Manual Standardization AI Development Supporting AI Utilization, RAG Implementation, and AI Proofreading Support

First, let's organize the original purpose of knowledge sharing and the characteristics of the information involved. In knowledge sharing, it is important not just to store data, but to make knowledge usable across the entire organization.

1-1. The Basic Meaning of Knowledge Sharing

To clarify once again, what is knowledge? It is not merely information or data, but refers to the "knowledge," "experience," and "know-how" cultivated through work. Knowledge sharing is not simply about storing information as data, but about making it usable in work by the right people at the right time. The true purpose of knowledge sharing is to create a system where the knowledge, experience, and know-how held by employees can be utilized throughout the entire organization. If storing information itself becomes the goal, documents will just accumulate on file servers without being effectively used in the field.

1-2. The Difference Between Tacit Knowledge and Explicit Knowledge

An important classification to understand what knowledge is involves two types: "tacit knowledge" and "explicit knowledge." Tacit knowledge resides in an individual's mind and consists of unarticulated knowledge such as experience and intuition. Explicit knowledge is organized in a form that anyone can understand, such as written documents or diagrams. In knowledge sharing, it is crucial to convert tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge so that others can reuse it. Neglecting this conversion process results in tasks that only specific individuals can handle remaining indefinitely.

1-3. The Relationship Between Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Management

Knowledge management is a management approach that systematically manages knowledge within an organization to improve operational efficiency and create new value. Knowledge sharing is one of the concrete action processes to implement this management approach. To successfully achieve knowledge management across the entire organization, a foundational system for knowledge sharing is indispensable.

Having reviewed the true meaning of knowledge sharing and the importance of converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, we will now delve into the specific reasons why companies should systematically engage in knowledge sharing.

In the previous section, we explained what knowledge is and the basic concept of knowledge sharing. So, why are many companies focusing on knowledge sharing now? Behind this lies clear objectives such as improving operational efficiency and eliminating dependence on specific individuals. Here, we will explain the concrete benefits that knowledge sharing brings to organizations.

2-1. To Prevent Work from Becoming Dependent on Specific Individuals

If only certain individuals know how to carry out specific tasks, work will be delayed when those individuals are absent. By promoting knowledge sharing, dependence on individual knowledge can be reduced, creating an environment where anyone can perform tasks with a consistent level of quality.

2-2. To Stabilize the Quality of Training and Handover

In training and handover, if the content conveyed varies depending on the instructor, the understanding level of the learner will differ. By systematizing knowledge into explicit knowledge and sharing it—such as manuals that organize the workflow—you can build a stable training system that does not depend on the instructor’s teaching skills.

2-3. To Reduce Inquiry Responses and Confirmation Tasks

If you check with other staff members every time a question arises, both you and the other person end up spending work hours. When necessary information is properly shared, the rate at which individuals can research and resolve issues on their own increases. As a result, the costs associated with confirmation tasks can be reduced, easing the overall workload of the organization.

2-4. To Improve the Overall Productivity of the Organization

By sharing past success stories, failure cases, and efficient ways of working, you can prevent other members from repeating the same mistakes. If you can shorten the time spent on individual trial and error and focus resources on higher value-added tasks, it will lead to improved productivity for the entire organization.

In this way, knowledge sharing is an essential initiative for improving the overall productivity and quality of work within an organization. Many companies also introduce internal Wikis, information sharing systems, and document management systems to promote knowledge sharing.

However, there are many cases where the tools are introduced but do not become established in the field. The next chapter explains the main causes hidden behind these failures.

Even if tools are introduced, if they are not used on site, the cause is often not only the system aspect but also the operation and rule-making. Here, we organize common patterns and backgrounds of knowledge sharing failures.

3-1. The Purpose of Retaining Knowledge Is Not Clearly Defined

Even if management leads the introduction of tools, if the purpose of "why knowledge should be retained" is not well understood on the front lines, or if the front-line staff do not perceive its benefits, they will simply feel burdened by "having more work to do."

