Forms Design and Control

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Forms Design and Control
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Objectives of Forms Control Programs

• To guard against the development of unneeded
  forms.
• To eliminate unneeded existing forms.
• To assist in the development and design of
  efficient forms.
• To consolidate and simplify existing forms when
  appropriate.
• To provide a continuous review of existing forms.
• To facilitate the development of efficient work
  procedures that involve the use of forms.

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Steps in Designing a Forms Control Program

• Catalog forms.
• Classify forms.
• Analyze forms.
• Eliminate forms.
• Consolidate forms.
• Develop design guidelines.
• Develop forms.
• Print forms.
• Maintain perpetual supply inventory.

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Cataloging Forms

• Enables those individuals responsible for the
  forms control program to determine the nature,
  type, and purpose for forms used throughout the
  organization.

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Cataloging Forms
Reveals the Following

• Primary purpose of each form.
• Forms used by each department or work unit.
• Frequency of use of each form.
• Number of copies of a multiple-copy form set.
• Routing of each copy of a multiple-copy form set.
• Final disposition of each copy of a multiple copy
  form set.
• Primary method of entering data on each of the
  forms.
• Relationship among various forms.

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Classifying Forms

• Forms are typically classified by function and
  by number.

Forms are organized according to their specific
purpose.
Function
Forms are organized according to the
identification number each is assigned.
Number
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Analyzing Forms

• Often results in reducing the cost of creating
  and processing a form.

Provides answers to these questions
1. What is the primary purpose of the form? 2.
Does the form contain the necessary information
to fulfill its purpose? 3. Do the design
specifications on the form accommodate its data
entry, transmittal, filing, and retrieval
requirements? 4. Does the form contain any
extraneous information?
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Eliminating Forms

• When analysis indicates that certain forms are
  either no longer used or need to be used, should
  their elimination be considered?
• In some instances, new forms take over the
  function of old forms.

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Consolidating Forms

• Forms analysis may reveal that certain forms
  contain the same information.
• If they contain enough like information, then two
  or more forms can perhaps be consolidated into
  one new form.

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Developing Design Guidelines

• Guidelines should be developed before new forms
  are designed to help assure the uniformity and
  compatibility of forms.

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Guidelines

• When the same information appears on several
  forms, it should appear in the same location on
  each form.
• Information that is to be transferred from one
  form to another should appear in the same
  sequence on both forms.
• When control of forms is important, the forms
  should be numbered sequentially.
• The design of the form should be guided by such
  characteristics as simplicity, practicality, and
  ease of use.

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Developing Forms

• Before a new form is developed, its need must be
  justified.

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Printing Forms

• Forms are printed both in-house and externally.
• Availability of needed printing equipment is
  generally the deciding factor.

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Maintaining Perpetual Supply Inventory

• This helps ensure that forms supply is never
  depleted.
• When supply reaches a predetermined minimum
  level, it is replenished.

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Types of Forms Used in Offices

• Continuous
• Unit-set
• Carbonless
• MICR
• OCR
• Mark-sense
• Electronic

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Unit-Set Forms

• Are maintained as separate forms.
• May be either single or multiple copy.

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Carbonless Forms

• Use a process in which the backside of one copy
  and the face side of the next copy are coated.
• When pressure is put on the top form, a chemical
  reaction occurs between the coatings, which
  produces the image.

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MICR Forms

• Are used primarily by financial institutions to
  expedite the processing and storing of numerical
  data.

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OCR Forms

• Use both alphabetic and numerical data.
• As forms are read, the data are transferred to a
  computer.
• Handwritten characters can be read by scanners.

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Mark-Sense Forms

• Contains shapes (rectangles, circles, squares)
  that are darkened.

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Electronic Forms

• Are a new a fast-growing type of form used in
  organizations.
• Two types software-based and Web-based forms.

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Advantages of Using Electronic Forms

• Filling in the variable information on an
  electronic form is quicker than handwriting or
  using a typewriter to fill in a paper form.
• Need to keep an inventory of paper forms is
  greatly diminished because fewer paper copies of
  forms will likely be prepared.
• Need to enter redundant information
• on several forms is greatly reduced.

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Advantages of Using Electronic Forms

• Need to file paper copies is greatly reduced.
• Information stored on electronic forms can be
  retrieved more readily than those stored on paper
  copies.
• Template of an electronic form can be easily and
  quickly revised as the need arises.

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Forms Design

• Efficiency with which information is entered on a
  form depends on its design.
• Care needs to be exercised in designing forms.
• Forms are designed both internally and
  externally.

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Prerequisites to Forms Design

• The purpose of the form needs to be determined.
• The nature of the equipment on which the form
  will be processed needs to be determined.
• The relationship between the form being studied
  and any other previously developed forms must be
  assessed.
• The length of time that various copies must be
  legally retained.

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Purpose of Form

• Determines these elements
• Type of information to be included.
• Number of copies that will be needed.
• Routing of each copy of the form.
• Nature of completion directions or instructions
  needed on the form.
• Need for any control procedures.

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Nature of Equipment

• Equipment on which form will be processed may
  restrict its size.
• Equipment will also determine whether automatic
  feeding of the form is possible.
• Equipment will also determine whether paper on
  which the form is printed has to possess certain
  characteristics.

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Relationship Between Form Being Studied and Other
Forms

• If the new form and an existing form are related,
  they need to be compatible.

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Length of Time Copies Have to be Retained

• Some forms have a legal life as specified by the
  statute of limitations.
• Forms have to withstand that length of time.

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Design Elements

• Adequate identification
• Alignment of items
• Preprinting
• Prenumbering
• Instructions
• Identification number
• Type of carbon

• Data-entry method
• Paper
• Color
• Size
• Print type size
• Shading
• Adequate margin size

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Adequate Identification

• Needs to include name of form.
• If form is an external one, name and address of
  organization should be included also.

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Preprinting

• Forms should have as much preprinted information
  as possible.
• This makes form fill-in much more economical.

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Prenumbering

• If forms have a control concern, they should be
  preprinted with numbers in sequential order.

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Instructions

• On complex forms, instructions may need to be
  included.
• They should be placed as closely as possible to
  information to which they pertain.

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Identification Number

• The identification number typically includes the
  department number, the form number, the date on
  which it was last revised, and the quantity
  printed.

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Type of Carbon

• Several factors help determine the appropriate
  type of
• carbon.
• 1. Frequency of use of form.
• 2. Number of copies of the form that must be
  made.
• 3. Confidentiality of form.
• 4. Opportunity for tampering with data on the
  form.
• 5. Method for entering data on the form.
• 6. Equipment used in processing the form.

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Data-Entry Method

• Data-entry method has a bearing on the spacing
  and design of the form.
• Different design features should be used when the
  primary data-entry method is handwriting in
  comparison to when the form is filled in using
  equipment.

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Paper

• Paper must be considered because it determines
  how long the form will last, how well the paper
  feeds through equipment, etc.
• Paper considerations
• Weight of paper.
• Grade of paper.
• Grain of paper.

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Forms Design Software

• A number of software programs are now available
  that facilitate the design of forms.
• Factors to consider in selecting program include
• Hardware on which it will be used.
• Ability of software to accept scanned
  information.
• Format features the software accommodates.

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Professional Forms Services

• Provide a number of services for their clients,
  including
• Forms design.
• Forms production.
• Forms storage.
• Forms replenishment.

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Summary

• Objectives of Forms Control Programs
• Steps in Designing a Forms Control Program
• Types of Forms