Standardized work instruction with photos
A work instruction (WI, standard operating procedure, German Arbeitsanweisung) tells the operator at one station how to do one operation the same way every time. This builder gives it the structure auditors and trainers expect: a header with part, operation, station, revision and approval, safety rules and PPE, the tools and gauges, and numbered steps.
Each step has photos, a short description with bold text, bullet lists and warning lines, and three fields from Training Within Industry job breakdown: the key point that makes or breaks the step, the quality check, and the reason. Steps with a special characteristic (SC), critical characteristic (CC) or safety point are marked, so the link to the control plan and the PFMEA stays visible.
Worked example: Work Instruction Builder
- 01HeaderOP 40 · Rev Cpart, station, revision and approval
- 02SafetyPPE + rulesglasses, gloves, two-hand start
- 03StepsPhoto + key pointquality check, reason, SC / CC marks
- 04ReleasePDF at the stationsigned by author and approver
01Method
Fill in the header and pick the PPE. Add a step for each action and add photos by click, drag and drop or the phone camera. Photos are compressed in your browser and never uploaded. Use the buttons above the description for bold, bullets and warnings; the preview shows the result.
The release check reads the WI as a reviewer would: missing revision or approval, steps without photo or key point, and SC or CC steps without a quality check. Save it as a project, share the text as a link, and print the PDF for the station.
02When to use it
Use it for a new station or a new part, after a process change or 8D action, for operator training, and to show an auditor (IATF 16949 8.5.1.2) that standardized work is documented at the station with special characteristics marked.
PDF report in one click
Download a PDF with the header, PPE, tools, every step with its photos, key point, quality check and reason, the SC / CC markers and a signature block for author, approver and trained operator.
Private: runs in your browser
Your work instruction and photos stay in your browser. Share links contain the text only, not the photos.
Writing a good work instruction
One step is one action, written as a verb: “Insert the bearing”, not “Bearing”. Show it with a photo taken from the operator’s view and mark what matters with a key point. Take the quality checks and the special characteristics from the control plan and the risks from the PFMEA, and check on the shop floor with a layered process audit that the instruction is followed.
Frequently asked questions
›What belongs in a work instruction?
A header with part, operation, station, revision and approval; the safety rules and PPE; the tools and gauges; and the numbered steps, each with a photo, the key point, the quality check and the reason. Special and critical characteristics are marked so they match the control plan.
›What is the difference between a work instruction and a control plan?
The control plan lists what is controlled, how and how often for the whole process. The work instruction tells the operator at one station how to do the job and the checks in practice. Every SC or CC check in the control plan should appear in the work instruction of that station.
›Are my photos uploaded?
No. Photos are compressed and kept in your browser, and the PDF is created on your device. Share links contain the text only, without photos.
›What is a key point?
From Training Within Industry job breakdown: the detail that makes or breaks the step, makes it safe or makes it easier, for example “seal side up” or “curve inside the green window”. The reason explains why, so the operator remembers it.