Technical Writer Roles & Responsibilities · Technical Writer Roles & Responsibilities 1 1 Overview...
Transcript of Technical Writer Roles & Responsibilities · Technical Writer Roles & Responsibilities 1 1 Overview...
Technical Writer Roles &
Responsibilities Version 1.0
EFTPS Administration - First Data USA
2015
i
Revision Log
Table A Document Revision Log
Revision Date Author/Editor Version Revisions
5.27.2015 Maggie Bathory 1.0 Document Creation
12.3.2015 Maggie Bathory 1.0 Added annual documents’ processes
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Table of Contents
1 Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Technical Writer Job Description ................................................................................................ 1
1.1.1 Audience Analysis................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Roles & Responsibilities .............................................................................................................. 2
1.3 Qualifications .............................................................................................................................. 3
1.4 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 3
1.5 Work Environment ...................................................................................................................... 4
1.6 Career Development & Growth .................................................................................................. 4
2 Electronic Federal Tax Payment System General Information ............................................................ 5
2.1 Our Staff ...................................................................................................................................... 5
2.1.1 Leadership Team ................................................................................................................. 6
2.1.2 Project Management........................................................................................................... 7
2.1.3 Technology & Solutions Team ............................................................................................. 8
2.1.4 ACH Operations ................................................................................................................... 9
2.1.5 Incident Management, Level 2/Enrollment/Fulfillment & Technical Publications ............ 10
2.1.6 Product Management & Business Analysis ....................................................................... 11
2.1.7 Mainframe Development .................................................................................................. 12
2.1.8 Database Management & EDI ........................................................................................... 13
2.1.9 Midrange Development .................................................................................................... 14
2.1.10 Operations & Maintenance ............................................................................................... 15
2.1.11 TCoE QA ............................................................................................................................ 16
2.2 Our Clients ................................................................................................................................ 17
2.3 Timesheet ................................................................................................................................. 17
2.3.1 Obtain Project Number ..................................................................................................... 17
3 Electronic Federal Tax Payment System Business Process Flow ....................................................... 18
3.1 Software Design Life Cycle ........................................................................................................ 19
4 Document Control ............................................................................................................................ 20
4.1 Technical Administrative Knowledge ........................................................................................ 20
4.1.1 Convention used for EFTPS Online .................................................................................... 20
4.1.2 Special Spelling in Special Cases ........................................................................................ 20
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4.1.3 FedTaxII or FedTax ............................................................................................................ 20
4.2 SharePoint ................................................................................................................................. 20
4.2.1 Accessing the SharePoint Home Page ............................................................................... 20
4.3 File Naming Conventions .......................................................................................................... 21
5 EFTPS Annual Documentation........................................................................................................... 22
5.1 Projected Document Timelines ................................................................................................. 22
5.1.1 The Business Continuity Plan and Business Impact Analysis ............................................. 23
5.1.2 Business Continuity Plan and Business Impact Analysis Timeline ..................................... 24
5.1.3 Configuration Management Plan ...................................................................................... 24
5.1.4 Contingency Plan ............................................................................................................... 26
5.1.5 Resource Management Plan ............................................................................................. 27
6 Other Required Documentation ....................................................................................................... 28
6.1 EFTPS Administrative ................................................................................................................ 28
6.2 Incident Management ............................................................................................................... 28
6.3 Midrange ................................................................................................................................... 28
6.4 Documents Not Owned by TechPubs ........................................................................................ 28
7 Formatting and Stylizing Documents ................................................................................................ 29
7.1 Tools and Software Used .......................................................................................................... 29
7.1.1 Helpful Resources.............................................................................................................. 29
7.1.2 Essential Software ............................................................................................................. 30
8 Administrative Support ..................................................................................................................... 31
List of Figures
Figure 2-1 EFTPS Leadership Team ....................................................................................................... 6
Figure 2-2 EFTPS Project Management Team ...................................................................................... 7
Figure 2-3 EFTPS Technology & Solutions Team ................................................................................... 8
Figure 2-4 EFTPS ACH Operations Team ............................................................................................... 9
Figure 2-5 EFTPS Incident Management Team ................................................................................... 10
Figure 2-6 EFTPS Product Management & Business Analysis Team ................................................... 11
Figure 2-7 EFTPS Mainframe Development Team .............................................................................. 12
Figure 2-8 EFTPS Database Management & EDI Team ....................................................................... 13
Figure 2-9 EFTPS Midrange Development Team ................................................................................ 14
Figure 2-10 EFTPS Operations & Maintenance Team ........................................................................... 15
Figure 2-11 EFTPS TCoE QA Team ........................................................................................................ 16
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Figure 3-1 EFTPS Software Design Life Cycle ...................................................................................... 19
List of Tables
Table A Document Revision Log ............................................................................................................ i
Table B Document Style Conventions ...................................................................................................... v
Table 3-1 EFTPS Midrange Business Process Flow ................................................................................ 18
v
Style Conventions
Table B Document Style Conventions
Usage Description Example
Page Header Calibri Body12 pt. bold dark green (R)0, (G)108, (B)49. All characters are uppercase.
