Set clear roles to avoid duplication
The writing and review process in large organizations is typically time consuming and causes frustration for the writer, reviewer, and decision maker.
We can help you streamline the process to:
articulate a clear standard for everyone who handles the document
define specific skills, tasks, and perspectives to writers, reviewers, and proofreaders
take pressure off every reviewer to review everything
be more satisfying and coherent for everyone who touches the document
save considerable time on each document
reduce load on each role
We have tracked the results of this process with clients. Teams can produce stronger documents in much less time, and as an important side effect, employees are more engaged in and happier with the work.
Define roles and responsibilities
The problem this solves
Documents may boomerang between levels of review without a clear process. In the worst case scenario:
edits get done and undone
there isn’t a clear standard for a good final product
writers get disempowered
reviewers are frustrated with quality
decision makers receive weak and confusing analysis
What this looks like
Stronger documents
Faster process
Happier staff
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We meet with you to understand the current process and set a baseline to measure success.
We observe and measure the current process to identify waste, amount of time at each stage, number of back-and-forth review cycles, and most common edits.
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We work with you to identify which roles are best suited to:
Set direction
Draft content
Review first drafts
Support the writer
Assess political or strategic content
Review structure and messages
Refine tone
Proofread, polish formatting, or check template use
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We bring the results of our review to you and propose ways to make it more efficient, with clear roles and responsibilities. You consider the proposal and refine as necessary.
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We discuss how you would like to launch any process changes. We can deliver workshops that articulate each role and give people tools to fulfill the tasks that belong to them quickly and confidently. We can do separate workshops for leaders and staff or for different workgroups if it’s useful.
A case study
Wordsmith collaborated with Alberta Health to develop a multi-year program to strengthen internal policy writing and briefing notes. This program included:
foundational and advanced writing training
personalized feedback and coaching to hundreds of individual writers
revising briefing note templates and the guidance for writers within them
developing internal capacity by identifying strong writers and giving them extra training to become Health’s internal writing coaches
working with Alberta Health coaches we had trained to develop short internal writing courses the coaches delivered, including a short briefing note course
editing important policy documents
“This was the most immediately applicable training I have ever taken. Our whole team got excited. We applied what we learned to our Proposal Guide and cut the page count by 50%.”
“Immediately after the session, our team was already asking when we could take the next workshop. They said, “If we can only take one more training this year, it has to be this one!”
