What's Up With Outdated Handbooks?

Once upon a time, there were Handbooks. Someone (or a small team of someones) would write and write and write about everything they could think of a specific officer might need to know how to do. Some would write formally. Some would write folksy. Some would use a question-answer format. Others would write prescriptively. Some would write bare bones and assume the officers reading the handbook would figure out the details on their own.  Some focused on old technology. Some were more in tune with modern computing and Internet possibilities. Some were overly opinionated; some were so neutral as to give no real advice at all.

Once in a while, someone would push to revise and update an entire handbook, never thinking about consistency with other handbooks. And of course, as soon as the ink was dry on the paper, the AMC would change a policy and information would be out of date again.  Additionally, finding a volunteer to edit 30 or 60 detailed pages was daunting and never done often enough.

No one reviewed them as a whole, which meant topics shared in different handbooks were inconsistent. As handbooks got more and more out of date, those inconsistencies became even more glaring. A few examples are references to Mensa Testing Day, Proctor Coordinators, InterLoc, blue pencils, Compuserve bulletin boards, newsletter exchanges, dues rates and LG reimbursements, IRS requirements, who to contact at the National Office for what, and so on.

As someone recently said, the Handbook revision process was broken and ineffective.

Very.

And so, two years ago, it was decided to scrap the entire concept of Handbooks and develop a new way of archiving and sharing and managing the ton of information officers and other volunteers need to know to do their jobs well.

No
More 
Handbooks.

Furthermore, we have developed a plan to ensure consistency of information and timely updates for all officers who share a need for certain sections of information (think of Treasurers and LocSecs who both need information about budgeting and tax reporting). All old-style handbooks are being ”ripped” en-masse into content sections that will be archived in the almost-ready-to-test-drive Compendium section of the AML Web site.

There will be hundreds of content sections. A LocSec’s Guide may, for example, comprise Sections 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 13, 14, 29, 33, 34, and 56. The Treasurer’s Guide might comprise Sections 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 34, and 108. But going forward, both the LocSecs and the Treasurers will be reading the exact same advice and rules on how to create budgets, how to report information for tax purposes, and how to juggle RG finances. And when a LocSec suddenly finds herself having to wear the Gifted Youth cap as well, all of those content sections will be easily accessed and consistent with what he or she has already read elsewhere about the GY program and regulations.

It will all be updated online, though you will still be able to download and print out a pdf if you wish. The updating process will be ongoing— not “static until we get around to it again" like the old system. No one or two people will have to update an entire handbook ever again; subject experts will review and update a few pages at a time, which is a far less daunting task to ask of volunteers.

Many sections are policy or procedural information (what day of the month does distribution get mailed, what is the rate Groups are reimbursed for contacting lapsed members, what tedious accounting details does the IRS want this year, who is the staff person to call about a member not receiving a newsletter, etc) and will be  kept up-to-date by the staff as  necessary.

So where are we in this process?

I have pulled apart nine handbooks so far, focusing on the LG Officers (Treasurers, LocSecs, Membership Officers, Editors, Area Coordinators, GYCoordinators, Mediators, Testing Program, and SIGHT) and have created over 100 separate "Sections" that will comprise the new Leadership Guide file base. I anticipate having 200 Sections or so for these nine Guides when all is said and done.

The sections from the Gifted Youth handbook and the SIGHT handbook have been given to those committee chairs for review and revision. The pieces about the Testing Program are about to be passed on to the Testing Committee for input.

Howard and his team are working on the online structure that will house, organize, and maintain these sections. Howard expects to have a working demo ready for the AMC by December.