3-2. Tacit Knowledge Is Not Converted into Explicit Knowledge

Even if a tool is introduced, it is meaningless if the crucial information remains only in the employees' minds, that is, as tacit knowledge. If there is a lack of processes and support systems to convert tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge in the form of documents or diagrams, knowledge sharing will not take root. Efforts are needed to lower the barriers to explicit knowledge conversion.

3-3. Storage locations and rules for information are not standardized

When the places where information is stored vary by department or individual, or when file naming rules are inconsistent, it becomes difficult to find the necessary information. If the situation where "searching still ends up with nothing found" continues, employees will stop using the tool.

3-4. Manuals and FAQs Become Outdated Without Updates

Knowledge is not something that ends once it is created. If manuals are not updated despite changes in work procedures, the reliability of the information decreases. If mistakes occur because outdated information is trusted, that knowledge will no longer be used. Starting operations without a system to keep knowledge constantly up to date is often seen as a cause of failure.

3-5. The Knowledge Itself Is Difficult to Understand

Even if you find the knowledge you are looking for through a search, it will not be utilized on site if the content is hard to understand. If manuals or FAQs are long and difficult to read, or filled with technical terms that are hard to comprehend, the valuable knowledge will go unused, making employees feel that "it's quicker to just ask a senior colleague."

Up to this point, it has become clear that the underlying reasons why knowledge sharing does not take root include structural issues such as unclear objectives and the difficulty of understanding information. To avoid these problems and lead knowledge sharing to success, thorough preparation in advance is essential.

So, where should we start to avoid such failures and make knowledge sharing successful? The next chapter explains three key points that must be organized before starting operations.

To establish knowledge sharing, it is necessary to clarify operational rules and objectives before choosing tools. Here, we explain the items that should be prepared and defined before starting a knowledge sharing project.

4-1. Define the Scope of Knowledge to be Shared

If you try to share all information within the organization, the truly necessary information will get buried. Clearly define in advance the scope of knowledge that is highly important for business and creates value when reused by others.

4-2. Clarify Users and Usage Scenarios

Specifically envision "who" will use the shared knowledge and "under what circumstances." By clearly defining the target, standards for how to express the knowledge—such as what kind of knowledge to share, how much to explain technical terms, and the extent to which diagrams should be included—can be established.

4-3. Decide on Update Rules and Update Responsible Persons

Without update rules, knowledge sharing is more likely to fail. To maintain the freshness of information, determine who will update the content, when, and by what procedure. Also, since vague rules such as "update as needed" carry a high risk of becoming meaningless, specifically assign update responsibilities, for example, "the person in charge in the ●● department will make corrections when business processes change."

By deciding the scope to be shared and the operational rules in advance, you lay the foundation for effective knowledge utilization. The next chapter provides a detailed explanation of specific methods to firmly establish knowledge sharing in the field.

To establish knowledge sharing, it is important to incorporate a cycle of updating and improving knowledge into daily operations. Here, we introduce specific approaches for that purpose.

5-1. Formalize as Manuals or FAQs

Instead of simply leaving tacit knowledge as personal notes, document it in the form of manuals or FAQs to make it easier to reuse in business operations. By organizing the documents, others can gain a deeper understanding when viewing them. By describing the background, purpose, and specific procedures as a set, you can create knowledge that can be effectively utilized.

5-2. Standardize formats and terminology, and establish rules

To maintain consistent document quality, standardize formats and terminology and establish rules. This ensures that knowledge is easy to read and can be understood uniformly regardless of who creates it. Compile the rules as a common organizational style guide so they can be referenced at any time. By utilizing knowledge-sharing tools, you can use standard templates, making it easier to maintain consistency.

5-3. Establish a system to regularly review information

Build a system to regularly review the content of knowledge, such as setting a monthly review day. By correcting or deleting outdated information, the reliability of the information is maintained. Analyzing access logs to enhance frequently viewed information while organizing information that is not being accessed is also an effective maintenance practice.

The technology of AI, which has recently attracted attention as a means to more efficiently extract such well-organized knowledge and maximize its utilization across the entire organization, is the focus here. The next chapter explains specific ways to leverage AI in knowledge sharing.

