CENTRALIZE AND STANDARDIZE OPERATIONAL DOCUMENTATION

Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union (NGFCU) transformed its operations with Zavanta, eliminating inefficiencies from scattered policies and procedures. By centralizing knowledge management, NGFCU reduced onboarding time, minimized service errors, and strengthened compliance. Employees access accurate, up-to-date information instantly, which boosts confidence and productivity. Zavanta’s structured workflows and standardized templates streamline document creation, reduce administrative overhead, and enhance operational efficiency.  

NGFCU improved audit readiness, reduced regulatory risks, and increased employee engagement, resolving documentation challenges and positioning the organization for long-term success and growth. 

Company Background 

Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union (NGFCU) is a not-for-profit financial cooperative focused on the financial well-being of its members. NGFCU serves employees, contractors, and their families from Northrop Grumman and LA Metro. The credit union provides a comprehensive range of financial products including deposits, loans, insurance, retirement planning, and digital banking access. Operating with 29 branches across nine states, NGFCU is supported by approximately 250 employees and serves over 75,000 members.  

Business Challenge 

Like many organizations, NGFCU faced a growing challenge: managing policies, procedures, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) across multiple formats and locations. Employees stored documents in Word files, PDFs, PowerPoint decks, and Excel sheets—spreading them across intranets, desktops, and email inboxes. The result? A complex, fragmented document management system that created inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and document confusion. 

In 2019, NGFCU set out to centralize and standardize its documentation, but the initiative lost momentum due to the pandemic and staff turnover. The organization was losing institutional knowledge, which led to onboarding delays, conflicting information, and an uptick in service errors. The credit union needed a reliable, scalable solution to capture critical knowledge and ensure operational clarity.  

The Solution: Zavanta Software 

After reassessing their needs, NGFCU formed a task force to evaluate multiple solutions and ultimately chose Zavanta. Zavanta delivered: 

• A seamless process for creating and publishing SOPs. By streamlining workflows and automating key steps, Zavanta transformed a traditionally cumbersome task into an efficient, structured system. Teams created, reviewed, and approved documents with ease and speed. 

• A consistent, standardized approach to templates and formatting. Before Zavanta, NGFCU struggled with inconsistencies that hindered clarity. Zavanta introduced pre-built, standardized templates that not only ensured uniformity but also made it easy for subject matter experts to focus on content, not formatting. 

• An intuitive interface that was designed for everyone. Zavanta empowered employees across all departments, regardless of their technical skill level. From seasoned managers to new hires, team members have the permissions they need to easily create, update, and access critical documents. This democratized approach to knowledge management fostered collaboration and reduced reliance on training support. 

For NGFCU, Zavanta was more than just software; it became a strategy. NGFCU’s leadership championed Zavanta as the keystone of their knowledge management transformation. With leadership and staff fully aligned behind the vision, Zavanta quickly became the organization’s central hub for all policies and procedures. 

“While Northrop had challenges similar to those of a lot of other clients, they were at a more advanced level of document management maturity than most. They had skilled technical writers who were document-focused and leaders who recognized the increasing need for a scalable system. They weren’t okay with the status quo anymore and we were happy to help them advance their policy and procedure management program to the next level.”

—Dan Spiller, Customer Success Manager, Comprose   

The Results with Zavanta 

Zavanta transformed NGFCU’s operations, solving key challenges and delivering measurable improvements. Knowledge became accessible, consistent, and actionable. Operational efficiency improved, compliance strengthened, and Zavanta equipped employees with the tools to succeed. 

Faster, More Effective Onboarding 

With Zavanta, new employees gain immediate access to clear, structured guidance, eliminating guesswork and reducing reliance on colleagues for training. This has significantly shortened onboarding time, ensuring staff quickly become confident and capable in their roles. 

Reduced Errors 

By standardizing documentation and streamlining access to procedures, Zavanta has reduced operational mistakes. This has led to stronger compliance, improved service accuracy, and a better experience for both employees and members. 

Stronger Compliance 

Zavanta’s centralized system simplifies compliance by linking policies to regulations, ensuring employees always follow the latest guidelines. This has made audits faster and more efficient while reducing regulatory risks and last-minute compliance challenges. The compliance officer has reduced audit prep time by at least three hours thanks to Zavanta’s ability to quickly create a policy manual.  

Higher Employee Engagement 

With Zavanta as the single source of truth, employees trust they have accurate, up-to-date information at their fingertips. This has increased confidence, reduced frustration, and empowered staff to work more efficiently while delivering better service to members. 

Improved Operational Efficiency 

Zavanta has eliminated the chaos of scattered documents, allowing teams to quickly find, update, and manage policies. This has saved valuable time, reduced administrative overhead, and made workflows more efficient, enabling NGFCU to operate with greater agility. 

“Any strategic business goal will require knowledge, skills, and ability from staff. We are focusing on documenting the knowledge needed in an easily accessible format that empowers staff to develop the skills and ability to achieve the goals.”

— Anthony Zickefoose, Procedure Writer & Administrator 

Feedback from NGFCU 

NGFCU employees and leaders have praised Zavanta for its usability, effectiveness, and transformative impact. Key highlights include: 

• Favorite Features: Filters and workflows streamline document management, while templates and cross-referencing ensure accessibility and consistency. 

• Improved User Experience: Employees appreciate Zavanta’s intuitive search functionality and interactive documents, which enhance confidence and productivity. Now with the AI feature, employees can find resources even faster.  

• Exceptional Support: Comprose’s knowledgeable support team has been a valuable partner, consistently delivering resolution-driven service. 

“Zavanta/Comprose is the best vendor I have ever worked with. They know their subject matter, they know their product, they take pride in their product, their customer service has always been nice while still being resolution-driven, and I feel heard as a customer.” 

— Anthony Zickefoose, Procedure Writer & Administrator  

Why Zavanta?  

“Before Zavanta, our team was drowning in a sea of disorganized procedures. We were constantly firefighting, and our staff felt overwhelmed and frustrated. With Zavanta, we’ve streamlined our processes, empowered our team, and significantly improved efficiency. If you’re tired of the chaos, Zavanta is the solution. Zavanta has transformed our organization. We've reduced errors, saved countless hours, and boosted employee morale. The ROI is clear: a more efficient, productive, and satisfied workforce.”

— Dustney Pacheco, Director, Talent Development  

Looking Ahead 

NGFCU continues to explore Zavanta’s advanced features, including AI capabilities, electronic signatures, and forms, to further enhance its operations. The organization remains committed to empowering employees and delivering exceptional service to its members. With Zavanta, NGFCU has not only resolved immediate challenges but has also positioned itself for sustained success and growth.