compares tracking form changes to keeping up with Texas weather. “If you don’t like it now, just wait 15 minutes…it’ll change.” She currently works for Administaff, a professional employer organization near Houston, where she programs the content/forms management database. She also manages the pre-populated new hire forms project. She enjoys tackling challenges and finding ways to improve processes with technology. You may contact her at jana_faust@administaff.com.

Hot (Topic) Flash

By:Margaret Tassin, CFSP, CDC
VP, Programs

Attendees at the Symposium in Las Vegas were asked to submit "hot topic" ideas for next year's programs.  Some of those requests are being addressed in upcoming Master Series webinars.   Have a look!

"Writing requirements for your software vendor so that you can purchase the product needed. How to decide on a forms design package.  What do you do, how do you go about it?  List specific details to be covered on an RFP:  These questions will be covered by Al Howick on June 5 in the Master Series class "Working with IT to Create an RFP and to Define Responsibilities."

"How can eforms and paper forms co-exist? Web design and eForms (web design versus eForms?) What to do about web standards and form standards?"  These questions will be covered by Anjali Srivastav in her Master Series class "Efficiently Serving a Dual Paper/Electronic Environment" on June 19.

"Building an Access Database": This topic will be covered fully in a Master Series that begins in September.  See an article about this new series elsewhere in the newsletter.

If you have other hot topics for the Program Council to consider, please e-mail me right away.  We are planning the 2009 events now and welcome your input!