1.1.4. Forms Design and Control

There is a mass of information in business and most of it can be recorded and communicated by putting it on paper. Most documents created for this pur­pose are forms, which are standard documents and the use of them establishes a routine method of dealing with information.

• The number of operations necessary in the use of the form should be reduced.

• The form must be easy to read and to use.

• The number of copies and the number of forms should be reduced. This can be done by designing forms to serve more than one purpose.

• The layout of the form must be such that it is related to other documents with which it will be used.

• Appearance must be attractive with entries easily made and instructions easily read. Colour should be used with care.

• The form must be large enough to contain all information required; any limits because of its use with machines must be noted, in addition to postal regulations and mailing and filing facilities.

• Titles should be concise, the form reference number and destination should be clearly visible.

• Paper and printing. The quality of the paper should be considered. This depends upon the use of the form. If it will be handled a lot, thick paper is needed. In addition, its use on duplicators may mean the use of special paper. Entries may be made by pen or machine, the paper surface must be suitable for these entries.

Forms control

Forms control is vitally important. To initiate forms control, one person should be given the job to set up and maintain an efficient system of forms control. Steps in setting up such control may be as follows:

• inform staff that forms control is starting and that no new forms should be released;

• all new forms to be issued by the forms office which initially needs copies of every form in existence;

• forms should be standardized where possible and a register kept of all forms to be used in the new system.

Assignments

I. Memorise the following words and phrases:

entry	окремий запис
to make an entry	занести запис
reference number	номер для посилання
to release	випускати, видавати

II. Suggest the Ukrainian equivalents of the words and phrases below:

postal regulations; mailing and filing facilities; to set up and maintain an efficient system of forms control; forms office; register should be kept of all forms;

III. Find English equivalents to the following phrases from the text:

необхідно реєструвати усі бланки; відділ, який видає бланки; обладнання для відправлення поштової кореспонденції і систематитизації документів; впровадити і дотримуватися ефективної системи контролю над використанням бланків.

IV. Answer the questions:

1. What are the main principles of form design?

2. In what way may the forms control be exercised?

1.1.5. Work Measurement

It is not as simple to introduce work measurement in the office as it is in the factory. It may be possible to measure at least 50 per cent of the work in the office and the following methods are used:

Simple timing. This involves studying a number of average clerks doing repetitive work and setting a standard, e. g. 6000 lines of typing per day.

Recording devices. These may be used on machines which register the number of key depressions. Documents could be weighed. Audio-typists' work could be measured by the number of inches of dictated tape, or by pages typed.

Activity sampling. This consists of random observations taken periodically and is based upon the law of statistical regularity. It enables the time spent on various activities to be noted.

Variable Factor Programming (VFP). This method uses a different approach. The emphasis is on using measurement primarily as a psychological rather than a mechanical stimulus to greater productivity. This method comprises the following steps:

1. The work content is evaluated. Each member of the department lists the work performed by him. Data are then coordinated and definitions standardized.

2. Jobs are timed by workers and averaged over about four weeks. All breaks are noted, e.g. telephone calls, and reasonable target times are set.

3. Work is assigned in batches to control work flow and work not completed in the time fixed is investigated. Another method of control is for employ­ees to record the time taken against the target time. Daily and weekly reports are sent to the supervisor.

4. Variable manning table can be drawn up, based upon target time; these give the work load in man hours and from these the number of staff required can be estimated.

It is more suitable for repetitive work, but it has been applied to drawing offices and research laboratories with reasonable success.

Group Capacity Assessment (GCA). This has already been adopted by a number of firms in the United Kingdom. Its purpose, like VFP, is to analyse labour costs and reduce them where necessary. Its origin is again in America where the accounting consultants, Ernst and Young, perfected the idea of measuring groups rather than individuals.

In any department, measurement of the work of an individual would produce a standard for him alone; such a standard would not be appropriate for others in the section because of the variety of jobs per­formed in it. But if the work of small groups is measured collectively, results can be collated for each department.

The advantages of this system are:

• manpower planning can be forecast more accurately;

• jobs can be more accurately evaluated and skills better utilized, e.g. skilled personnel may be doing simple clerical tasks;

• inefficiency is spotlighted, labour costs can be reduced, and staff morale can be improved.