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Example gallery · 16 examples · Standard work, SOPs and training

Work instruction examples: 16 written out, step by step

Sixteen work instructions for manufacturing jobs, with the words on the page written out. Each one gives the header, the numbered steps with their numbers and units, the key points with a reason for each, and what the operator does when a step fails. Two of them show a vague instruction next to its rewrite. The stations and document numbers are illustrative.

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Each card opens with the station and the document it comes from. Under that is the text of the instruction itself in blocks: the header, the steps, the key points and what to do if it goes wrong. The tags show the format and what the instruction includes, so you can filter for a checklist or for examples with a reaction plan.

Format
Includes

Showing 16 of 16 examples

Assembly

Manual assembly steps where the order, the torque or the feel of a part matters. The second card is laid out as a job breakdown: step, key point, reason.

    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • PPE
    • Reaction plan

    Torque six cover bolts in a star pattern

    Station 4 on a gearbox assembly line, where the operator fits the cover. One page, posted at the station with a photo that numbers the six bolts.

    Header:
    WI-ASM-014 rev C. Fit gearbox cover. Owner: process engineer. Tools: torque wrench set to 24 N m, 13 mm socket, yellow paint marker. PPE: safety glasses.
    Steps:
    1. Place the gasket on the housing with the tab at 12 o'clock. 2. Set the cover on the two dowels. 3. Start all six M8 bolts by hand, two full turns each. 4. Tighten to 24 N m in the order 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6 shown in the photo. 5. Mark each bolt head with paint as the wrench clicks. 6. Count six paint marks before sliding the unit on.
    Key points:
    Start every bolt by hand so none is cross-threaded. The star order pulls the cover down evenly so the gasket seals. The paint mark shows a bolt has been torqued, not only fitted.
    If it goes wrong:
    A bolt that turns freely and never clicks is stripped. Stop, put a red tag on the unit and call the team leader. Do not swap the bolt and carry on.
    • Key points and reasons
    • Reaction plan

    Seat a connector: push, click, pull

    Station 7 on a control panel line. This one is laid out as a job breakdown in the Training Within Industry style: each important step, its key point and the reason for the key point. The trainer teaches from it and the operator keeps it at the bench.

    Step 1:
    Line up the connector. Key point: the rib on the plug faces the slot. Reason: it goes in one way only, and forcing it bends the pins.
    Step 2:
    Push it home. Key point: push on the body, not the wires, until you hear and feel the click. Reason: no click means the latch has not caught.
    Step 3:
    Pull to test. Key point: one firm tug on the body with two fingers. Reason: a connector that is only resting in place comes out now, and not in the customer's machine.
    If it goes wrong:
    A connector that will not click after two tries goes in the red bin with a tag. Tell the team leader which cable it came from.
    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • PPE
    • Reaction plan

    Press a bearing into a housing

    Station 2 on a pump assembly line: an arbor press fitted with a force gauge. The instruction hangs on the press with a photo of the sleeve in place.

    Header:
    WI-ASM-022 rev B. Press bearing 6204 into the pump housing. Tools: arbor press 2, pressing sleeve S-20, force gauge. PPE: safety glasses.
    Steps:
    1. Wipe the housing bore and feel around it for burrs. 2. Set the bearing on the bore with the part number facing up. 3. Fit sleeve S-20 so it sits on the outer ring. 4. Press in one steady stroke until the bearing reaches the shoulder. 5. Read the peak force on the gauge. It must be between 2.0 and 3.5 kN. 6. Spin the bearing by hand. It must turn freely with no rough spots.
    Key points:
    Press on the outer ring only. Pressing on the inner ring loads the balls and damages the bearing in a way you cannot see. A steady stroke keeps the bearing square to the bore.
    If it goes wrong:
    Below 2.0 kN the fit is loose. Above 3.5 kN the bearing is tight or went in crooked. Either way, set the housing aside with a red tag and write down the reading. Do not press the bearing out and reuse it.

Machine set-up and start-up

What an operator or setter does before a machine makes good parts: the first piece after a setup, a mold change and a start-up after cleaning.

    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • Reaction plan
    • Sign-off

    Run the first piece after a setup on a CNC lathe

    Lathe L3 in a machining cell. The instruction applies after every setup and every program change, and the first-piece sheet it refers to stays with the job.

