Finance, Banking and Insurance

Client organisations: Adelaide Bank, Avant, Capital Finance, City Finance, Colonial First State, Commonwealth Bank, Covermore, Credit Ombudsman, CUSCAL, Destiny Financial, Fiserv, GIO, Heta, IAG, ING, Institute of Chartered Accountants, InsuranceLine, Lumley, Mortgage Choice, NAB, OMX, QBE, RAMS, State Super, The Tax Institute, Towers Perrin, Wealth Depot, Westpac

Job 14423: Conducted training for staff at a bank about writing effective performance support documents Classification: Training

Job 14352: A large finance company involved in the residential mortgage market had developed a suite of software products for mortgage initiation by associates in the field. The client’s requirement was for online help and training materials for new users. HCi planned and developed a single-source document which was produced as a printed user manual and as a task-based online help module. The source material was legacy screen-based documentation. The documentation incorporated new functionality. HCi also planned and wrote voice-over scripts for the videos produced. Classification: Software user documentation

Job 14180: We analysed the documentation requirements for a rule-based unit pricing system that allows for straight-through processing of managed fund data for institutional investment portfolio managers. This analysis identified the need for two sets of documents: a User Reference Guide (a generic guide providing end-users with an overview of the system and its user interface) and a Processing Guide (documenting the set of rule-based processes relevant to a specific client). Classification: Software user documentation

Job 14102: Produced a user guide and a configuration guide for a modeling tool for institutional investment portfolio managers. This application facilitates the analysis of investment portfolios from the perspectives of performance, risk modeling and decision support. The HCi project manager and writer liaised closely with the software development company to work through the client company’s requirements for this complex product, as this was their first foray into user documentation. The company expressed satisfaction with both the quality of the finished documentation and the fact that it was produced to a tight deadline within their dynamic software development environment. Classification: Software user documentation

Job 14081: Provided a technical writer to develop user documentation and training materials for a large Peoplesoft implementation. Classification: Software user documentation, Training materials

Job 14079: The client company sells to financial advisers who form the channel for their insurance and financial products. An internal division of the client delivers service and support to these external financial advisers so that they can better distribute the company’s products. HCi was asked to document the work of this support division so that the support division can better build its team and its customer base in the coming year. It was also crucial to standardise the activities of the division members in different States, so as to avoid inconsistencies and conflict, and to ensure that best business practice was achieved. HCi developed a set of policies and procedures which were delivered to client staff via an Intranet administered and controlled directly by the client’s staff. We trained those staff members who would be responsible for ongoing maintenance of the material in FrontPage, and documented change procedures so that the material would stay current for the future. We also set up easy to use HTML index pages pointing to existing reference materials as well as the documents developed during the project. This core of material will be expanded later by the client, but was initiated to provide a standardised location and access route to all internal reference material used by the team. HCi also assisted with the formal ‘launch’ of the new Intranet to the team, and provided additional process development assistance where required. Classification: Procedures for new processes, Procedures for existing processes

Job 12802: The client sells and supports various investment and superannuation products. Its Operations area is responsible for the administration, transaction processing and client service functions. Due to a period of rapid growth and product acquisition, a number of legacy systems and methodologies are used to support and administer the various products. It is working to amalgamate, rationalise and refine the various systems and methods. The client asked HCi to prepare basic documentation of existing processes (using the various legacy systems). HCi was able to fully scope all documentation needs for the Operations area. The first phase of the documentation was written by HCi, with additional scoped material to be completed by the client’s staff as time allowed. Although the original plan called for documentation to be published through PDFs, during the project HCi was able to devise a simpler and more effective mechanism allowing for direct publishing to the company Intranet. This allowed for easier use. The outcome of the project was the completion of a set of core documentation for processes within the Operations area, providing: a clear ‘starting point’ for the client’s operational improvement: the basis of the final documentation for the new operation systems and methods as they are introduced: and a set of instructions to staff about the conduct of existing activities within Operations, capable of use as training material. Classification: Software user documentation, Software operations (not user) procedures, Procedures for existing processes