The 3 C's of Process Documentation (Consistency, Compliance, Completeness) And Why You Should Care (2024)

There's one thing worse than no documentation. It's inconsistent, inaccurate or incomplete documentation. Yet 90% of the time when you're looking for guidance to solve a software issue or comply with an organisational procedure, that's what you end up with.

Frequently written off as merely inconvenient, low quality documentation is in fact a serious organisational issue that continues to create a vast amount of friction for software users and internal teams.

So let's explore the 3 C's of quality documentation for a moment.

Compliance

The big picture for large organisations is that each person needs to perform every task the same way. Getting everyone to comply with policies and procedures is a number one priority and they invest deeply in making this happen. Whether it's entering information into a CRM or working at a checkout, people are required to follow a particular set of steps, simply because that's the requirement.

The organisation continually needs to communicate all this job related information to its employees and the way they do that is very often piecemeal. There are policy documents, knowledge bases and emails from managers. Maybe the board says something.

The holy grail for this situation is a set of centralised documentation that communicates in a rock solid way and keeps individuals informed and compliant with the thousands of policies and procedures they may come into contact with at any given time.

Consistency

Consistency is one of the things holding our understanding of the world together so you could say it's quite important. We want things belonging to the same group to look and feel the same, and when they don't, everything feels disorienting and disorganised.

Here are a few factors that contribute to inconsistency:

  • Instructional materials are often documented in different media: textbooks, log books, standards documents, user manuals, intranet, etc.
  • Within the same media, a set of materials can sometimes contain ten variations of the same document.
  • The natural tendency for individuals to develop their own workarounds can lead to a star-crossed mashup of Paint, Word, Textpad and all manner of screenshot tools.

Now if only there were a single, centralised tool that could be used by everyone on the team to create a single set of consistent outputs.

Completeness

Lack of completeness is another factor drastically affecting documentation quality. It can take the form of missing steps, incomplete explanations or processes that trail off into nothing and leave a customer or team member halfway through a task with nowhere to go but down.

This situation is often the result of not allowing adequate time for documenting at the planning stage or not starting the documentation task early enough in the project lifecycle.

So how does your project or process documentation stack up against the 3 C's of compliance, consistency and completeness? Leave a comment and let me know.

One of the truly magical things about our rapid authoring solution WalkThru is that it is lightning fast. This is great news because getting the job done is what we're all aiming for – and, like it or not, documentation is a major part of that effort.

Even better, because WalkThru is the right tool for the job, rapid doesn't have to mean making concessions on quality. You can go fast and smash it out, all without cutting corners.

That's because WalkThru is designed from the ground up to capture procedural information quickly and easily, automatically format it with its built-in instructional design smarts and publish it to a range of digital and print formats.

Ready to revolutionise your approach to project and process documentation?

Decide for yourself by downloading a free trial at walkthrusoftware.com, or contact our sales team on info@walkthrusoftware.com or +61 2 9188 3999.

The 3 C's of Process Documentation (Consistency, Compliance, Completeness) And Why You Should Care (2024)

FAQs

What are the 3 C's of documentation? ›

The 3 C's of Process Documentation (Consistency, Compliance, Completeness) And Why You Should Care.

Why is consistency important in documentation? ›

It is vitally important that the different documents stay consistent with each other. When the project documents are out of sync, confusion, errors, and thrashing ensue. Maintenance becomes impossible and the product will be scrapped.

What are the benefits of consistent documentation? ›

Here are some key benefits of using process documentation:
  • Standardizes workflows to ensure consistency. ...
  • Reduces errors and oversights. ...
  • Ensures compliance and quality. ...
  • Preserves knowledge for easy transfer. ...
  • Improves operational efficiency and overall productivity. ...
  • Allows for process optimization.

Why is process documentation important? ›

The goal of process documentation is similar to that of business process management. It improves business performance and operational agility by optimizing core processes. Documenting processes during execution enables employees to learn by doing, gleaning insight from both mistakes and successes to refine processes.

What does 3 C's stand for? ›

The 3 Cs of Brand Development: Customer, Company, and Competitors.

What does the three 3 C's stand for? ›

We are all innately curious, compassionate, and courageous, but we must cultivate these values — the 3Cs — as daily habits to foster the independent thinking, free expression, and constructive communication that will enable our society to reach its full potential.

What is consistency in documentation? ›

Consistency in documentation can be achieved through uniformity in language, formatting, and style across all documents. Inconsistencies can cause confusion and lead to misinterpretation of the intended message.

Why is consistency so important? ›

Through consistent repetition, we rewire our brains and develop behaviors and habits that make us do things natural as part of our daily routine. People who are consistent are trusted in most cases because they can be relied or depended on by others.

What does consistency in document mean? ›

Consistency is either "uniform" or "harmonious," depending on whether a set of linked elements is indivisible or divisible into subsets. From the perspective of text characteristics, we can speak of semantic, syntactic, stylistic, spatial, and mechanical consistency.

What is the most important principle of documentation? ›

Your documentation must be precise and coherent so others can understand. Vague and obscure documentations can lead to misinterpretation. Documentation should be specific and individualized to each client. Your documentation should balance being comprehensive and concise.

What are the three main benefits to accurate documentation and coding? ›

By ensuring that all relevant information is recorded and coded correctly, healthcare professionals can provide the best possible care, contribute to medical knowledge, and facilitate appropriate reimbursem*nt processes.

What are the three main functions included in clinical documentation improvement CDI? ›

The overall goal of a CDI program is to improve clinical documentation, coding, and reimbursem*nt. From a reimbursem*nt perspective, an effective CDI program can reduce denials and improve the appeals process using improved clinical documentation.

What is the objective of process documentation? ›

Process documentation is about keeping track of a process during the execution of a project. The goal is to learn from the implementation so you can adjust the strategy and improve the procedure. Proactively managing processes can: Eliminate flaws.

What is an example of a good process document? ›

Examples of process documentation
  • Standard operating procedures (SOP)
  • Performance reviews.
  • Customer complaint resolution processes.
  • Equipment inspection and maintenance procedures.
  • Service delivery processes.
  • Project management.
  • Product launches.
Oct 17, 2023

What are the three elements of good documentation? ›

Instead of focusing on the mechanics of the customer information experience, a focus on the information experience itself enables us to discern three key elements for quality documentation: discoverability, readability, and usability.

What are the 3 main documents? ›

Learn about the United States' founding documents, known together as the Charters of Freedom. The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights established the government's structure and continue to secure the rights of American citizens.

What are the 3 types of documentation? ›

There are three types of documentation that every software development team needs in order to function effectively and avoid future roadblocks — documentation of ongoing discussions, the decision-making process, and technical information.

What is the golden rule of documentation? ›

Remember the Golden Rule: If it isn't documented, then it wasn't performed. Reviewers do not know the services provided if there is no documentation. You are paid for what you document, not what you did.

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