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
Heading Level 1 Cambria Headings 14 pt. bold dark blue (R)54, (G)95, (B)145. Letter case.
1.0 Overview
Heading Level 2 Cambria Headings 14 pt. bold medium blue (R)79, (G)129, (B)189. Letter case.
2.1 Entrance Criteria
Heading Level 3 Cambria Headings 11 pt. bold medium blue. Letter case.
3.1.1 Meetings
Body Text Calibri Body 12 pt. regular font in black. Use Letter case.
The purpose of this document is …
Emphasis Calibri Body 12 pt. bold font in black. Use Letter case.
Name of GUI field or icon.
Emphasizes a section within the document Appendix CMP-001.
Emphasizes first-use cross-references
“Quotations” Calibri Body 12 pt. smart quotes regular font in black. Use Letter case.
“Application Name”
Publication Title Calibri Body 12 pt. italic font in black. Use Letter case.
IT Security Policy Manual and Standard 205: Configuration Management
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List Bullets
Calibri 11 pt. regular font in black. Letter case. Bullets are 8pt (R)127, (G)127, (B)127.
Mainframe Compiled Code
Table Header Calibri 12 pt. bold font in orange (R)227, (G)108, (B)10. Letter case.
Description
Table Body Text
Calibri 11 pt. regular font in blue (R)54, (G)95, (B)145. Letter case.
Software Development Life Cycle
Table List Bullets
Calibri 11 pt. regular font in blue (R)54, (G)95, (B)145. Letter case. Bullets are 8pt (R)127, (G)127, (B)127.
Mainframe
Compiled Code
Table Caption
Calibri 10 pt. bold font in black. Letter case. Centered on page and positioned above the table.
Table 1.0 SDLC Quality Assurance
Figure Caption
Calibri 10 pt. bold font in black. Letter case. Centered on page and positioned below the figure.
Figure 2.1 SDLC Process Flow
Subtle Emphasis Calibri 12 pt. italic font in gray (R)128, (G)128, (B)128. Letter case.
Configuration Hardware
Subtitle Cambria Heading 12 pt. italic font in bright blue (R)79, (G)129, (B)189. Letter case.
Hardware and Software
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Website Address
Courier New 10 pt. regular font in black. Camel case. Aligned left.
http://intranet.Fiscal
Service.treas.gov
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1 Overview
1.1 Technical Writer Job Description
Your role as the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) Technical Writer is to produce technical documentation that helps the internal and external clients use a product or service. The documentation you may end up working on includes online help, user guides/manuals, white papers, design specifications, system manuals, project plans, test plans, business correspondence, etc. You may also develop and maintain documentation digitally or web-based; occasionally with printed materials.
As an experienced writer, you can create, assimilate, and translate technical material in a concise and effective manner. For example, you specialize in the operations, processes, and maintenance of EFTPS, and have a good understanding of EFTPS.
You create effective technical documentation through analysis of the particular project and the rhetorical elements of the document’s audience, purpose, and context.
1.1.1 Audience Analysis
Your goal as the writer is to simplify complex concepts or processes, so that the reader can understand the presented technical material. The final goal of a particular document is to help readers find what they need, understand what they find, and use the product or resource. To reach this goal, technical writers must understand how their audiences use and read documentation. This is achieved through an audience analysis at the beginning of the project to define the audience and its criteria.
When analyzing an audience the technical writer typically asks:
Who is the audience?
What is the audience’s role?
Is the document electronic or hardcopy or both?
What is the audience’s task?
What is the audience’s knowledge level?
Accurate audience analysis provides a set of guidelines that shape document content, design and presentation (online help system, interactive website, manual, etc.), and tone and knowledge level.
