Service · Work instructions
Digital work instructions
If your work instructions exist on paper or as PDFs, we can digitalise them. The content of the procedure stays yours. We turn it into a format that is available right at the machine and whose steps can be confirmed.
Your procedures stay yours. We turn them into interactive steps, tailored.
What is a digital work instruction?
Short answerIt is a work instruction broken down into individual steps, which the worker opens on a phone or tablet right at the machine and confirms step by step.
A paper procedure usually sits in a binder, on a shared drive or as a PDF attached to an email. So it is often not at the machine, or nobody is sure whether it is the current version. A digital instruction is linked to a specific machine in the equipment register. Once the machine is identified, the worker sees exactly the procedure that belongs to it.
The difference from a PDF is more than the format. The procedure is divided into steps in a defined order. Steps can include photos of specific locations on the machine, and selected steps can require confirmation.
How do digital work instructions work at the equipment?
Short answerThe worker comes to the equipment, scans the QR code with a phone or tablet, and the digital work procedure for that equipment opens. It guides them through each step and, where your site requires it, records what has been done.
- 01EquipmentThe worker comes to the equipment
- 02QR codeThe label identifies the equipment
- 03Phone or tabletThe procedure opens in the browser
- 04Text, photos, videoInstructions and media for this equipment
- 05Individual stepsChecks and warnings in order
- 06Sign-off and recordWho did what and when
- Arriving at the equipmentThe worker is at the specific piece of equipment where the job is to be done.
- QR code on the equipmentA QR label identifies the equipment in the register.
- Scanning with a phone or tabletThe code is read by the camera and the procedure opens in the web browser.
- The procedure for this equipmentThe procedure that belongs to this equipment opens, or a choice of the procedures available to this worker.
- Step by stepInteractive work instructions guide the worker through steps, checkpoints and sign-offs.
We design and implement digital and QR work instructions to fit your site. They are not a ready-made module of the current LOTOTO application; what it does today is identify equipment by QR code and print QR labels.
Why is this more than a PDF on a phone?
Short answerA PDF on a phone just displays a document. Interactive work instructions guide the worker: one step after another, a warning at the right moment, and the option to confirm what has been done.
| Aspect | PDF on a phone | Interactive work instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Format | The whole document on a small screen | Individual steps in a set order |
| Media | Text and static images | Text, photos of components, video guides |
| Warnings | Easy to miss in the text | Highlighted at the relevant step |
| Checks | Reading only | Checklists and step sign-offs |
| Record | None | Who confirmed what and when, as your site requires |
| Up to date | Depends on which version the worker has | Maintained in one place |
How much is recorded – every step or only selected checkpoints – is agreed according to what your site needs.
Can an existing work instruction be digitalised?
Short answerYes. We start from the procedures you already have and use, whether on paper, in Word or as PDFs. We do not reinvent them.
Your procedures contain your site’s technical decisions: the order of actions, isolation points, checkpoints and warnings. Those decisions remain yours. When digitalising, we structure the procedure, add elements that paper cannot offer and prepare it for use in the field.
Conversion often brings to light ambiguities that stayed hidden on paper – for example a step that assumes the worker knows where something is, or a missing confirmation. We go through such points with you before go-live.
What can a digital work instruction contain?
Short answerWritten instructions, photos of the equipment and its components, video guides, individual work steps, safety warnings, checklists, sign-off of completed tasks, and related documents or forms. The exact scope is defined during implementation.
If the procedure also involves filling in a form, such as an energy isolation record or an inspection report, we can digitalise it together with the procedure.
How does the worker get to the instruction?
Short answerMost often through a QR code on the machine. The worker scans it with a phone and the instruction for that particular machine opens.
Equipment with a QR code
The label identifies the equipment in the register.
Phone, no installation
Scan with the camera and open in the browser.
Interactive procedure
Instructions, photos and warnings in the right order.
Steps, checks, sign-offs
The worker confirms each step and checkpoint.
The QR label links the machine unambiguously to its entry in the register. The worker does not have to search for a document or retype the machine code. The instruction can also be opened on a computer or tablet, for example when planning the job.
For QR identification to be reliable, labels need to be placed correctly and kept legible, the equipment register must be up to date and connectivity must be checked where the instruction is used. We cover this in detail on the QR work instructions page.
Can one piece of equipment have several work procedures?
Short answerYes. One piece of equipment can have several procedures, for example for shutdown, LOTOTO, routine maintenance, a service job, inspection or return to service.
- Shutting down the equipment
- LOTOTO – isolating each energy source
- Routine maintenance
- Service job
- Equipment inspection
- Return to service
After scanning the QR code, the worker may therefore see a choice of procedures for that equipment. Which procedures they see can be tied to their user permissions – an electrician may have different procedures available than a fitter or a contractor.
The QR code identifies the equipment, but on its own it does not replace user sign-in (authentication) or checking what the user is permitted to do (authorisation). We design sign-in and access rules for the procedures around your site.
How do work instructions relate to LOTOTO?
Short answerLOTOTO is always based on a procedure for a specific machine. A digital instruction can guide the worker through isolating each energy in the right order.
The isolation procedure defines which energy sources must be secured on the machine, at which isolation points and in what order. If it is available digitally at the machine, the worker has the right information where it is needed. The same applies to Tryout, the verification that the isolation is effective. How Tryout is recorded in the instruction is something we design around the rules of your site.
Digital instructions are not limited to LOTOTO, though. Procedures for routine maintenance, inspections, changeovers or cleaning can be digitalised in the same way.
ReadWhat is LOTOTOWho prepares and approves the work instructions?
Short answerYour site prepares and approves the content of the procedures. We digitalise them and prepare them for use in the field.
Responsibility for the technical accuracy of a procedure lies with the people who know the machine and its hazards. We work with them during digitalisation to agree the step structure, where photos or confirmations are needed, and how new versions of a procedure are approved.
How does digitalising work instructions proceed?
- Collecting existing proceduresWe go through your paper and PDF procedures with you and choose the machines to start with.
- Structuring the stepsWe split the procedure into steps and agree checkpoints and confirmations.
- Photos and warningsWe add photos of specific locations and highlight safety warnings.
- Labelling equipmentWe prepare QR labels and link them to the entries in the register.
- Trial on siteWe test the instructions on selected machines and refine them based on workers’ feedback.
What does a digital work instruction not replace?
Frequently asked questions
Does an app need to be installed on the phone?
The access method is chosen during implementation. Our existing LOTOTO application runs in a web browser without installation, and we prefer the same approach for work instructions.
What happens when a procedure changes?
In digital form, a procedure is updated in one place, so the current version is available at the machine. Who approves changes is agreed according to your rules.
Can we start with just a few machines?
Yes, and we recommend it. Starting with a small group of machines lets you test the format of the instructions in practice before rolling them out further.
Are digital work instructions part of the LOTOTO application?
We deliver the digitalisation of work instructions as a service tailored to the requirements of each site. The scope and the link to the LOTOTO process are defined during implementation.
Can a procedure include video?
Yes, where it helps at a given step. Video guides, photos and related documents are part of the procedure, depending on the specific implementation.
Is completion of each step recorded?
As your site requires. A procedure can require sign-off for every step or only for selected checkpoints; the record shows who confirmed each step and when.
Next step
Let’s look at your work instructions.
Send us one existing procedure, on paper or as a PDF. We will show you what it could look like in digital form, right at the machine.