![The template open in Strokes: the title “WI-[number]: [Task] at [Station]”, then a details table for Product or part, Station, Revision and Effective and the heading “Purpose and scope”.](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fhero-light.7cb79baf.webp&w=3840&q=75)
![The template open in Strokes: the title “WI-[number]: [Task] at [Station]”, then a details table for Product or part, Station, Revision and Effective and the heading “Purpose and scope”.](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2Fhero-dark.73f4520a.webp&w=3840&q=75)
When to use it
- Assembly, packing and inspection stations on a production line
- Lab tasks where one missed detail spoils a sample
- Machines and tools with settings that must be right every time
- Screen tasks in a finance or order system, field by field
- Training new operators and recording who is signed off on which revision
Work instructions are step-by-step directions for one task done at one workstation or in one tool: which part, which setting, which check, in what order, with a picture where words fall short. They sit below an SOP. The SOP says what happens and who is responsible; the work instruction shows the person at the station exactly how to do their part.
The filled-in example below, from an invented factory, keeps apart the three things an operator needs: what to do, what to check and when to stop. If the task moves between people or stations, the flow belongs in an SOP instead, with one work instruction per station.
Work instruction example
The template filled in for one station at Varden Housewares, an invented factory that makes a 1-liter water filter jug. The operator fits a silicone seal into the lid, closes the jug and leak-tests it.
Product: Cascade 1 L jug (body CJ-100, lid CJ-110, seal S-14) · Station: Line 2, Station 3 · Revision: C · Effective: 4 May 2026 · Approved: Tomás Reyes, production lead; Mei Lin, quality engineer
Purpose. Every jug leaves Station 3 with its seal seated, its lid closed and a passed leak test. Reworking a failed jug is WI-AS-118.
Safety. Wear safety glasses at the leak tester. CAUTION: Pinch point. The tester's clamp closes when you press Start; keep both hands on the two Start buttons until it opens.
Tools and materials. Seal tool T-7. Leak tester LT-2, program 3. Lint-free wipes. Seals S-14 from the blue bin only. Red reject tags.
Before you start. The daily-check sticker on LT-2 shows today's date. The seal lot number on the bin matches the job card.
| Step | Key point | Why | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step1. Wipe the groove in the lid | Key pointOne pass with a dry wipe, all the way round | WhyDirt in the groove is the commonest cause of leaks | PictureP1 |
| Step2. Lay the seal in the groove | Key pointTab at 12 o'clock, on the molded arrow | WhyThe tab covers the vent; a turned seal leaks there | PictureP2 (OK), P3 (not OK) |
| Step3. Roll the seal home with T-7 | Key pointOne full turn clockwise, light pressure | WhyPressing hard stretches the seal and leaves a gap | PictureP4 |
| Step4. Close the lid on the jug | Key pointFour clicks, one at each corner | WhyWith three clicks the jug can pass the test and still leak in use | PictureP5 |
| Step5. Leak-test on LT-2 | Key pointProgram 3, both hands on Start, wait for the light (about 20 seconds) | WhyThe other programs test other products | PictureP6 |
| Step6. Mark the jug and pass it on | Key pointGreen dot on the base, then the tray to your right | WhyPacking can see at a glance which jugs were tested | PictureP7 |
Quality check. Pass: green light on LT-2, four clicks, no gap between lid and jug. Fail: red light. Open the lid, reseat the seal from step 2 and test once more. A second red light: red tag with the time, red bin.
Records. Mark each jug on the hourly tally sheet: pass, fail or retest.
Revision history. Rev C, 4 May 2026: added the 12 o'clock key point to step 2 after a week of leaks at the vent.
Trained on Rev C: operator, trainer, date, both signatures.
Why it works. Every key point is something the operator can see, hear or count: a position, four clicks, a light. Each one has a reason, so when a new batch of seals sits differently, the operator knows what the tab is for and calls the lead instead of guessing. What the operator does, what they check and when they stop sit in three separate places, and the stop rule, written in numbers, can be found at a glance. The revision line explains the key point most likely to be skipped.
How to use this template
- Pick one task at one station
A work instruction covers what one person does in one place, from picking up the part to passing it on. If the task moves between people or stations, the flow belongs in an SOP, with one work instruction per station.
- Watch the best operator and photograph each step
Stand beside the person who does the task best and write down each action as it happens. Photograph each step from where the operator stands. At every step, ask what goes wrong if you skip it: the answers are your key points.
- Fill the table: step, key point, why
Step is the action, a verb and an object. Key point is what makes or breaks it: a position, a count, a sound, a setting. Why is the reason, and it is what lets an operator handle a case the instruction didn't foresee. The training manual template uses the same three columns.
- Write the check and the stop rule
Make the quality check measurable, such as a light, a reading or a count, and put the pass/fail rule next to it. Then write when to stop and whom to call, so nobody has to decide that alone at the end of a shift. Take every safety limit, such as a temperature, a pressure or a wait time, from the approved procedure or the equipment manual rather than from memory, and say where it comes from.
