Work Instructions - Format and Various WIs per Department

N

noboost4you

#1
Hi, my name is Bryan and this is my first time posting here at the Cove. My company is currently undergoing the implementation of ISO 9001:2000 and I've been assigned as the point man directly underneath the MR.

My first objective to tackle our Action Items is to work on our Work Instructions. I've been searching the Internet for sample Work Instructions and came across a few decent ones. However, hardly any work instruction is similar to the next.

The WIs I am currently working with contain four sections; Purpose, Scope, Responsibilities, and Procedure. Those are the meat and potatoes of the WIs as I see it. Am I required to have any more sections included? I don't recall seeing anything within the standards that say so. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, as the person working on the Work Instructions, I need to go around to every department to observe and compile various WIs. Such departments include: Shipping, Receiving, Production, Purchasing, Inventory Control, Customer Service, Engineering, IT, Accounting and Administrative Assistance. My question is, is there a list available that may mention what kind of WIs should be available in each department?

For example, in Purchasing there will need to be WIs on the following:
1. Add new vendor
2. Add new purchase order
3. Faxing orders
4. Printing purchase orders
5. etc..

Some of these departments seem like they would have quite an extensive list of work instructions; however, I'm not sure of any of them.

Does anyone have some kind of list that would help me?

Thanks,
Bryan
 
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ScottK

Not out of the crisis
Staff member
Super Moderator
#2
Hi Bryan - welcome to the cove.

The are more ways to do work instructions than there are stars in the sky.
In the system I'm building I am very open as to format. My instruction to the people who are creating the work instructions is:

Write them so that the users will understand them.

So each department may use a different format for the instruction itself - some might do a traditional outline numbered format, some might do a step by step table with photos, some might use a flow chart.

what is constant is the page header and footer and the following sections: purpose and scope, responsibility and authority, body, references, revision history.

I note you say that you're supposed to observe and document...
Be careful. If you are not the process owner, you might not get the real story by just observing. Workers may do things differently if they know they're being observed. You MUST have particiaption from the process owner when creating a procedure or work instruction. I strongly suggest you review the document with at least one person that does the job before you try to get it published.

as far as a list... It's really up to your organization on what is worthy of a work instruction. By nature work instructions are detailed. You can bog yourself down quickly. You need to evaluate, for example, if the shipping guy needs a written instruction on how to pack a carton. My company sure doesn't - it would be tying his hands to no real purpose.

good luck.
 
N

noboost4you

#3
I thought work instructions were meant to be written for those who have no idea on what to do. Packing a carton may be a no brainer for the shipping supervisor, but what about a new guy who comes in? Should the shipping supervisor have to train each and every single person to do a certain shipping activity? Or should there be a work instruction for those activities to alleviate extensive training?

Of course I will work with each department head rather than just observe them. I'd just like a list of what I should look for prior to spending time each head.

Thanks for the quick reply

Bryan
 

ScottK

Not out of the crisis
Staff member
Super Moderator
#4
I thought work instructions were meant to be written for those who have no idea on what to do. Packing a carton may be a no brainer for the shipping supervisor, but what about a new guy who comes in? Should the shipping supervisor have to train each and every single person to do a certain shipping activity? Or should there be a work instruction for those activities to alleviate extensive training?

Of course I will work with each department head rather than just observe them. I'd just like a list of what I should look for prior to spending time each head.

Thanks for the quick reply

Bryan

It's really up to you. The thing is if you document a certain way you darn well better do it that way every single time. So you can really tie your hands by overdocumenting. In theory you get ISO registration without a single work instruction.

In my philosophy training is paramount. So to answer your question - yes, the supervisor should train all his staff. Even if there is a work instruction he needs to traing his staff. You can't just plunk someone down with a document and say "get to work". Work instructions do not take the place of training. They are for reference for people who are already trained and a tool for use during training.

In my company (machining and assembly) we're only really doing work instructions for assembly of finished goods and for certain tests. And even then the assembly work instructions are based on product family, not every individual product.
 
N

noboost4you

#5
Oh I understand completely. Our supervisors will train, but after they trained their employees, we didn't want the new hires to have to ask them questions over and over again. Thats when they can reference the work instructions.

As for writing the instructions, I'm going to be as vague as possible without setting directions in stone.

Thanks for the response, it's becoming more clear to me now.
 

