Every manufacturer needs clear work instructions, but what an auditor or customer checks depends on the industry. These guides cover the standards and audit pressures in six kinds of shop, the templates and tools that matter most in each, an original example instruction you can download, and the findings auditors tend to write.
The basics are the same everywhere: the right revision at the point of use, steps a trained person can follow, checks at the points that matter, and a record of who did the work. How to write a work instruction covers those basics.
What changes is the emphasis. Aerospace audits focus on configuration and traceability, automotive on the link between the control plan and the station, medical device on validated processes and device history records, molding on locking in the approved process, fabrication on welding procedures and machine safety, and electronics on IPC workmanship classes and ESD control.
Start with the one whose customers audit you most often, then read the others for the requirements they add. Many shops run one system with market-specific additions.
No. Each one is written for a fictional company with example values. Use the structure, then replace every value with your own drawing, specification and approved process.
No. They paraphrase what the standards expect and cite them by name. Buy and read the current standard, and check your customer’s requirements.
COPLAIN JOB AID BUILDER
Upload a drawing, SOP or setup sheet and Coplain’s Job Aid Builder drafts a controlled work instruction for your industry, with the checks, revision fields and sign-offs your auditors look for.