Purpose refers to the function of a particular communication, as you analyze the purpose to understand what a document must accomplish. Determining if a communication aims to persuade readers to “think or act a certain way, enable them to perform a task, help them
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understand something, change their attitude,” etc., guides you on how to format their communication, and the kind of communication they choose (online help system, white paper, proposal, etc.).
1.2 Roles & Responsibilities
Context means the physical and temporal circumstances in which readers use communication—for example: at their office desks, in a manufacturing plant, during the slow summer months, or in the middle of a company crisis. Understanding the context of a situation tells you how readers use the communication. This knowledge significantly influences how you format the communication. For example, if the document is a quick guide on how to use EFTPS Direct Pay, you may have a desktop brochure laminated to increase usable life.
Good document design is vital when creating technical writing because it affects readability and usability. Typically, there are six design strategies when creating technical communication:
Content flow and organization
Emphasis
Clarity
Conciseness
Tone
Ethos
Content Flow: refers to the order and organization of visual elements so that readers can see their structure—how they cohere in groups, how they differ from one another, how they create layers and hierarchies. When considering arrangement technical writers look at how to use headings, lists, charts, and images to increase usability.
Emphasis: refers to how a document displays important sections through prominence or intensity. When considering emphasis technical writers look at how they can show readers important sections, warning, useful tips, etc. through the use of placement, bolding, color, and type size.
Clarity: refers to strategies that “help the receiver decode the message, to understand it quickly and completely, and, when necessary, to react without ambivalence.” When considering clarity the technical writer strives to reduce visual noise, such as low contrast ratios, overly complex charts or graphs, and illegible font, all of which can hinder reader comprehension.
Conciseness: refers to the "visual bulk and intricacy" of the design—for example, the number of headings and lists, lines and boxes, detail of drawings and data displays, size variations, ornateness, and text spacing. Technical writers must consider all these design strategies to ensure the audience can easily use the documents.
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Tone: means the sound or feel of a document. Document type and audience dictates whether the communication should be formal and professional, or lighthearted and humorous. In addition to language choice, technical writers set the tone of technical communication through the use of spacing, images, typefaces, etc.
Ethos: Establish credibility by creating professional and error-free documentation.
As the Technical Writer, you will gather information from many sources. Your information sources are usually scattered throughout EFTPS, and can range from developers, the client, information security, and other teams.
1.3 Qualifications
Your qualifications as the Technical Writer may possess a mixture of technical and writing abilities. Typically, a technical writer has a degree or certification in a technical field, but may have one in journalism, business, or other fields. Many technical writers switch from another field, such as journalism—or a technical field such as engineering or science, often after learning important additional skills through technical communications classes.
1.4 Methodology
To create a technical document, a technical writer must understand the subject, purpose, and audience. As the Technical Writer, you will gather information by studying existing material, interviewing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), and often testing the software. By studying your audience, you will learn their needs and technical understanding level.
A technical publication's development life cycle typically consists of five phases, coordinated with the overall product development plan:
Phase 1: Information gathering and planning
Phase 2: Content specification
Phase 3: Content development and implementation
Phase 4: Production
Phase 5: Evaluation
The document development life cycle typically consists of six phases
Identify the audience
Analyze tasks and information
How to prepare document
Content development
Technical and editorial reviews with higher level personnel
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Formatting and publishing
Well-written technical documents usually follow formal standards or guidelines. Technical documentation comes in many styles and formats, depending on the medium and subject area. Printed and online documentation may differ in various ways, but still adhere to largely identical guidelines for prose, information structure, and layout. As the EFTPS Technical Writer, you will use the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) for formatting and content structure. First Data USA Branding has internal corporate style guides that cover specific corporate issues such as logo use, branding, and other aspects of corporate style, which can be found on the First Data USA Branding website, http://myfirstweb.1dc.com/Reference%20Library/Pages/GuidesServices/BrandResources/FirstDataBrandResourceCenter/FirstDataBrandResourceCenter.aspx
1.5 Work Environment
Technical writers often work as part of a writing or project development team. Typically, you will finish a draft and pass it to one or more SMEs for technical review to verify accuracy. You will then perform an editorial review that checks conformance to styles, grammar, and readability. A final production typically follows an inspection checklist to ensure the quality and uniformity of the published product.
