how to create work instructions

Any organization relies on efficient and quality documentation to be able to work, move forward and achieve continuous improvement. In the industry, the essential documents are made of various natures and, among them, the work instructions are true repositories for all the company’s actors : the workers, new employees, supervisors, management and the decision makers.

But, how to make sure that the instructions that we are asked to create are efficient and used ? How to write them? Here are 5 best practices to reach the effective work instructions…

1. Keep it simple !

Simplicity and efficiency often run together in the industry world. In a nutshell, it implies to relieve the document of any superfluous information, of any data which encumbers the support. But also risks in addition to cause trouble to the user by inducing him into confusion or error.

It also needs a standardized minimalist structure in the creation process including only the work instructions’ elements and the integration of references that are necessary.

2. Write clear and accurate documents

Clarity and precision. These are the two words you need to remember when it comes improving and optimizing efficiency, time and reducing the possibility of errors. You’ll have to describe the operations and the work procedure that will carry out through clear and precise visuals in order to eliminate any interpretations that the reader may have, who is thus truly guided in the accomplishment of his mission within his position.

This also makes further clarify and simplify job-to-job linkages possible in all their different aspects: concerned posts, the expected time of passage at each post, the order of intervention for each post, linkage conditions, means of transfer from station to station. In other words, clarity and precision facilitate the work procedure.

3. Go Paperless !

Relying on supports that are both reliable, practical and easy to update is vital for a company’s members. The goal is to reduce or even eliminate errors, malfunctions and defects especially because of documents left in their old versions without revision. We need to be clear about one thing. It’s undeniable that the utilization of classical paper format can no longer satisfy this type of requirement. Digital media have now been favored for several years, and this, for several reasons: centralization of information including an easier access to it and especially for mobile screens (tablets, smartphones …) and, mainly, for a security matter.

Adopting up-to-date paperless / dematerialization for the creation of the work instructions meet the same regulatory requirements and the same logic in work environments digitizing, which characterizes the 4.0 industry.

4. Make the work instructions one of the company quality system pillars.

The QMS (Quality Management System) as defined by the ISO 9001 standard focuses on the development, maintenance and types of maintenance for effective quality documentation. The work instructions are one of the essential components of a quality documentation. This is the standard mentioned above symbolizes in the form of a documentary pyramid at the top of which is the quality manual. This is why the work instructions become the pillars of an organization’s ability to achieve its measurable qualitative objectives and ensure efficiencies

5. Put yourself in the user’s shoes

When you create a work instruction, it seems obvious to think of the person that will view and deploy them. It is only by putting yourself in the user’s shoes, but also by involving him in the development and taking into account his observations gathered in the field, than you can write a configurable document  on the subject matter as close as possible to reality.

6. (Bonus) Use a digital work instructions software

One proper way to write effective work instructions is to use a dedicated software. Picomto is a digital work instructions software which allows you to create visual and interactive work instructions. Do not hesitate to contact our expert to know more about our solution.

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