Will industry 4.0 work without documents? Nothing seems to indicate this, quite the contrary. Everything suggests that the documentary system will not only remain the basis of all industrial activity but that it will also be a vector of productivity and competitiveness. significant thanks to the digitalization of this activity. The standardization of documentation plays a decisive role in this.

Digital documentation, the cornerstone of the industry of the future

Yesterday, today and even more so in the future, documentation remains an essential part of how a company operates. If its importance has never been in doubt, it is the perception that we have of it according to the times that has evolved. Once considered a necessary evil, an activity that weighs heavily on the organization, it is now seen as an asset for communication, performance and competitiveness.

But to maintain this status, it must obviously not be apprehended in any way. Industrial documents and their management play a major role in quality management. As such, they ensure two key aspects:

  • That information related to the functioning of the organization (the company, in this case) is well made available to the actors who need it
  • Knowledge, application and control of processes and good practices

However, fulfilling these functions requires industry documentation to be simplified and standardized.

The switchover to digital makes this approach easier, particularly thanks to the digital work instruction software solutions dedicated to the industry and its standards.

Discover how SKF has digitized their work instructions

Standardized documentation, therefore easier to manage and update

The standardization of documentary supports makes it possible to simplify their management. When a model, an implementation scheme for a given activity is available, it is in principle sufficient to have it in front of you and apply it to the later to achieve a predefined result. The documentation does not escape this logic. Implementing standards in the management of repositories save time and help to reduce costs. In a word, it makes it possible to be more efficient.

The dematerialization of media supports this documentary modelling by offering, through information technologies, tools adapted to the actual needs of companies in this area. The operating procedures, quality manual, various reports and other types of documents all require standardization coupled with digitalization to ensure optimal process deployment and control. This is one of the major developments characterizing the 4.0 industry.

Once again, digital work instruction software solutions will make it possible to standardize the form of operating procedures but also to facilitate their management for a single objective: To deliver the right structured and standardized information to the right person at the right time.

Standardization of documents, a guarantee of performance

As we have just seen, standardization and simplification are two closely related concepts.

In this perspective, the 3U rule (Useful, Usable, Usable, Used) is appropriate. It is applied to the standardization of industrial documentation by answering the 3 questions that compose it:

  • Useful? -> The document prepared must meet a need. It must be a tool for carrying out an activity and achieving the predefined results.
  • Usable? -> The document must be perfectly legible, practical, easy to access and easy to apply.
  • Used? -> The document must actually be used by the employee for whom it is intended, in his workstation.

A solution of digital work instructions to write your documentation

Picomto is the digital work instruction software solution dedicated to the industry and its standards. Feel free to contact one of our experts to find out more.

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