1.6 Career Development & Growth
Although there isn’t a single usual career path for technical writers, typically they move into project management over other writers. A writer may advance to a senior technical writer position, handling complex projects or a small team of writers and editors. In larger groups, a documentation manager might handle multiple projects and teams. A technical writer who becomes a SME in a field may transition from technical writing to work in that field.
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2 Electronic Federal Tax Payment System General Information
2.1 Our Staff
Business Development/Program Management (more information provided in the following section).
Operations
Management
Automated Clearing House Operations (ACH Ops)
Level 2 Technical Support
Enrollment/Fulfillment/Mailroom
Data Security
Director of Customer Service
Reporting Analyst
Executives
Technology Development and Maintenance
Database (DB)
Operation & Maintenance (O&M)
Mainframe (MF)
Midrange (MR)
Quality Assurance (QA)
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2.1.1 Leadership Team
Figure 2-1 EFTPS Leadership Team
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2.1.2 Project Management
Figure 2-2 EFTPS Project Management Team
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2.1.3 Technology & Solutions Team
Figure 2-3 EFTPS Technology & Solutions Team
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2.1.4 ACH Operations
Figure 2-4 EFTPS ACH Operations Team
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2.1.5 Incident Management, Level 2/Enrollment/Fulfillment & Technical Publications
Figure 2-5 EFTPS Incident Management Team
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2.1.6 Product Management & Business Analysis
Figure 2-6 EFTPS Product Management & Business Analysis Team
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2.1.7 Mainframe Development
Figure 2-7 EFTPS Mainframe Development Team
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2.1.8 Database Management & EDI
Figure 2-8 EFTPS Database Management & EDI Team
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2.1.9 Midrange Development
Figure 2-9 EFTPS Midrange Development Team
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2.1.10 Operations & Maintenance
Figure 2-10 EFTPS Operations & Maintenance Team
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2.1.11 TCoE QA
Figure 2-11 EFTPS TCoE QA Team
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2.2 Our Clients
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) is the Treasury Financial Agent (TFA) for the EFTPS, a cost-free service provided by the United States Treasury Department that allows businesses and individuals to pay their federal taxes electronically. The United States Treasury Department is comprised of the Fiscal Service (FS) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Daily basis tax payment details are sent to the IRS. Additionally, collected transaction, dollar amount, and tax classification details are sent to the FS. The IRS uses this information to update taxpayer records. The FS uses this information to make daily investment decisions. The EFTPS business provides options for taxpayers to make tax payments.
In the following section, the EFTPS Process Flow illustrates the various ways First Data USA processes EFTPS payments. Having this knowledge as the technical writer is useful in understanding the different ways payments are processed and the process flow. These processes are developed in MR development.
2.3 Timesheet
Obtain the necessary information from the Technical Analyst for using the Timekeeping system. Every week, you are required to submit a Timesheet for work performed. Timesheets must be submitted at the end of the business day every Friday.
2.3.1 Obtain Project Number
For the projects you support, you are required to obtain a project number from the Technical Analyst and record the number of hours worked under the specific project number.
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3 Electronic Federal Tax Payment System Business Process Flow
This illustration depicts the MR Business Process Flow for all EFTPS tax payments, which provides the Technical Writer with the necessary information for technical documentation.
