JULY 11, 2014

FORMS DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT

SUMMARY OF THREE-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION
ANNA MITCHELL, FORMS DESIGN CONSULTANT
MITCHELL PRODUCTIVITY DESIGN, INC.
2271 Pembina Highway, Fort Garry, MB R3T 2H1

Properly Formatted Report

with Preliminary Pages

November 23, 2014

Mr. Patrick Hess, President

Hess and Glenn, Inc.
1017 McPhillips Street
West Kildonan, MB R2X 2K6
Dear Mr. Hess
The follow-up study of the Forms Design and Management program that was instituted three years ago
has been completed. You will be pleased to note when you read this report that the goals set for this
program have been exceeded.
Thank you for the opportunity to work with you and the employees of Hess and Glenn, Inc. on both the
initial study and the follow-up evaluation of the program that was implemented. I appreciate the
cooperation of all of the people with whom we work.
Please let me know if I can answer any questions about the report. I hope to have the opportunity to work
with you again in the future.
Sincerely

Anna Mitchell
Forms Design Consultant
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Enclosure

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Table of Contents
Letter of Transmittal ............................................................................................................................................................ii
Executive Summary............................................................................................................................................................ iv
Existing System .................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Conversion from Paper to Electronic Forms ................................................................................................................... 1
New System ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Forms Analysis and Design ............................................................................................................................................... 1
Forms Inventory Implementation ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Goal of the System ............................................................................................................................................................ 2
Follow-Up Study ................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Results.................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

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Executive Summary
Approximately three years ago, a forms design, management control, and conversion program was
instituted at Hess and Glenn, Inc. A survey of forms showed that 74 percent of all forms were paper based
forms and only 26 percent of the forms were electronic. The goal of the program was to convert 70 to 75
percent of the paper based forms to an electronic format.
The current survey shows that 80 percent of the forms used at Hess and Glenn, Inc. are in electronic format.
The only company forms currently in paper format are those that are filled in with pen or pencil and that
are used as checklists for warehouse and delivery personnel.
The new system has reduced costs and has improved efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, employees
are extremely pleased with the new forms program.

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Forms Design and Management

A 2011 survey of the forms used by Hess and Glenn, Inc. indicated that 74 percent of all forms were
paper based, and only 26 percent were in electronic format. Forms were produced both internally and
externally. However, the majority of the forms were created internally. The following table shows the
source of the forms used at that time.
Form Type
EmployeePaper
CompanyPaper
VendorPaper
ExternalPaper
CompanyElectronic
EmployeeElectronic

Percentage
26%
35%
9%
4%
17%
9%

The bulk of the paper based forms were created either by individual employees to simplify their work or
as standard forms used throughout the company. These forms were targeted for conversion to electronic
format.

Existing System
No centralized forms management or control system existed at the time of the study. The responsibility for
managing each form rested with the individual who created it. The cost, quality, and effectiveness of forms
that were in use varied widely. Many forms were poorly designed and were ineffective. An analysis of the
forms indicated that a significant number of them could be put online. Taking this action would reduce the
cost and increase the effectiveness of all forms used by Hess and Glenn, Inc.

Conversion from Paper to Electronic Forms

The primary goal of the program was to convert as many of the paper based forms as possible to
electronic forms. Forms that were used by or at the request of external customers were exempt from the
mandate to convert paper forms to electronic forms. Forms that were filled in using pen or pencil would be
considered on a case-by-case basis.

New System
A new system was recommended to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee approved the
recommendation and authorized the consultant to develop the implementation plan. The office manager
was made responsible for the design, management, and control of all forms. Three components comprised
the system.

Forms Analysis and Design

A checklist was created to evaluate each form. Because of the large inventory of forms, it was determined
that the stock of forms should be used until the supply was depleted. However, before a form was

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reprinted, it would be analyzed for effectiveness. New forms could be designed by departments and
submitted for review, or they could be designed by a forms designer on the office manager's staff.

Forms Inventory Implementation

A perpetual forms inventory system was designed and maintained online for all company-wide forms.
Employees were encouraged to add their departmental forms to the inventory system so that they could
be shared.

Goal of the System

The goal of the system was to convert 70 to 75 percent of the forms to an electronic format within a threeyear time period. During this same time frame, the company planned to upgrade computers and make the
network available to all employees except warehouse and delivery personnel.

Follow-Up Study
This phase of the study was authorized to determine the effectiveness of the program that was
implemented. The following table shows the progress made since the program was instituted.
Form Type
EmployeePaper
CompanyPaper
VendorPaper
ExternalPaper
CompanyElectronic
EmployeeElectronic

Percentage
8%
5%
3%
4%
48%
32%

Results
Currently, 80 percent of all forms are in electronic format, and 20 percent are paper based. The four
forms that are currently purchased from vendors are being redesigned so that they can be made
available electronically. The remaining paper based forms are used primarily by warehouse and delivery
personnel. However, the Technology Committee has recommended providing these employees with
handheld computers to perform their work. As soon as this recommendation is implemented, the forms they
use can be converted to electronic format.
The new system has resulted in a 20 percent cost savings over the previous system. In addition, more than
80 percent of the employees indicated that the new system improved their efficiency and effectiveness.