Tech Forum

I know that it is a significant effort to keep documentation up to date. But the bulk of the documents the Church has created regarding MLS are out of date -- most have not even been touched since they were originally created, and some go back to the original release of MLS. These would include:

• Record Keeping FAQ
• Using MLS: Ward and Branch Instructions
• Using MLS: Stake and District Instructions
• Overview of MLS
• MLS Reconciliation Instructions
• Desktop 5.5 Instructions
• The downloadable Record Keeping and Auditing lessons

There are also several documents available in the Record Keeping Information area for local unit web sites that are out of date:

• MLS Financial Supplement
• MLS Membership Supplement
• Local Unit Security Policies
• MLS Reconciliation Instructions

There may well be others, but those are some of the more prominent ones. Is there any plan to update these as MLS and various Church policies change?

What's out of date in the Desktop 5.5 Instructions? I skimmed over it and all I found was the direction to use a non-admin computer to connect to the Internet to get needed file. It also mentions a MLS password "when prompted" but I don't thing MLS install is password protected anymore.

RussellHltn wrote:What's out of date in the Desktop 5.5 Instructions? I skimmed over it and all I found was the direction to use a non-admin computer to connect to the Internet to get needed file. It also mentions a MLS password "when prompted" but I don't thing MLS install is password protected anymore.

Those are the main things; there's also the implication that anti-virus definitions will be automatically updated, which has never been true. You're making my point by easily finding things that are out of date in that document (and the same is true for other documentation).

My point is not necessarily that there are huge problems in every one of these documents, but the simple fact is that there are problems. Some are misleading and a bit confusing, others are just missed opportunities to teach and instruct people better, avoiding frustration and support calls. So why have most of these documents not had a single update over the years?

For example, the Record Keeping FAQ was an impressive document when it came out -- it covered a remarkably accurate set of questions, many of which weren't addressed particularly clearly anywhere else. But it wasn't perfect to start with, and in the intervening years, there have been many new questions asked more frequently than many in that document (anyone who monitors this forum knows that!) and yet the document hasn't changed at all.



A few relatively easy changes would make the documentation so much more helpful:

• Collect all the clerk-related documentation in one public place
  • Currrently there are documents in clerk.lds.org, mls.lds.org, LUWS, with MLS, and with the training. Many new clerks miss one or more of these places because there is really no reasonable way for them to even know they exist.
  • If there is a really good reason why a document can't be in that place, at least create a link or reference to it from that main place.
• Review it and update it to match current policy and technology
• The couple of documents that contain passwords should have those passwords removed and replaced with references to a single secure place where simple documents with those passwords can live.
  • As it is, there are documents such as the Desktop 5.5 instructions that we cannot link to directly, yet 99% of that document could be public and helpful. It's in a restricted location only because of a couple of passwords.
• Create both a policy to update the documentation, and a mechanism for gathering feedback.
  • I would be happy to point out the many specific issues, if I thought it might lead to an update. I'm sure others in the community would also help.

I know the Record Keeping FAQ is being revised, but I'm not aware of when the update will be available.

This is really too bad. I put the supplementals on our ward PC for the Bishopric to have a good reference to go to. Since they do every function everyday/Sunday they tend to forget and I have to correct the error.

Having something like this is a great asset to have as a quick reference tool.