In recent years, the adoption of generative AI for searching and utilizing internal knowledge has been progressing. Here, we explain how to improve efficiency in handling inquiries and document creation by leveraging chatbots, RAG, and other technologies.

6-1. Streamline Inquiry Responses with Internal FAQs and Chatbots

The Information Systems and General Affairs departments receive many questions daily. AI-powered chatbots are effective for handling such inquiries. Traditional keyword matching searches would yield different results for expressions like "forgot my password" and "don’t know my password," but by leveraging AI natural language processing, even if users ask questions using vague expressions or colloquial language, the system can understand their intent and provide appropriate answers.

Because AI absorbs variations in expressions, the hit rate of FAQs is greatly improved, enabling both a reduction in the burden on staff and rapid initial response.

6-2. Providing answers by referencing internal documents with RAG

For individual questions not registered in the FAQ or complex business procedures, it is possible to respond by utilizing RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) technology. RAG treats internal documents such as manuals and rulebooks directly as AI reference data, searches for the necessary information according to the context of the user's question, and generates text to provide answers each time. Unlike chatbots that "find" existing answer data, by "creating" answers from documents, it can solve non-standard questions that cannot be handled by fixed-format FAQs.

In fact, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation organized the structure and writing style of their manuals for AI and introduced the RAG system, dramatically improving the accuracy of responses. Details are introduced later in the section "[Case Study] Successful Manual Development That Is Easy to Understand for Both Humans and AI."

6-3. Supporting the Creation and Updating of Manuals and FAQs

It is also possible to use generative AI to create draft manuals from existing business documents or to propose revisions for outdated FAQs. This reduces the effort required for humans to create content from scratch and cuts down the workload for knowledge updates. By providing the creation rules to the AI in advance, knowledge can be created and updated without relying on the writing skills of the person in charge.

By leveraging AI, knowledge sharing has the potential to greatly advance, such as speeding up inquiry responses and improving the efficiency of document creation. However, AI is not omnipotent, and there are several pitfalls in its operation. Next, we will explain the points to be aware of in advance to ensure the successful implementation of AI.

AI is a powerful tool, but if the quality of the internal information it references is low, the expected results cannot be achieved. Here, we explain the risks to be aware of and the necessity of document organization before introducing AI.

7-1. AI's Responses Depend on the Quality of Knowledge

Since AI generates responses based on the source data it references, if the knowledge itself is unclear or incorrect, it becomes difficult to produce useful answers. As a preliminary step before utilizing AI, it is important to improve the quality of the knowledge documents used as reference data. Structure the information and standardize the knowledge by unifying writing styles and terminology.

7-2. Clearly Define the Roles of AI and Humans

AI excels at searching and summarizing information, but it cannot completely eliminate the risk of incorrect answers. Therefore, it is important to clearly separate the roles of AI and humans. Even if the information is provided by AI, a system must be established where humans take responsibility for the final decisions. Position AI as a powerful support tool, and create a framework where humans lead the final management of information and the formulation of update rules. It is crucial to leverage the strengths of both humans and AI from this perspective.

The next section introduces specific cases where you should consult external partners for knowledge organization and AI collaboration efforts.

Sometimes, it is difficult to standardize knowledge and prepare documents for AI implementation using only internal resources and know-how. Here, we explain cases where you should seek support from specialized external partners.

8-1. Quality of Manuals and FAQs Varies by Department

When each department creates documents independently, resulting in a lack of company-wide consistency, it is difficult to standardize using only internal resources. In such cases, incorporating an external expert perspective to establish objective rules becomes the key to solving the issue. This enables the smooth creation of a company-wide style guide.

8-2. There are many existing materials that have not been fully organized or updated

There are often cases where a vast amount of manuals exist, and due to being overwhelmed with daily tasks, the review and organization of content cannot keep up. When it takes a significant amount of time for the company alone, it is effective to utilize the support of external partners with expertise in manual creation. This allows for efficient inventory and bulk rewriting of documents, enabling the reconstruction of the knowledge base.

