A "Before you start" list
The tools, parts and consumables the steps use, listed up front so the operator gathers them before the task begins.
Docsie AI SOP writer · Work instructions
Work instruction software that writes from your notes and recordings.
Docsie turns shift notes, maintenance notes and process recordings into work instructions an operator can follow: a "Before you start" list of tools and parts, numbered steps that start with a verb, every value and warning from the source, and a screenshot for each step when you start from a video. It writes in your own template and saves a draft, so nothing reaches the floor until someone reviews and publishes it.
Examples on this page were recorded in Docsie's test environment with a fictional company (Acme Manufacturing) and fictional equipment. No customer documents.
Maintenance notes, now two procedures
Notes for an HP-40 press became a weekly-checks procedure and a guard-replacement procedure. The house-style skill checked each one, and both stay drafts until someone requests a review or publishes.
What a work instruction needs
Standard work instructions, in the same shape every time.
A work instruction is only useful if every one reads the same way. Docsie writes to your rules, so each task gets the same structure, terms and level of detail.
Numbered steps that start with a verb
One action per step, in order. Values, warnings and checks from the source stay in the step they belong to.
Parts by their real names
A reference file in a skill maps what the notes say to part names and numbers, so "the blue drum" becomes HL-46 hydraulic oil with its part number.
Open questions, not guesses
When the notes leave out a value or a step, the instruction says so where the fact belongs and lists every open question for the reviewer.
One spelling for every machine
The workspace glossary fixes product and equipment names, so PL400, PL 400 and PL-400 become one name in titles and every step.
A check on what was written
A skill's check script reviews each instruction before you see it and reports what it fixed, right on the result card.
From rough notes
Shift notes in. Work instructions out.
Pick the notes in your Docsie workspace and type /rewrite. Approve the outline, and Docsie writes each task into your template. These examples come from the walkthroughs below.
- "Top it up from the blue drum"
- No torque value
- No lockout step, no protective gear
- HL-46 hydraulic oil with its part number, from the skill's parts file
- The torque from a torque table added to the skill
- An open question where each missing fact belongs, listed again at the end
Visual work instructions
Record the task once. Get every step with its screenshot.
Upload a recording of someone doing the task, or link it from Loom, Vimeo or connected storage. Docsie writes the numbered steps and places the matching frame from the video under each one.
Each step says what to do and what to check
A seven-minute troubleshooting recording became a numbered guide. Step 5 says where to go and what the screen should show, with the frame from the video below it.
Footage: "Windows Update Error - How To Troubleshoot (2024 Update)" by Virtuous Tech (CC BY).
Your template
Fill the work instruction form you already use.
Upload your Word work-instruction form and a recording. Docsie writes every step with screenshots from the video, fills the fields the recording supports, and lists what's left for you, such as the approver. Your header and styles stay as the template has them. Rewrites from notes follow your numbered template too, and a teammate reviews the draft before it's released.
SOP vs work instructions
What's the difference between an SOP and a work instruction?
A standard operating procedure (SOP) describes a process: what happens, in what order, who is responsible and why, often across several roles. A work instruction covers one task inside that process at the level a person follows at the station: the tools and parts, each step, and the values, checks and warnings. An SOP usually points to several work instructions.
| SOP | Work instruction | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | A whole process, often across roles | One task, done by one person |
| Answers | What, who and why | Exactly how |
| Level of detail | Responsibilities, sequence, controls | Tools, parts, numbered steps, values, checks |
| Used | To plan, train and audit | At the workstation, while doing the task |
Docsie writes both from the same notes and recordings, each in its own template.
Keep going
More ways to write procedures in Docsie
AI SOP writer
Rough notes into SOPs and manuals in your template, with skills, a glossary and review before publish.
AI SOP writer →Auto-fill a work instruction template
A recording and your Word form in; the filled form out, with what's left for you listed.
Auto-fill work instructions →Process videos to SOPs
Turn a process recording into a numbered procedure with screenshots.
Videos to SOPs →FAQ
Common questions
What is work instruction software?
Software for writing, managing and delivering the step-by-step instructions people follow to do one task. In Docsie, you write work instructions from rough notes or a recording of the task, in your own template, then review them and publish them to a portal or export them to Word or PDF.
What should a work instruction include?
The tools, parts and materials the task needs; numbered steps in order, each one action; the values, checks and warnings that apply to each step; and screenshots or photos where a step is easier to see than to read. Docsie's examples start each instruction with a "Before you start" list and write every step as a numbered instruction that starts with a verb.
Can Docsie write work instructions in our own template?
Yes. On a rewrite, pick a procedure template and Docsie writes each note into its sections. To fill a Word work-instruction form from a recording, upload the form and the video: Docsie writes every step with screenshots, fills the fields the recording supports and lists what's left for you.
Can it make visual work instructions with screenshots?
Yes, when you start from a recording. Docsie writes the numbered steps and places the matching frame from the video under each step.
What happens when the notes leave out a step or a value?
Docsie doesn't invent it. With a skill that says never to guess, the instruction gets an open question where each missing fact belongs, and the questions are listed again at the end for the reviewer.
Do new work instructions go live automatically?
No. A rewrite is saved as a draft. Request a review from a teammate, then publish the shelf when it's ready, or export it to Word or PDF.
Docsie work instructions
Bring the notes.
Get the instructions.
Walk through notes, recordings and your own work-instruction template with your procedures in mind.