    Header:
    WI-MC-031 rev D. First piece after setup, lathe L3. Tools: micrometer 25 to 50 mm, bore gauge, first-piece sheet. PPE: safety glasses.
    Steps:
    1. Check that the program number and revision on the control match the job traveler. 2. Check each tool in the turret against the setup sheet. 3. Turn rapid override down to the 25 setting and run the first part in single block. 4. Measure the three dimensions marked with a triangle on the drawing and write the readings on the first-piece sheet. 5. Have the cell lead measure the same part and sign. 6. Turn rapid override back up and start the run.
    Key points:
    Single block at reduced rapid gives you time to stop before a crash if an offset is wrong. Two people measuring catches a misread micrometer.
    If it goes wrong:
    Any reading outside the drawing limits: do not adjust and run on. Call the cell lead, correct the offset, then make and measure a new first piece. The failed piece goes in the red bin.
    • Checklist
    • PPE
    • Sign-off

    Change a mold on an injection press

    Press 7 in a molding plant. A two-person checklist for the setter and the material handler, split by when each check is done. It points to the press's lockout sheet and does not repeat it.

    Header:
    WI-MC-044 rev A. Mold change, press 7. PPE: safety shoes, heat-resistant gloves, safety glasses. Lock the press out to sheet LO-P07 before anyone reaches between the platens.
    Before the press stops:
    Next mold on the cart and checked against the schedule. Water lines, clamps and eyebolt on the cart. Hoist inspection tag in date. Dryer loaded with the next material. Last-shot sample kept and labeled.
    With the press stopped:
    Press locked out to LO-P07. Water off and lines blown clear. Eyebolt threaded fully in before the clamps come off. Old mold out and on the cart. New mold seated on the locating ring, clamps tightened, water connected and checked for leaks.
    Before the run:
    Locks removed and guards closed. Mold protection set. Setup sheet loaded and checked. First five shots scrapped. Shot six goes to quality with the first-piece sheet. The setter signs the changeover log with the time.
    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • PPE
    • Reaction plan
    • Sign-off

    Start a bottle filler after sanitation

    Filler 2 on a beverage line, running the 500 ml bottle. The operator follows this after every sanitation, with the start-up sheet on a clipboard at the bench scale.

    Header:
    WI-FL-009 rev E. Start-up after sanitation, filler 2, 500 ml bottle. Owner: production supervisor. PPE: hairnet, safety glasses, hearing protection.
    Steps:
    1. Check that the sanitation release tag is signed and dated today. No tag, no start. 2. Fit nozzle set B. Count 8 nozzles out of the tray and 8 onto the filler. 3. Run 20 bottles and discard them. 4. Weigh the next 5 bottles on the bench scale. Target 512 g, accept 509 to 515 g. 5. Write the five weights on the start-up sheet and sign it. 6. Release the line.
    Key points:
    The nozzle count shows that none is left in the sink or loose in the machine. The first 20 bottles can carry rinse water, which is why they are discarded and not weighed.
    If it goes wrong:
    Any bottle outside 509 to 515 g: adjust the fill, run 20 more and weigh 5 again. After a second fail, stop and call the technician. Do not release the line because the average looks right.

Quality checks

Checks an operator or inspector does at the station. Each gives the gauge, the limit, how often to check and what happens to the parts made since the last good check.

    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • Reaction plan

    Check a thread with a go and no-go gauge

    The tapping station in a machining cell. The operator checks M12 threads with a plug gauge kept at the machine, and ticks a check sheet that travels with the lot.

    Header:
    WI-QA-012 rev B. M12 x 1.75 internal thread check at the tapping station. Gauge TG-118, calibration sticker in date.
    Steps:
    1. Blow the chips out of the hole. 2. Turn the go end in by hand. It must run in to the full thread depth without force. 3. Turn the no-go end in by hand. It must stop within two turns. 4. Check the first piece of each lot, then every 25th piece, then the last piece. 5. Tick the check sheet at each check.
    Key points:
    Hand force only. A gauge forced in with a wrench passes a bad thread and wears the gauge. Chips left in the hole make a good thread fail.
    If it goes wrong:
    On a fail, stop the machine and check back through the parts made since the last good check, up to 24 pieces. Failures go in the red bin. Change the tap and start again with a first-piece check.
    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • Reaction plan

    Inspect a painted panel by eye

    The inspection stand at the end of a paint line for door panels. Visual checks drift from one inspector to the next unless distance, time and light are fixed, so this instruction fixes all three.