8-3. Knowledge Management with a View Toward AI Utilization

For companies that want to go beyond simply promoting knowledge sharing and aim to incorporate future AI utilization, support from external partners who can discuss "how manuals and knowledge should be created" is a great help.

For example, Human Science offers "Manual Standardization AI Agent Development" as one of the solutions. Based on the knowledge accumulated through years of manual creation, we design optimal quality standards and provide a comprehensive service that supports everything from bulk rewriting of existing documents using AI to post-implementation operational adoption. By collaborating with partners who possess such specialized expertise, we ensure the successful integration of knowledge standardization and AI utilization.

Companies struggling with manual standardization, please feel free to consult with us.

Manual Standardization AI Agent Development – Special Site for Manual Standardization AI Development Supporting AI Utilization, RAG Implementation, and AI Proofreading Support | Human Science Co., Ltd.

Finally, we will introduce a case study of a company that successfully integrated external expertise to simultaneously advance manual improvements and AI utilization.

This is a case study of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, which achieved knowledge standardization and improved the accuracy of the RAG chatbot with the support of an external partner.

9-1. Background: Urgent Need for Manual Reform with a View to AI Utilization

At Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, they began improving their operational manuals while aiming to enhance overall company productivity. Until then, manuals were created by each department, lacking company-wide unified rules, resulting in inconsistent quality. Internal surveys also revealed many voices saying the manuals were "hard to understand," making standardization of manuals an urgent task. At the same time, there was a need to organize documents into a "structure easy to understand for both humans and AI," anticipating future AI utilization.

9-2. Solution: Rebuilding the Structure with Consideration for Both Humans and AI

With the support of Human Science, we reorganized the scattered information into a logical and easy-to-understand structure. While retaining diagrams that humans can intuitively understand, we also supplemented the content with text information so that AI can interpret it, and clearly defined the business prerequisites at the beginning, thereby establishing a knowledge base that is easy to understand for both humans and AI.

9-3. Result: Dramatic Improvement in RAG Chatbot Response Accuracy

By organizing the manuals and advancing AI development based on their structure, the response accuracy of the RAG chatbot improved dramatically. It has also received high praise from on-site employees, who say they can now read while grasping the overall workflow. By promoting manual improvement and AI development in an integrated manner without separating them, we succeeded in building a company-wide knowledge management system, leading to enhanced operational efficiency and advanced knowledge utilization across the entire company.

Human Science provides one-stop support from Japanese manual creation to English translation. We have a long history of handling numerous manuals since 1985. If you have needs such as the following, please feel free to contact us.

• I want to improve existing Japanese and English manuals to make them easier to understand.
• I am considering creating an English manual and would like to proceed step by step from the Japanese manual.
• I want to translate and utilize Japanese manuals created in-house into English.

Feature 1: Extensive manual production experience focused on large and global companies

Human Science has accumulated extensive experience in manual production across a wide range of fields, mainly in the manufacturing and IT industries. We have served prestigious companies such as Docomo Technology Inc., Yahoo Corporation, and Yamaha Corporation as our clients.
Manual Production Case Studies | Human Science

Feature 2: From research and analysis by experienced consultants to output

The creation of business manuals is handled by Human Science's experienced consultants. Skilled consultants propose clearer and more effective manuals based on their extensive experience and the provided materials. It is also possible to create manuals from stages where information is not yet organized. The assigned consultant will conduct interviews and create the most suitable manual.
Manual Evaluation, Analysis, and Improvement Proposal Services | Human Science

Feature 3: Emphasis on not only manual creation but also support for establishment

Human Science not only focuses on manual creation but also places great emphasis on the important stage of "establishment." Even after manual creation, we support the establishment of manuals through regular updates and manual creation seminars. Through a variety of measures, we assist in the effective utilization of manuals in the field.
Manual Creation Seminar | Human Science

Thank you for reading until the end. I hope this column provides helpful tips for creating easy-to-understand manuals and utilizing AI.