Table 3-1 EFTPS Midrange Business Process Flow
Pro
cess
Flo
w
Au
then
tica
tio
n
Au
dit
logg
ing
Bu
sin
ess
Inte
llige
nce
Sub
mit
Pay
men
t
Sch
edu
le P
aym
ent
Pay
men
t Lo
oku
p
Can
cel P
aym
ent
Edit
Pay
men
t
New
En
rollm
ent
Ad
dit
ion
al E
nro
llmen
t
Term
inat
e En
rollm
ent
Edit
En
rollm
ent
Edit
Pro
file
Reg
istr
atio
n (
Pro
file
)
IRS
Pro
ofi
ng
Ch
ange
Pas
swo
rd
Pas
swo
rd r
eset
Loo
kup
Hel
p In
fo
Do
wn
load
Fo
rms
Sub
mit
Fo
rms
IP B
lock
ing
Acc
ou
nt
Blo
ckin
g
Emai
l
Mai
l
No
tifi
cati
on
s
Arc
hiv
e P
urg
e
CA
S
Mes
sage
Way
RTN
EFTPS Web X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Direct Pay X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
DE Web/Webservice X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Batch Provider server X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
BOC X X X
Batch X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
VRU X X X X X X X X X X
3270 X X X X X X X X X X X X
Credit X X X X X
eFile X X X X X X X
Bulk X X X X X X X
DDIA X X X X
Single Debit X X X X X X X X
Insolvency X X X X X X
State Levies X X X X X X
Fedwire X X X
Credit Card Bulk Provider X X X X X X
EFW X
Roll Out Operator X
Intuit X X X X X X X X
BEPS Wire X X X X
MessageWay X X X X
Online Billpay X X X
Returns X X X X
NOC X X X X
RTN Import
D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5
F i r s t D a t a U S A E F T P S
T e c h n i c a l W r i t e r R o l e s & R e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s
1 9
3 . 1 S o f t w a r e D e s i g n L i f e C y c l e
T h i s i l l u s t r a t i o n d e p i c t s t h e S o f t w a r e D e s i g n L i f e C y c l e , a n d i t i s a n o t h e r e s s e n t i a l p r o c e s s r e l a t i v e t o t h e T e c h n i c a l W r i t e r b e c a u s e t h e w r i t e r i s r e q u i r e d t o d e v e l o p a n d m a i n t a i n a l l
d o c u m e n t a t i o n a b o u t t h e s o f t w a r e d e s i g n l i f e c y c l e .
Project Initiation
Discovery Requirements
Solution Architecture Design Document (SADD)
Discovery/Solution Sizing
Finalize Documentation
UAT & Performance
TestingImplementation Post Production
2015 EFTPS Software Development Lifecycle Process
Captured Project Request information White paper or presentation Fiscal Service/Internal Revenue Service Project Approval
Board approval of white paper or presentation Discovery-hours sizing Fiscal Service/Internal Revenue Service approval of
Discovery Hours Program Change Request Prioritized Project Portfolio Approvals stored and Project Portfolio and Platform
Services Division are updated with the Program Change Request
Approved Solution Architecture Document with all technical and performance assumptions
Approved Persona skeletons Approved Reality maps Approved Design maps Approved Use Cases Approved Wireframes Approved Low Fidelity Prototype Approved Usability reviews Third-party vendor integration
Approval Gates:
1 – IA&E Approval (if applicable)2 – Business Requirements Approval3 – Solution Approach Approval4 – RBS Approval5 – Development Approval6 – UAT/Performance based on QA Testing7 – Go/No-go based on test results8 – Project Implementation9 – Project Completion
4 7 8
Application-level code and/or data components
Development deliverables Data definition script for Quality
Assurance Change controls Bank requests
Functional Test Plan Performance Test Plan Final Designs Completed Test Summary
Approved Quality Assurance Performance Test Summary
Database for Quality Assurance Database for stored procedure Database for definition script Test results Regression script Security test reports Security sign-off of Security Test Report Security Impact Assessment Quality Inspection with stakeholders
GIO, Security, Third Party Vendors
Project Planning
1
INPUTS
6
Development
Revisions Identified by DevelopmentFirst Data sends
mock-up to client
9
Development:
Detailed AnalysisDetail DesignTest PlanningPrototyping
Code/Unit TestingIntegration
Code Review/Validation
Approved RBS document
Revisions Identified by Development
Revisions Identified by QA
5
Requirements-based Sizing
3
Solution Approach
1 3 4 5 6 7
Implementation Plan Service Desk requests (internal) with attachments
including IPlan Implementation documents Bank Request (Bank of America Merrill Lynch
approval) EFTPS governance document First Data legal (corporate) and EFTPS
implementation documents Enhanced change detail Project implemented into production Approvals are electronically stored on SharePoint Platform Services Division Matrix is updated and
then stored on SharePoint Level 2 test script Level 2 validation email
8
Update any internal artifacts Midrange production trunk code merge Synchronize and merge code into
development, quality assurance, and user acceptance test environments
Close-out project Lessons learned Deploy configuration changes
9
2
2
Approved Business Requirements document
F i g u r e 3 - 1 E F T P S S o f t w a r e D e s i g n L i f e C y c l e
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4 Document Control
4.1 Technical Administrative Knowledge
4.1.1 Convention used for EFTPS Online
When documenting the title, EFTPS online, write it as EFTPS online
4.1.2 Special Spelling in Special Cases
When writing documents, spell “cancelled” as “canceled”
When editing content on the EFTPS website, spell as “cancelled” for consistency
When writing documents, spell “acknowledgement” as “acknowledgment”
When editing content on the website, spell as “acknowledgement” for consistency
4.1.3 FedTaxII or FedTax
In the past, there was a separate system called FedTaxII that was used by Federal Agencies to pay their taxes and is no longer used. Our staff added FA (Federal Agencies) to EFTPS online for them to enroll, pay their taxes, and file their 941 forms online.
