Manuals need to be updated regularly to reflect new legislation, accommodate program changes, or correct content errors. Out-of-date modules are simply replaced by new ones.
Too often no one is assigned responsibility for ensuring the manual is kept current. The result is usually a manual that ceases to be a reliable source of information. Make sure that someone is assigned responsibility for periodically reviewing the manual and initiating changes. This person is sometimes called the manual administrator and is often the person responsible for the functions documented in the manual. Depending on what the manual covers, different people may be delegated responsibility for different chapters. All comments on the manual and suggestions for changes should go to this person who makes the final decision to revise the manual.
The manual administrator will need help with the following:
The person who provides these editing and production services is often called a documentation specialist.
Revisions can be issued on an on-going basis, or they can be batched together and issued periodically. Updating on an on-going basis gets revisions out faster, but it’s more work.
Many organizations update their manuals quarterly, every six months, or yearly to save time. However, sometimes they have to issue bulletins or memos to inform staff of the changes before the manual is changed. The efficiency of batching updates is then lost because of the additional effort in issuing bulletins or memos.
Don’t try to revise single pages of modules—if any part of a module needs to be revised, revise and re-issue the entire module. While it may result in re-printing a few more pages, the manual will be easier to revise, and more importantly, easier for holders to maintain.
Make any necessary changes to the module, then indicate where changes have been made by placing a change bar in the right margin. Change bars are created differently in different word processing programs. Holders of the manual can then see where changes have been made, and if necessary, compare the new module to the old one.
Also change the issue date of each module so the new module can be distinguished from the old one. For policy manuals, this date is usually considered to be the date the policy comes into effect.
Revised modules should be reviewed and approved using the same process you would use for issuing new modules of the manual. Stamp review drafts with DRAFT so that no one confuses them with the approved module.
The table of contents should also be changed to show any new or deleted modules, title changes, or new issue dates. For new modules, or where information has been added, mark any new index entries, then regenerate the index.
When you send out revisions, always include a covering letter addressing the following:
Revisions should be numbered and the number clearly shown on the covering letter. Instruct holders to keep the covering letters at the front of their manuals as a record of having received the update package. That way, they’ll notice if they don’t receive an update package.
Some organizations like to include a receipt response card, which the holder then sends back to the manual coordinator confirming that the package was received and the manual updated. However, many people forget to return the card, so to find out who actually didn’t receive the package, you have to do a lot of following up.
Your update package should include:
If two-thirds or more of the modules have changed, consider replacing the entire manual (not including the binder and tab dividers).
