The Office Process Redesign Language - Softcover

Sherry L. Smith; Kari J. Kells

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0977103501 ISBN 13: 9780977103508

Publisher: Northwest Indexing Press, 2006

Synopsis

This book describes OPRL, which is both an approach and a language for office process redesign. Adaptability and the effective use of information technology to anticipate the redesign of office process, to seize news business or re-organize an office procedure to meet new requirements, is a critical success factor for many managers. New office system implementations must be adaptable and agile to meet rapidly changing office process needs. OPRL is a tool for managers confronted with these challenges. OPRL allows 'hands on' managers and staff to communicate and approve the requirements (the deliverables) of an office, how to organize the office acceptably to the staff (who does what, who is responsible for delivery) and design internet-based office systems so that the office processes can be generated, tested, simulated, operated and adapted effectively. This book, which is the result of research projects conducted at the Swiss and European levels, describes the OPRL approach and language. It emphasizes the adabptability of OPRL in its use for clarifying the purpose of an office process or deciding how an office is to be organized (or reorganized). In more detail, the book describes what tasks have to be undertaken to deliver the required services and how OPRL can be used quite flexibly to generate the technology infrastructure to support the e-office and to take advantage of information technology. An incremental and people sensitive approach to redesign is emphasized, underscoring OPRL as a geniune communications tool to support business process management.

About this title

About the Author

Sherry Smith discovered the indexing profession as a third career in the mid 1990s. Since then, she has worked as a freelancer who specializes in scholarly books that cover a variety of subject areas.

During her indexing career, she has served American Society of Indexers (ASI) at the regional and national level. In the Pacific Northwest Chapter of ASI, Sherry has been an officer and continues to coordinate several of the chapter's committees. At the national level, she has served on the Wilson Award Committee and written articles for Key Words.

Sherry also provides basic indexing tutorials and offers workshops for advanced indexers.

Kari Kells began indexing in 1994. She has been teaching indexing since 1998 through the Graduate School of the USDA, University of Washington's Technical Communications department, Emporia State University's Graduate School of Library and Information Management, and through Index West.

She was a founding member of the Pacific Northwest chapter of ASI and has remained active in that chapter. Kari also served ASI at the national level. She is currently a member of Indexing and Abstracting Society of Canada.

Since 1995, Kari has been on the faculty of Pierce College Library, winner of the Association of College and Research Libraries' 2005 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award.

From the Back Cover

"Inside Indexing fills a void that has existed for decades. The thought process of analyzing text has been a topic of discussion in the indexing world for years, but no one - until now - has documented how they do it. Every indexer needs a copy of this book in their libraries. It's an indispensable, priceless resource."
~ Cheryl Landes, STC member

"What a treat: simultaneous windows into the working min ds of two indexers! This book promises to be a valuable edition to the literature."
~ Do Mi Stauber, author of Facing the Text: Content and Structure in Book Indexing

"Inside Indexing will surely become a classic for all indexers. It is a book to be read and re-read at various points in an indexer's life - the kind of book that will continue to yield fresh insights, no matter where in your career or development you are! It isn't an 'easy read.' It takes work - there's a lot to think about and digest. But it's definitely a 'must read'!"
~ Janet Perlman, ASI member, Arizona chapter

"A fascinating look inside the indexing process. Proof that the human mind is required for the art that is indexing. I can't think of anyone in the publishing industry who shouldn't read this book."
~ Cynthia Landeen, IASC member

"Inside Indexing goes beyond providing indexing rules and tackles the most challenging element of indexing deciding how to craft index entries. As we read about Kari and Sherry's individual approaches to indexing a single text and follow their reasoning and examples, we become engaged in the decision-making process ourselves. It is through this experience that we become better at reviewing and refining our own indexing style."
~ Elizabeth Bell, IASC Past-President

"Inside Indexing is a concrete, thought-provoking, and tip-filled book that beginning indexers will find invaluable, and established indexers will find intriguing. This is totally cool! I love what you have done with this. My students will love it too."
~ Jan Wright, STC member

"New indexers should find it reassuring to see the process that even seasoned professional indexers go through when turning a rough initial index draft into a refined and polished final index."
~ Julie Kawabata, ASI Board member

Edition details

• Publisher: Northwest Indexing Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0977103501
• ISBN 13: 9780977103508
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 150