4.2 SharePoint
The secure SharePoint site is where all EFTPS documentation resides. You will find:
Annual required documents
Required documents for all EFTPS business units
Working documents that are created and maintained by each EFTPS business unit
Denver Ad Hoc Requirements for creating tickets
4.2.1 Accessing the SharePoint Home Page
To access the EFTPS Home page in SharePoint:
Connect to VPN using your RSA PIN and Token password
Open the EFTPS Home page shortcut on your desktop, https://eftps.fdcctx.com/default.aspx using
your FDCCTX login credentials.
A separate password is required to login into the secure EFTPS Home page, which can be
obtained from the LAN Help Desk 877.332.4526
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Your User ID is fdcctx\(Your Username for logging into your machine)
Keep all credentials in a safe place away from your machine and desk
Disconnect from the EFTPS Home page by closing the web browser and disconnecting from the VPN.
4.2.1.1 Opening Documents
When opening documents in SharePoint, you will need to enter your FDCCTX login credentials.
4.3 File Naming Conventions
File naming conventions will be determined at a later date as part of the document control measures.
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5 EFTPS Annual Documentation
The EFTPS Technical Writer is responsible for maintaining and updating the annual required documents to maintain compliance. These include:
Business Continuity Plan (BCP) aka Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
Due September 30
Incident Management Manager sends to Vice President of EFTPS Program and Vice President of
Client Relations for approval
Business Impact Analysis (BIA) (accompanies the Business Continuity Plan)
Due October 30
Incident Management Manager sends to Incident Management Director prior to sending the
document to Vice President of EFTPS Program for approval
Configuration Management Plan (CMP)
Send to Security on or near November 25 for final review
Due annually on December 1 to BAML
Contingency Plan (CP)
Send to Security on or near November 25 for final review
Due annually on December 1 to BAML
Resource Management Plan (RMP)
Due August 30
The Lead Business Analyst sends to Vice President of EFTPS Program and Vice President of Client
Relations for approval
5.1 Projected Document Timelines
In order to prepare for annual documentation, you and your clients benefit from the art of preparation. Reviewing documents and talking with SMEs concerning data and recent changes is a good way to begin.
The Enterprise Business Continuity information describes your roles and responsibilities as the planner and identifies some of the main roles for other direct actors you will be partnering with in order to fully execute the Business Continuity Plan. For additional information about the Business Continuity Plan, review the PowerPoint slides located on SharePoint.
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5.1.1 The Business Continuity Plan and Business Impact Analysis
5.1.1.1 Business Continuity Actors
Business Continuity Analyst (Disaster Recovery Director) Business Resumption Coordinator (Incident Management Manager) Business Resumption Planner (Technical Writer)
Executive Approver (Vice President of the EFTPS Program)
5.1.1.2 The Business Continuity Coordinator’s Roles and Responsibilities
The Incident Response Manager assumes the role of the Business Continuity Coordinator when preparing Business Impact Analysis or Business Continuity Plan documents and during the event of an emergency. This role takes the lead to coordinate meetings, communication, and establishes the milestones with the Incident Management Director and Planner. The Coordinator determines the direction of the planning process with the assistance of the Incident Management Director and provides all required information to the Planner. The Director, Coordinator, and Planner work together to build the Business Continuity Plan and Impact Analysis to:
Notify EFTPS staff to update all personal contact information (phone numbers) in the First Data
PeopleSoft Enterprise (ORACLE) https://fdhrprd91.1dc.com/psp/HRPRD91/?cmd=login&languageCd=ENG
Populate data into LDRPS, the application used to build the Business Continuity Plan. This
application is installed on the Planner’s machine with assistance from the Incident Management
Director
5.1.1.3 Business Continuity Planner’s Roles and Responsibilities
As the Technical Writer and Business Continuity Planner, you work with the Incident Response Manager to build the Business Impact Analysis and Business Resumption Plan on an annual basis beginning in August. The business unit manager assigns this role to you. Some of the planner’s main responsibilities include:
Develop the Business Continuity Plan.