    Header:
    WI-QA-020 rev C. Visual inspection of painted door panels. Light at the stand: 1,000 lux or more, checked weekly with the meter. Boundary samples hang on the stand.
    Steps:
    1. Stand 60 cm from the panel, square to the surface. 2. Look over the A surface, the face the customer sees, for 10 seconds. 3. Tilt the panel and look along it once for runs and orange peel. 4. Look over the B surface, the returns and inside edges, for 5 seconds. 5. Compare any mark you are unsure of with the boundary samples.
    Limits:
    A surface: no runs, no bare spots, no dirt speck larger than 0.5 mm, and no more than two smaller specks. B surface: no bare spots, and specks up to 1 mm are accepted.
    Key points:
    A fixed distance and a fixed time make two inspectors reach the same answer. Looking longer or closer than the standard rejects panels the customer would accept.
    If it goes wrong:
    Mark the defect with a removable dot, put the panel on the rework rack and add a tally mark under the defect type. Three of the same defect in an hour: call the paint line lead.
    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • Reaction plan
    • Sign-off

    Verify a bench scale at the start of the shift

    Bench scale S-14 in a packing area. The first person to use the scale each shift does the check and signs the log that hangs beside it.

    Header:
    WI-QA-005 rev B. Daily check of bench scale S-14. Test weight TW-03, 5 kg, kept in its case at the scale.
    Steps:
    1. Clear the pan and press zero. 2. Lift test weight TW-03 by its handle and place it in the middle of the pan. 3. Wait for the reading to settle. Accept 4.995 to 5.005 kg. 4. Write the reading, the time and your initials in the scale log. 5. Put the weight back in its case.
    Key points:
    Hold the weight by its handle so skin oil and dirt do not change it. Use the middle of the pan, because a corner can read differently.
    If it goes wrong:
    A reading outside the limits: hang the Do Not Use tag on the scale, tell the quality technician, and hold everything weighed on it since the last good check.

Safety and maintenance

Tasks where the instruction protects the person as well as the product: a lockout, a chemical dilution and a weekly operator check on a drive chain.

    • Numbered steps
    • PPE
    • Reaction plan

    Clear a jam on an outfeed conveyor under lockout

    Outfeed conveyor C-4 on a packing line. A machine-specific lockout sheet posted at the conveyor and used only by people trained and authorized for lockout on this line.

    Header:
    LO-C04 rev B. Energy sources: electrical at disconnect D-12, compressed air at valve V-3. PPE: cut-resistant gloves, safety glasses.
    Steps:
    1. Tell the line operator the conveyor is going down. 2. Press stop at the panel. 3. Switch disconnect D-12 off and fit your own lock and tag. 4. Close air valve V-3, fit your lock, and bleed the line until the gauge reads zero. 5. Press start at the panel to prove nothing moves, then press stop. 6. Clear the jam. 7. Check that tools and hands are clear and the guards are back on. 8. Take off your own locks, open V-3, switch D-12 on, and tell the operator before restarting.
    Key points:
    One person, one lock, one key. The try-start in step 5 is the proof that the lock is on the right disconnect. Nobody removes another person's lock.
    If it goes wrong:
    If anything moves at the try-start, stop. The wrong source has been isolated. Call maintenance and the supervisor before touching the conveyor.
    Not a substitute:
    This shows the shape of the document only. A real lockout procedure is written for one machine, under the site's energy control program, by the people responsible for safety there.
    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • PPE
    • Reaction plan

    Mix floor cleaner at 1 part to 40

    The sanitation station in a food packing area. A half-page instruction fixed above the sink, next to the marked jug and the bucket with a 10 liter line.

