Download: How To Write Effective Work Instructions by Pico MES

Creating clear, concise, and actionable work instructions is essential for efficient operations, consistent outcomes, and employee safety. This guide outlines key principles for crafting effective instructions that are easy to understand and follow. This free guide features the following:

Practical and useful tips on how to construct work instructions
Examples of dos and don'ts
Learn how to structure sentences and eliminate unnecessary information

This guide is co-authored with Becca Resnik from Translations by Becca, an expert translator who specializes in helping manufacturers write effective work instructions.

10X faster than powerpoint

Intuitive like powerpoint, but even faster to create and implement.

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Training & onboarding

Clear operator guidance will expedite the learning process and allow new hires to become productive, quickly.

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Mistake-proof

Improve first-time yield and reduce the likelihood of rework and scrap.

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Quick deployment

Deploy digital work instructions in the cloud or on-premise. No IT support required.

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"We build products without any kind of guesswork"

There’s less stress and anxiety on the production floor. With digital work instructions, the frontline follows the instructions to build products without any kind of guesswork or wondering if the work instructions are outdated. This has led to a huge improvement in scrap rates and rework.

Read the case study

Ben Martin

Manufacturing Engineer

Winston Industries

How detailed should my work instructions be?

You want enough detail to prevent mistakes—but not so much that operators tune it out. The guide helps you strike that balance with real examples of what to include (and what to leave out) based on your process, experience level of your team, and variability.

How do I make work instructions easy to follow for new operators?

Visuals help, but structure matters more. The guide outlines how to break tasks into digestible steps, use consistent formatting, and highlight critical checkpoints that reduce training time and improve accuracy.

What's the biggest mistake engineers make when writing work instructions?

Overcomplicating them. It’s easy to assume more detail equals better quality, but that can backfire on the floor. The guide covers common pitfalls and how to keep instructions clear.

Do I need software to improve my work instructions?

Not necessarily, but software makes it easier to standardize, update, and scale instructions. Even if you're just looking to improve your current process, the guide gives you the building blocks to create better instructions, whether you're using Excel, PDFs, or a digital platform like PICO.

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Step into the future of factory operations with Pico MES. Start your journey toward a more efficient, error-proof factory floor today.

Free Download: How to Write Effective Work Instructions

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