ScottK

Not out of the crisis
Staff member
Super Moderator
#6
Oh I understand completely. Our supervisors will train, but after they trained their employees, we didn't want the new hires to have to ask them questions over and over again. Thats when they can reference the work instructions.

As for writing the instructions, I'm going to be as vague as possible without setting directions in stone.

Thanks for the response, it's becoming more clear to me now.
here's a thought you may want to approach your MR with....

Job descriptions and job orientation. A robust job description and orientation program can help eliminate the perceived need to document routine tasks.

another suggestion - if you're about to document a work instruction and you have doubts if it's necessary - come back to this thread and ask for an opinion.
I wish I had a resource like this when I was on my first ISO implementation team in '95. :cool:
 

Jim Wynne

Staff member
Admin
#7
Welcome to the Cove, Bryan :D

My company is currently undergoing the implementation of ISO 9001:2000 and I've been assigned as the point man directly underneath the MR.
If you're going to be spending a lot of time directly underneath the MR, I hope you have (and use) an umbrella. :lol:

Also, as the person working on the Work Instructions, I need to go around to every department to observe and compile various WIs.
I think that you should, for the moment, be less concerned about format than about actual content. This is a stage where many opportunities for improvement are missed. Rather than just accepting whatever's presently written down, you should be talking to the people who are involved in operating the processes on a daily basis, and find out what's working and what isn't, with a view toward codifying the former and eliminating the latter. Make sure that processes actually work before doing any formal documentation.
 

CarolX

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#8
Hi Bryan and welcome to the Cove -

I have to agree with Jim and Discordian - they have some great points.

It is nice to have a "standard" format - but always remeber that you need to set your format to the "lowest" requirement. What I mean, is be cautious not to fill your work instruction with info that means nothing to the user, or can't be understood by the user.

You state that you need "Purpose, Scope, Responsibilities, and Procedure" - why do you say that. Take your example of the new guy coming in to pack parts. All he needs to know is what work instruction to use, and how to do it. Purpose and Responsbility mean nothing to him.

Here is an example

Scope: use this instruction to pack part 123.

Procedure:

Use a 12 x 12 x 12 box

Place 50 pieces in box

Fill open space with paper.

Tape box closed.

Affix shipping label.

There you go - it is done and very simple.

JMHO and hope this helps a bit.
 
N

noboost4you

#9
You guys and gals are very helpful here. Thanks :)

Besides 'observing', per se, I'm also asking questions on their tasks. Such as what they do, how they do it, why they do it, and tell me without using shortcuts. I went through the Shipping Department yesterday and compiled about 8 pages worth of notes. Today I'm going through the Receiving Department and Service/Repairs Department to do the same thing.

My MR seems satisfied with the information I compiled with Shipping so I think we're on the right path. Making these instructions as cut and dry as possible seems to be the more complicated portion of this task.

Whenever I take my notes and turn them into work instructions, I will post one up for opinions and criticisms.

Thanks again,
Bryan
 
#10
The WIs I am currently working with contain four sections; Purpose, Scope, Responsibilities, and Procedure. Those are the meat and potatoes of the WIs as I see it. Am I required to have any more sections included? I don't recall seeing anything within the standards that say so. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, as the person working on the Work Instructions, I need to go around to every department to observe and compile various WIs. Such departments include: Shipping, Receiving, Production, Purchasing, Inventory Control, Customer Service, Engineering, IT, Accounting and Administrative Assistance. My question is, is there a list available that may mention what kind of WIs should be available in each department?

For example, in Purchasing there will need to be WIs on the following:
1. Add new vendor
2. Add new purchase order
3. Faxing orders
4. Printing purchase orders
5. etc..

Some of these departments seem like they would have quite an extensive list of work instructions; however, I'm not sure of any of them.

Does anyone have some kind of list that would help me?

Thanks,
Bryan
Bryan:

So good that you got some help here, first. You were heading for oblivion and one big head ache in the future. As stated above, don't use this bureacracy of 'scope', 'purpose' etc. It delays getting to the important stuff. Also, as Jim says, get the folks who know the job to help write down what's important. A checklist is better than some long winded description, written for a 16yr old, who's never going to work there, anyway.

I'll poke around my files and see if I can't give you an effective format for a WI - ther are some already posted here somewhere, but they may have that 'old school' format:mg:

Andy
 
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