Assign recovery roles to business unit employees.
Provide employees with the education required for plan execution.
Compile the data and complete requirements for the BIA.
Record the resumption plan data in the System of Record.
Update and maintain the Business Continuity Plan on a regular basis.
Gather and report time and expense data
Report the status of BIA information, plans and testing to the BR Coordinator and BC Analyst
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5.1.2 Business Continuity Plan and Business Impact Analysis Timeline
The Business Continuity Planner will partner with the Business Continuity Coordinator and is responsible for the development, updates and testing of the business unit’s Business Continuity Plan, assist with communications to the Data Owner(s), the plan team members and report plan / testing status to the Business Continuity Coordinator. The Business Continuity Planner will be assigned by business unit management to assume this role.
August
As the Business Continuity Planner, you will meet with Incident Response Manager and team to
determine milestones and tools needed to complete the Business Continuity Plan
The Incident Management Manager obtains the required approvals from the Vice President of
EFTPS Program and Vice President of EFTPS Client Relations
The LDRPS application must be installed on the Planner’s machine
If necessary, complete the LDRPS training
Notify EFTPS staff to update all personal contact information (phone numbers) in the First Data
PeopleSoft Enterprise (ORACLE) application, and determine when the information is updated in
PeopleSoft
September
Work with the Director and Coordinator to populate the LDRPS application
September 20, send report to Program Vice President and Program Client Relations Vice
President for signatures before September 30
October
Work with the Coordinator to populate the Business Impact Analysis, which corresponds to the
Business Continuity Plan
The Coordinator and Incident Management Team conduct exercises, gather data, and document
the Business Analysis Plan
Work with the Coordinator to determine who submits the Business Impact Analysis for approval
and next steps
October 30 is the due date for the approved Business Impact Analysis
The Planner files the Business Impact Analysis on SharePoint
5.1.3 Configuration Management Plan
An annually required document that contains systems engineering process for establishing and maintaining consistency of a product's performance, functional and physical attributes with its requirements, design and operational information throughout its life.
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5.1.3.1 Configuration Management Plan Actors
Configuration Management Analyst
Information Security Team
5.1.3.2 Configuration Management Plan Timeline
May
Review the current CMP with the Configuration Manager (CM), and comment directly in the
document (using Tracked Changes) about new changes.
July
Follow up with the CM concerning any recent changes that need to be placed into the CMP and
discuss the upcoming schedule for updating the CMP.
September
Continue working with the CM and include Information Security personnel in the discussion, so
that new updates can be incorporated into the CMP. The Security team should have information
from the client about document delivery date. Occasionally, there are separate documents that
are delivered before the CMP.
November
Obtain the final data including Configuration Integration data from the CM
CM does a final review
December
December 1, email the encrypted and zipped file to Bank of America Merrill Lynch
File in SharePoint
Late December or Early January
Obtain signatures from:
Bank of America Merrill Lynch Information System Security Officer
Fiscal Service Project Manager
Fiscal Service System Owner
Fiscal Service System Owner
EFTPS IT System Configuration Management Authority
File in SharePoint
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5.1.4 Contingency Plan
The plan is devised for an outcome other than in the usual (expected) plan and is like a risk assessment.
5.1.4.1 Contingency Plan Actors
Information Security Team
Incident Management Manager
Operations Manager
5.1.4.2 Contingency Plan Timeline
August
Review the current CP with the Incident Management Manager and Information Security Team,
and comment directly in the document (using Tracked Changes) about new changes.
Operations and Incident Management conduct tests and exercises as a function of assessing
potential risks. The results from these tests are incorporated into the CP.
September
Follow up with the Incident Management Manager, Operations Manager, and Information
Security Team to discuss the upcoming schedule for updating the CP.