    Header:
    WI-SAN-003 rev A. Dilute floor cleaner concentrate for the mop bucket. PPE: splash goggles and nitrile gloves. Read the product's safety data sheet before first use.
    Steps:
    1. Fill the bucket to the 10 liter line with cold water. 2. Measure 250 ml of concentrate in the marked jug. 3. Pour the concentrate into the water slowly, at arm's length. 4. Stir with the mop for ten seconds. 5. Write the product name and today's date on the bucket label. 6. Rinse the jug and hang it back on its hook.
    Key points:
    Water first, then concentrate, so any splash is mostly water. 250 ml in 10 liters is 1 part to 40. A stronger mix does not clean better and leaves a film on the floor.
    If it goes wrong:
    Concentrate on skin or in the eyes: rinse at the eyewash station and follow the first aid section of the safety data sheet. Tell the supervisor.
    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • PPE
    • Reaction plan

    Clean, inspect and oil a drive chain each week

    The infeed drive on wrapper 3. A ten-minute operator task from the line's autonomous maintenance schedule, done with the machine stopped and locked out.

    Header:
    WI-AM-017 rev B. Weekly operator check of the infeed drive chain, wrapper 3. Machine stopped and locked out to sheet LO-W03. PPE: gloves and safety glasses. Tools: brush, chain oil, check sheet.
    Steps:
    1. Remove the chain guard, two quarter-turn fasteners. 2. Brush old oil and dust off the chain and sprockets. 3. Look at every link for cracks, stiff joints and rust. 4. Press the middle of the lower run with a thumb. Slack must be 15 mm or less against the mark on the frame. 5. Oil the inside of the lower run while turning the shaft by hand through one full loop. 6. Refit the guard and tick the check sheet.
    Key points:
    Clean first, or the dirt hides the cracks you are looking for. Oil goes on the inside of the chain so it works out through the rollers.
    If it goes wrong:
    Slack over 15 mm, a cracked link or hooked sprocket teeth: write a maintenance tag, hang it on the guard and tell the team leader. Do not adjust the tensioner yourself.

Packing and handling

Counts, labels and a truck check before the first lift of the shift.

    • Numbered steps
    • Spec value
    • Reaction plan

    Pack twelve jars to a carton and label it

    The hand-pack station on line 5. A one-page instruction with a photo of a finished carton showing where the label goes.

    Header:
    WI-PK-008 rev D. Pack 12 jars per carton, line 5. Carton K-212, label 100 x 150 mm.
    Steps:
    1. Fold the carton and tape the bottom with one strip. 2. Place 6 jars in the bottom layer, labels facing out. 3. Lay one divider sheet. 4. Place 6 jars in the top layer. 5. Tape the top with one strip. 6. Apply the label on the short side, bottom right corner, 20 mm in from each edge. 7. Scan the label. The scanner shows green and the count goes up by one.
    Key points:
    Two layers of six is the count check: a short layer shows before the carton is closed. The label goes in the same place every time so the pallet scanner can read every carton.
    If it goes wrong:
    A red scan means the label does not match the order. Stop, hold the pallet and call the line lead. Replace a chipped or short-filled jar from the line, never from the rework bin.
    • Checklist
    • Reaction plan
    • Sign-off

    Check a forklift before the first lift of the shift

    Electric counterbalance trucks in a finished goods warehouse. The operator works down the sheet kept on the truck before the first lift of each shift. It takes about three minutes.

    Header:
    WI-WH-001 rev C. Operator check before first use each shift. For trained and authorized operators only.
    Walk around, power off:
    Forks and chains: no cracks, bends or broken links. Tires: no chunks missing. No oil on the floor under the truck. Overhead guard and load backrest in place. Data plate readable. Battery connector seated.
    Seated, power on:
    Seat belt latches. Horn sounds. Lights and reversing alarm work. Lift, lower and tilt move smoothly. Service brake stops the truck. Parking brake holds. Steering has no slack. Battery charge above the red band.
    If it goes wrong:
    Any item fails: do not use the truck. Hang the Out of Service tag on the steering wheel, take the key to the supervisor and write the fault on the sheet.
    Record:
    Operator initials, truck number, hour meter reading and the time, on the sheet kept on the truck.

Rewrites: vague to checkable

Two instructions as they were first written and as they read after a rewrite, with a line on what changed.

