Develop Narratives for the AAP

When all of steps involved in developing AAP analyses are complete (from Settings to IWD/Veterans), the final step is to generate the accompanying Narratives. In preparation for generating these documents, stop at the Narratives > Settings tab to review and determine a few options.

From this page, links will also be accessible in the tab header for: Tags & Values, Templates, and Published Narrative (as described in Next Steps, the artices linked above).

About Narratives and their Components

Your organization’s Affirmative Action plan will include Narratives for:

• Minorities/Women
• IWD (Individuals with Disabilities)
• Veterans

The three Narratives will be represented in the software by separate tabs. The system provides boilerplate language, along with tools for customizing their content for each Narrative by Section. The results from plan calculations will be merged into the Narratives, and reports will be included to build a complete Narrative.

Documents from your organization may also be uploaded and included in the AAP, as described below.

Determine Narrative Settings

After determining the Narrative Options (and optional Header and Footer settings) below, click [Save].

Select System Template

The first step is to select the version of default Narrative template you would like to start with from the displayed drop-down. For new plans, dated 2015 and later, the recommended template is: Most Recent. To choose an older default system template, select a date from the provided drop-down.

Important Caution: Finalize this setting before customizing the Templates. If the setting is changed later, any customization will be lost. To review the currently applied template version, navigate to Narratives > Templates.

Include Reports in the AAP Document

To automatically insert the required reports within the final AAP document, check all of the following:

• Include Reports for Minorities/Women
• Include Reports for Individuals with Disabilities
• Include Reports for Protected Veterans

Quick Tip: Leave the boxes unchecked to review simple drafts of the Narrative texts.

Help Cross-reference: For information on exporting or printing the final Narrative, see: AAP Reports.

Select Report Type (for Organizational Profile)

Either of the following two reports satisfies the requirement for submitting an Organizational Profile. Check off one:

• Organizational Display (Department Hierarchy must be established.)
• Workforce Analysis (Grades must be sequenced, see: Reference Tables > Grade.)

This option may be pre-selected for you, based on earlier settings you made in the system.

(If applicable) Turn on REACH Integration

If Good Faith Efforts data are available from REACH and you would like to include the data in this Affirmative Action plan, check the box under: Reach Integration.

REACH Help Cross-reference: Each REACH data record must be associated with at least one or more Locations, a Plan Date, and an Evaluation for the integration to work. See: REACH > Activities.

Display Page Numbers in the Table of Contents

While page numbering is always displayed in the Narrative document, this Miscellaneous setting will turn on (or exclude) page numbers in the Table of Contents.

(Optional) Add a Header or Footer

Under the Header and Footer menu header, check the box next to: Include Header and Footer. If applicable, click: Include on the title page.

Next, enter text for either the Header or Footer or both, using the Add Header Text and Add Footer Text menus.

Import Narratives from another BalanceAAP Plan

Narrative elements can be imported from another plan into the current plan, by accessing the Narratives > Settings tab. Select the items to import:

• Settings
• Tag Values
• Templates
• Supporting Documents

Then select Company, Establishment, and Plan from the provided drop-downs. Click [Import].

(Optional) Manage Supporting Documents

Appendices and other corporate documents can be added at the end of a Narrative, to appear on the AAP Reports list in the Narratives Report Group. From there, they can be selected or compiled into the completed AAP. Begin by clicking the [Manage Documents] button.

From the tab header, select the Narrative to which the supporting documents should be added. Click Browse, and find the document. [Add Another File] as necessary. Click [Upload]. Multiple documents will appear under Uploaded Documents in the order of upload.

Next, review their order of appearance, as this order will be reflected on the AAP Reports > Narratives list. To edit a document’s location, use the [Move Up/Move Down] arrows at the right of the File Name. Once the order is suitable, click [Save].

Click the Edit icon to change how the document’s Display Name appears on the AAP Reports list. Click the Delete icon to remove one of the Uploaded Documents.

When the Upload list is satisfactory, click the Return to Settings tab at the top of the page.