- Trial it, approve it, train on it
Have an operator who hasn't done the task follow the draft while you watch. Fix every hesitation, get the approvals the header asks for and record each operator's training against the revision. Post the new copy and remove the old one the same day.
What goes in a work instruction
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| SectionHeader | What to writeNumber, task, product or part numbers, station, revision, effective date and approvals |
| SectionPurpose and scope | What to writeThe result in one line, and what the instruction doesn't cover |
| SectionSafety | What to writeHazards at this station, the protection required, and the warning repeated at the step where the hazard is |
| SectionTools and materials | What to writeEvery tool, fixture, program and material, with its ID or setting |
| SectionBefore you start | What to writeChecks before the first part, such as a calibration date or a lot number |
| SectionSteps | What to writeStep, key point, why, and a picture reference for each |
| SectionQuality check | What to writeWhat to check, how, and the pass/fail rule |
| SectionIf something goes wrong | What to writeStop conditions, and whom to call |
| SectionRecords | What to writeWhat to fill in, and where it goes |
| SectionRevision and sign-off | What to writeWhat changed and why, and who is trained on this revision |
Work instruction samples by setting
The frame stays the same wherever one person does one task in one place. What changes is what the key points protect.
Print room: thermal-bind a report
CAUTION: Hot surface. The binding channel stays hot after the beep.
- Count the sheets and take the cover size from the chart on the binder.
- Square the stack and slide it into the cover, spine first.
- Stand it in the channel and press Start. Wait for the beep.
- Move it to the cooling rack, spine down, for five minutes. Why: the glue is still soft, and pages pull loose if you open it sooner.
Check: tug three pages gently. None move.
Finance system: add a new supplier
- In Suppliers, select New.
- In Legal name, type the name exactly as it appears on the supplier's invoice.
- In Bank details, enter the account from the supplier's signed bank letter. Key point: never from an email alone; confirm by calling the number in the contract. Why: an email is easy to forge, and a number you already had is not.
- Select Submit for approval. The status shows Pending until a second person approves.
Each set of key points protects something different: the binding in one, the money in the other. A screen task names every field and button exactly as it appears, the way a how-to guide does.
Pictures in work instructions
- Shoot from the operator's position, at the moment of the key point, not from across the bench.
- Number every photo and use the number in the step table, so the words and the pictures can be updated separately.
- Pair OK and not OK when the difference is small, such as a seal tab a few millimeters off the arrow.
- Mark the key point with a circle or an arrow, in one color you use for nothing else.
- Keep the words. A picture can't carry a reason, a number or a stop rule.
- Retake photos when a part, fixture or tool changes. A photo of the old fixture is a wrong instruction.
When to write a work instruction
Write one when one person does the task, in one place, the same way every time, and a wrong detail costs something. Otherwise another document does the job better:
| If the document must… | Write |
|---|---|
| If the document must…Show a whole flow across teams | WriteProcess documentation |
| If the document must…Cover one task from trigger to record, with roles | WriteAn SOP |
| If the document must…Teach a new person a role | WriteA training manual |
| If the document must…Take a product user through one task | WriteA how-to guide |
An SOP step that needs this much detail should link to the work instruction rather than repeat it. For the level above, see the guide to writing an SOP.
Tips for usable work instructions
- Numbers, not adjectives. “Four clicks” and “one full turn”, not “firmly” or “properly”.
- Use the names on the floor. If the shift says the blue bin, so does the instruction, and every tool carries the ID on its label. A short style guide keeps a set of instructions consistent.
- Write for everyone on the shift. Short sentences, one instruction each, no idioms. If your readers include non-native speakers, or you translate, ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English is a controlled language written for technical documentation.
- Control the copies. Put the revision letter and the effective date on every page, and collect the old copies when the new one goes up.
- Let operators mark it up. Keep a pen at the station and read their notes at each revision; they often find the missing key points first.
“Use this template” opens the work instruction in Strokes as a document you can edit and export; page view shows it as the sheet for the station board, and a PDF export prints it. Before a new revision goes up, ask the Strokes Assistant to list every step with a vague word, such as “firmly” or “properly”, and every key point without a reason.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between an SOP and a work instruction?
An SOP covers a whole procedure: the trigger, the roles, the steps in order and the record at the end, often across several people. A work instruction zooms into one task inside it, at one station, with the exact settings, key points and pass/fail checks. An SOP step usually links to its work instruction.
How detailed should work instructions be?
Detailed enough that a trained operator who has never done this task gets it right the first time, and no more. Every step needs its key point, but very few need a paragraph. A line an experienced operator would never look at is usually background that belongs in training, not in the instruction.
What are visual work instructions?
Work instructions in which photos or drawings carry much of each step: one picture per step taken from the operator's position, numbered to match the step table, with the key point marked and OK and not-OK pictures side by side. The words stay, because a picture can't show a reason, a number or a stop rule.
