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Home My WebLink AboutADM 140-002 Forms Management ProcedureDICKERING Procedure Title: Forms Management Procedure Reference Communications Policy ADM 140 Records Management By-law 7347/14 Approval: Chief Administrative Officer Date Originated (m/d/y) February 29, 2009 Procedure Procedure Number ADM 140-002 Date Revised (m/d/y) May.2019 Pages 6 Point of Contact Corporate Services Department Procedure Objective The Corporation of the City of Pickering is committed to ensuring.a standardized approach to forms design and creation. This will be achieved through adherence to the Forms Management Procedure. The purpose of forms management is to establish a process for managing the creation, design, use, and disposition of forms. The scope of the procedure includes all forms created by the. City, and will provide for increased efficiencies for all users by setting and adhering to the standards set out in this procedure. The objective of this procedure is to: 1. Maximize electronic opportunities to create efficiencies. 2. Centralize management and control of form creation, design, revisions, and disposition. 3. Standardize forms design. 4. Streamline workflow within Departments. 5. Ensure an ongoing focus to simplify form processing. 6. Reduce waste. Index 01 02 03 04 05 06 Definitions Roles and Responsibilities Forms Process Form Standards Form Naming and Numbering Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act 01 Definitions 01.01 Corporate Forms Repository (CFR) — a listing of all the forms created in Laserfiche Forms software and other software (i.e., MS Word), outlining the form number, form name, form creator, date created, date revised, and redundancy status (if applicable). 01.02 Form — a document, on paper or electronic medium, which is carefully designed to gather and transmit information. This includes temporary and permanent forms as well as internal and external forms. Generally, a form initiates an action, records a transaction, or reports something. 01.03 Forms Creator — a staff member in Information Technology (IT) responsible for creating forms in Laserfiche Forms. 01.04 Forms Management — a comprehensive control program that provides standards for the creation, analysis, design, use, and disposition of forms. The purpose of forms management is to ensure that forms are designed, produced, and distributed economically and efficiently. Forms management consists of three basic functions: control, design, and analysis. 01.05 Forms Requester — a staff member responsible for initiating the Form Creation/Revision Request within a Department and updating the Corporate Forms Repository. 01.06 Laserfiche Forms — the corporate standard application used for forms design. 02 Roles and Responsibilities 02.01 Directors/Division Heads to: a) Understand the procedure and ensure Corporate adherence to the requirements of the procedure. b) Appoint at least one Forms Requester to perform the roles and functions as identified in this procedure. c) Provide the necessary tools to ensure the effective implementation and adherence to the procedure. 02.02 Managers and Supervisors to: a) Comply with forms standards for creation, maintenance, and use of forms. b) Approve form creation/revision requests prior to submission to the Forms Creator. Procedure Title: Forms Management Procedure Page 2 of 6 Procedure Number: ADM 140-002 02.03 Forms Requester to: a) Analyze and review forms within their department and make suggestions for revisions or new forms as needed. b) Provide an outline and any other pertinent information to the supervisor or manager for initial approval of the request. c) If approved, create draft form in Word and ensure the form complies with design standards. d) Once the form has been created, work with the appropriate department staff to test form to ensure form is performing as intended. e) Provide notice of final approval of the form to the Forms Creator so that the form can be finalized and published. f) Conduct an annual review to ensure forms remain in compliance with policies and procedures and eliminate those that are no longer required in their respective Department. 02.04 Forms Creator to: a) Upon receipt of a Form Creation/Revision Request, update the CFR (assigning a form number if a new form). b) Create the form in Laserfiche Forms, and advise the Forms Requester that the form is ready for testing. c) Publish the form after testing and receiving final Department approval. 03 Forms Process The forms process is initiated with a request for either a new form or a revision to an existing form. The following steps outline the process and identify responsibility for tasks. 03.01 Creation/Revision Request a) Upon approval from the supervisor or manager, the Forms Requester shall create a draft form and ensure compliance with the Form Standards (see 04). b) Once confirmed, submit a Form Creation/Revision Request (available on the City's Intranet under Forms>Requests) requesting the form be created or updated. The request must include the outline of the form and any other pertinent information that may be required. c) Form requests must be submitted a minimum of three weeks in advance of the deadline to have the form created, tested, and published. Procedure Title: Forms Management Procedure Page 3 of 6 Procedure Number: ADM 140-002 03.02 Form Analysis/Creation a) The Forms Creator reviews and analyzes the form request. If necessary, the Forms Creator contacts the Forms Requester for additional details or clarification. b) Turnaround time will vary depending on workload, priorities, and responsiveness of initiating department, but is expected to be no longer than three weeks. 03.03 Form Review/Publish a) Once complete, the form will be provided to the Form Requester for review and testing to ensure form is performing as intended. b) Once the form is finalized, the Forms Creator publishes the form and provides the link to the form location on the City's website. 03.04 Final Steps a) The Forms Creator maintains a working design file for each form, which includes the Form Creation/Revision Request, initial outline, and any additional supporting documentation. 04 Form Standards 04.01 Standards pertaining to the style and appearance of any type of form must include standards for fonts, form titles, headings and sub -headings, corporate image, instructions, numbering, and accessibility and must adhere to the Corporate Writing Style Guide. In addition to the Corporate Writing Style Guide, the following principles should also be considered and incorporated into any forms: a) Maintain a progressive and consistent image of the City. b) Ensure uniformity when numerous designers are involved. c) Be mindful of aesthetics, brevity and clarity in language, logical arrangement and appropriate spacing and simplicity. 04.02 Accessibility a) Forms must meet the requirements for Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), Information and Communications Standard. New forms and revisions to existing forms must be made accessible. Refer to the Accessible Documents Procedure and Section 9 of the Corporate Writing Guide. Procedure Title: Forms Management Procedure Page 4 of 6 Procedure Number: ADM 140-002 05 Form Naming and Numbering All forms are to be assigned a form number as part of the naming convention for that form. This numbering is assigned by the Forms Creator and is placed in the bottom left hand corner of every form. Form numbers shall be constructed using a department prefix and number. The following example is provided to demonstrate the formula: CSV 1801-02/20 CSV = department prefix (Corporate Services) 18 = year created 01 = unique chronological number starting at 01 for each calendar year 02 = month created 20 = day created If an existing form is revised, the form number is also updated as follows: CSV 1801 02/20 Revised 19/03/10 (example). Revised 19 03 10 indicates the form has been revised year of revision month of revision = day of revision The department prefixes are as follows: CAO CDD CSD CSV ENG FIN FSD HRD Form number to 1801-02/20 (P). Office of the Chief Administrative Officer City Development Community Services Corporate Services Engineering Services Finance Fire Services Human Resources include the letter (P) if the form is a print only form. For example, CSV Procedure Title: Forms Management Procedure Procedure Number: ADM 140-002 Page 5 of 6 06 Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act As per the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Policy, ADM 050, forms that include the collection of personal information shall include the following clause: Personal information contained on this form is collected pursuant to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and will be used for the purpose of [insert reason here]. Questions related to the collection of this information should be directed to the City Clerk, One The Esplanade, Pickering, ON, L1 V 6K7, 905.420.4611. If at any time during the updating or creation of forms staff have any questions concerning the collection of personal information as it relates to the form, they may contact the City Clerk for advice and clarification as needed. Procedure Title: Forms Management Procedure Page 6 of 6 Procedure Number: ADM 140-002