November
Obtain the final test results (conducted from exercises done in August) from the Incident
Management Manager and the Operations Manager. Verify with the Information Security Team
whether there is data that needs to be included (perhaps an audit finding)
The Information Security Team does a final review of the CP
December
December 1, email the encrypted and zipped file to Bank of America Merrill Lynch
File in SharePoint
Late December or Early January
Obtain signatures from:
Bank of America Merrill Lynch Information System Security Officer
Fiscal Service Project Manager
Fiscal Service System Owner
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Fiscal Service System Owner
EFTPS IT System Configuration Management Authority
File in SharePoint
5.1.5 Resource Management Plan
The resource Management Plan (RMP) defines the EFTPS required roles, skills, and responsibilities to
determine how and when resource requirements will be met; document reporting relationships; and
ensure that the investment/program/project has assigned to it sufficient staff with the appropriate skill
sets and experience to best meet the needs of the investment/program/project. The Resource
Management Plan also can be used as the foundation for developing cost estimates and assigning
resources to Work Breakdown Structure line items.
The RMP template is to be used by the Project Manager as a means to define required roles, skills, and
responsibilities; determine how and when resource requirements will be met; document reporting
relationships; and ensure that the investment/program/project has assigned to it sufficient staff with
the appropriate skill sets and experience to best meet the needs of the investment/program/project.
The RMP also can be used as the foundation for developing cost estimates and assigning resources to
Work Breakdown Structure line items.
5.1.5.1 Resource Management Plan Actors
The Project Management Office provides the bulk of the information
Team managers
EFTPS Program Vice President
5.1.5.2 Resource Management Plan Timeline
June
Review the current plan with your manager and document updates
Obtain staff updates and resource allocation from each manager to incorporate into the RMP
July
All resource updates should be made before July 15
Email updates plan to the EFTPS Program Vice President for final review and approval
August
The Director of Client Relations emails the final RMP to BAML
File in SharePoint
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6 Other Required Documentation
6.1 EFTPS Administrative
A Day in the Life of EFTPS
Acronyms List
Glossary
Insolvency Payments User Guide
Software Development Life Cycle
State Levy agency Programs ACH Credit User Guide
Suspicious Activity Monitoring Application User Guide
Technical Writer Roles & Responsibilities
6.2 Incident Management
Incident Management Standard Operating Procedures (coordinate with the IM Manager)
6.3 Midrange
Content and Messaging Plan
EFTPS Administrators Guide
Event Level Analysis and Design
Human Interface Design Document
Interface Control Document
Requirements Traceability Matrix
Software Design Document
Software Design Life Cycle
Technical Specifications Document
User Requirements Specification
6.4 Documents Not Owned by TechPubs
Sometimes TechPubs is asked to update documents that are not owned by TechPubs. When this happens, verify whether the Technical Writer should be updating the document. For example, there are certain documents prepared by Fiscal Services or the Security team, and the Technical Writer inserts these updates, made by the owner, into required documents.
If the documents do not meet the following criteria, verify whether the Technical Writer needs to update the document.
The document is not all or part of any of the Master Guides
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7 Formatting and Stylizing Documents
The Technical Writer’s responsibility is to provide documents that have been scrubbed clean of formatting and mechanical errors.
When it comes to formatting documents, as the writer, your goals are to:
Understand and use styles
Know the difference between sheer formatting vs. styles
Be familiar with the Quick Styles Gallery in MS Word
Apply a style
Know the details about creating and using styles, and using the Styles pane
Change a style set or single style
Change a whole document
Change a style by example
Change a style using “Modify”
Create a new style
Delate a style
Clear styles
Apply a style to a document or template
What the formatting symbols mean
Your knowledge must also include publishing documents that are free from grammatical and mechanical errors. Using the most current version of Chicago Manual of Style (version 16 as of this publication) provides you with the latest development of how authors, editors, and publishers do their work.
Web based publications are written differently from manuals, guides, and technical papers. Different mechanical conventions apply, and there is a consideration for hyperlinks and navigation.
7.1 Tools and Software Used
7.1.1 Helpful Resources
Chicago Manual of Style
HTML, XHTML, and CSS Bible
HTML and CSS reference books
http://www.w3schools.com/
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Formatting with Styles
https://support.office.com/en-US/Article/Format-your-document-with-styles-db59b0b7-f730-
45d5-a4f1-d34ac25d4361
7.1.2 Essential Software
Adobe Pro
Adobe Photoshop
MS Office
MS Visio
SecureZip
SharePoint
EFTPS VPN
First Data VPN
JIRA
Confluence
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8 Administrative Support
There may be occasions when you are required to assist with administrative tasks. Your role as the technical writer is to provide customer service to internal and external clients. These tasks can include, but not be limited to:
Supporting the Technical Analyst for reporting
Develop documents and letters of correspondence to clients
Proofread
Edit
And other tasks as required