10   Maintaining Manuals

Revising Print Manuals

Replace out-of-date sections with whole new ones. Don’t try to revise single pages of sections—if any part of a section needs to be revised, revise and reissue the entire section. While you’ll have to print a few more pages, the manual will be easier to revise, and more importantly, easier for holders to update.

Make any necessary changes to the section, then indicate where changes have been made by placing a change bar in the right margin (see opposite). Holders of the manual can then see where changes have been made, and if necessary, can compare the new section to the old one. Change bars are created differently in different word processing programs.

Also change the issue date of revised sections so they can be distinguished from the old ones. For policy manuals, this date is usually considered to be the date the policy comes into effect. Alternatively, you can use revision numbers. The purpose is the same—to identify the most recent version so the new and old versions aren’t confused.

Revised sections should be reviewed and approved using the same process you would use for issuing new sections of the manual. Mark the review drafts with DRAFT and give each successive draft a new date or revision number. Version control is as important for drafts as it is for approved sections.

Also change the table of contents to show added or deleted sections, title changes, or new issue dates. Before you finish, check to see if the index needs to be revised as well. If you’ve added or deleted sections, or made significant changes, chances are it does.

As sections are revised and replaced, keep a print copy of each version so that you can go back at any time in the future to see what was in effect on any date. This is particularly important for policy manuals.

Update Packages

When you’ve reproduced the sections, you’re ready to assemble and mail out the update packages with a cover letter. The letter should cover the following:

• titles and module numbers of sections attached
• general description of revisions made
• instructions for updating the manual (or refer the holder to the set of instructions already in the manual)
• your name and how you can be contacted

Update packages should be numbered and the number clearly shown on the covering letter. Instruct holders to keep the cover 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 follow-up.

Instead of mailing the update packages, if only a small number of copies are in circulation, and they are all located in the same office, consider sending someone around to locate and update each copy. That way, you’ll know that the new material has been integrated into the manual properly.

If two-thirds or more of the sections of the manual have changed, consider replacing the entire manual (excluding the binder and divider tabs). The cost saving of printing only the revised sections does not warrant the considerable effort required by manual holders to physically integrate the new sections and weed out the old ones.