    • Before and after rewrite
    • Spec value

    Rewrite: tighten the bolts securely

    One line from an older instruction at a bracket assembly station. Three operators read it three ways, and a torque audit found bolts anywhere from 14 to 41 N m.

    Before:
    Tighten the bolts securely.
    After:
    Tighten the four M10 bolts to 45 N m with torque wrench TW-7, in a cross pattern. Mark each head with yellow paint when the wrench clicks.
    What changed:
    A number with a unit, a named tool, an order, and a mark that shows the step was done. Words such as securely, properly and as required were replaced by something a second person can check.
    • Before and after rewrite
    • Numbered steps
    • Sign-off

    Rewrite: one paragraph turned into six steps

    The start-up section of an instruction for a label printer on a packing line, as it was first written and as it read after two wrong-label incidents.

    Before:
    Before starting the labeler make sure the correct labels are loaded and the printer is at temperature, then check the date code is right and run a few test labels to confirm print quality before starting production, adjusting as necessary.
    After:
    1. Load label roll L-150. The part number is printed on the core. 2. Wait for the ready light to stop flashing. 3. Enter today's date code from the schedule. 4. Print 3 test labels. 5. Scan one. The scanner must show grade B or better. 6. Stick one test label on the start-up sheet and initial it.
    What changed:
    One action per step, each starting with a verb. A few became 3. Print quality became a scanner grade. The label on the sheet is the proof that the check was done.

Illustrative examples. The stations, document numbers, limits and settings on this page are made up to show what a finished work instruction says, and none comes from a real plant or a LeanSuite customer. Take the structure, then use the values from your own drawings, equipment manuals and safety rules.

Eight things a finished work instruction has

Check your own instruction against these eight points before it goes to the floor.

  1. 1A header: document number, revision, owner and date.
  2. 2Tools, materials and PPE listed before the first step.
  3. 3One action per step, and each step starts with a verb.
  4. 4A number with a unit and a limit wherever a setting, a count or a measurement applies.
  5. 5A reason next to each key point, so the operator knows why it matters.
  6. 6What to do when a step fails: stop, tag, who to call and what happens to the parts already made.
  7. 7A photo or drawing wherever position, order or orientation matters.
  8. 8A revision line that says what changed and when.

How these examples were written

Most pages that rank for this search show office procedures or describe what a work instruction is without showing the text of one. So each card here carries the words an operator would read, with the numbers, units and limits in place and a line for what to do when the step fails.

The key point and reason layout on the connector card follows the Job Breakdown Sheet from Training Within Industry. The lockout card shows the shape of a machine-specific sheet and nothing more. In the United States the rules for such a procedure are in OSHA standard 1910.147, and the people responsible for safety at the site write it.

Sources checked

Go deeper

The cards are the short version. These guides explain the method and walk through examples in full.

All our articles on this subject are in the standard work, sops and training topic.

Free templates and tools

Key terms

Lean glossary

Doing this in LeanSuite

FAQ

Questions about work instruction examples

  1. A one-page document for one task at one station. For fitting a gearbox cover it would give the tools and PPE, then six numbered steps: place the gasket, set the cover on its dowels, start six bolts by hand, tighten to 24 N m in a star order, paint-mark each bolt and count the marks. It ends with what to do if a bolt strips. The first card on this page writes that one out in full.

  2. A header with a document number, revision, owner and date. The tools, materials and PPE, listed before the first step. Numbered steps with one action each, and a number with a unit wherever a setting or limit applies. The key points with a reason for each. What to do when a step fails. A picture wherever position or orientation matters.

  3. An SOP usually covers a whole procedure: its purpose, who is responsible and what must happen, often across several roles. A work instruction covers one task at one station and says exactly how to do it, step by step. One SOP for line changeovers might point to five work instructions, one for each station.

  4. Short enough to be read at the station. Most of the examples here are five to eight steps and fit on one page with a photo. If a task needs more than about ten steps, split it into two instructions at a natural break, such as before and after the machine is stopped.

  5. No. They are illustrative. The stations, document numbers and limits are made up to show what a finished instruction says. Do not copy a torque, a weight or a safety step from this page into production. Take the structure and fill it with your own values.

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