Clear and effective documentation is of utmost importance across different sectors, more so in the Pharma and Biotech sector, where poor documentation can cause serious liabilities. Information Mapping (IM) is a documentation methodology which allows organizations to adopt a common writing standard. It ensures that organizations adopt IM as its content standard so that information is documented in a structured and a consistent manner.

This methodology was developed by its founder Mr Robert Horn, a cognitive scientist from Harvard and Columbia University and is patent protected.

"Our aim is to produce clear and efficient documentation. We standardize the way content is written within companies," said Mr Francis Declercq, CEO, Information Mapping.

Ms Swapna Narayanan, managing director, IM India elaborated further, "Information Mapping is a global methodology. It is the standardization of content that is being developed in a company. We reach out to organizations and we train them in this methodology. We also give a piece of software which works with MS word, it allows (along with MS word) writing in a structured way. Using our standard methodology, it is information presented in smaller chunks enabling better comprehension, better readability and better usability of your document."

The company also provides the technology as a service. "But we always see it from the customer's context, the need and then come up with a solution," said Ms Swapna.

Pharma and biotech companies have to produce lots of reports based on clinical trials and documentation. There is a need for regulatory compliance which, if not done properly, can have serious consequences, like the firms may end up being barred from producing the drugs because their drug report is not clear. "We had this in the US for a big pharma company, they were stopped from producing drugs for three years just because their documentation was not okay," said Mr Declercq.

Globally, all the major pharma and biotech companies like Abbott, Baxter, Bristol-Myers Squib, J&J, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche are clients and pharma companies from the US contribute about 30 percent to their business.

Though internationally it is a very well-known methodology, in India it is relatively unheard of. "Our plan is to convince the major sectors that documenting their process, policies, procedures is working on risk mitigation, cost, and retention of their customer. The country contributes only 2-3 percent of their revenue. But we see it increasing to 10-15 percent in the next two to three years," Mr Francis said signing off.