Case study · Documentation and training
Operational documentation: from a 1-in-4 to a 7-in-10 chance of finding the right information
Instructions were displayed at the workstations, but hard to understand without explanation. With a proof of concept on one assembly line, the site redefined its documentation rules so that every document becomes a real tool for operators.
The results
The starting point
- The information was broadly present and displayed at the workstation: 86% found.
- But only 39% was understandable without explanation, and 77% up to date.
- Overall, a 1 in 4 chance of finding and understanding the useful information, at the right time and up to date.
- Changing a document took more than 7 days of work, and its review every 3 years another 3.5 days.
What we did together
- Sept. 2020Kick offA day for those involved in the project to picture an effective documentation system.
- MapThe process at level 1 (macro steps) and level 2 (who does what, when), with the teams.
- Measure and prioritiseThe Documentation Effectiveness Rate at the workstation and the cost of the documentation system, to choose which documents to rewrite first.
- Write differently3 level-3 documents written with coaching: short, numbered actions starting with an action verb, with pictograms for tools and PPE.
- Jan. 2021Set the rulesA 2.5-day alignment workshop to decide on common principles, then a communication video filmed with a site employee.
- 2021ConsolidateA second line mapped and written with more autonomy, with the Académie stepping in only to fine-tune.
Finding the right information, at the right time
Documentation Effectiveness Rate, as a percentage. The average is measured on more than 20 sites; the target is the one set for the new documentation.
The rules adopted by the site
designed so that operators work autonomously, safely and without errors.
the operator in training, the quality or EHS observer, and the experienced operator on a rare task: 90% of uses.
level 2 and level 3 combined, with who-does-what on a single landscape page.
technical writers and illustrators to write, engineers to approve.
Our takeaways
The goal wasn’t to reduce the cost of the documentation system, but to increase its effectiveness. Measuring the Documentation Effectiveness Rate made the problem visible: the information existed, it simply wasn’t usable. Every line rewritten speeds up the next.
The approaches used
Our advice if you’re getting started
- Measure before rewriting: the Documentation Effectiveness Rate shows where information gets lost.
- Start with a pilot line: rules validated on the shop floor roll out much faster afterwards.
Can’t your operators find the right information?
Let’s talk about your documentation: together we’ll measure its real effectiveness at the workstation.