8 Work Instruction Problems Solved with VKS

The manufacturing industry has continuously developed advanced technologies to meet the demands of an ever changing and growing market.

To fall behind means to lose your competitive edge.

Despite this, many companies still rely on the only type of work instruction they’ve ever used or even heard of, text-based paper work instructions.

These traditional methods are inefficient, lack traceability, and are often ignored on the shop floor.

So while many companies have adopted new ways of producing their complex products, why is it that new work instruction technology has not been adopted?

VKS provides an easy-to-learn and easy-to-implement solution to this problem, a robust platform that transforms outdated instructions into visual, interactive, and data-driven Guidebooks tailored for modern manufacturing.

Below, we explore the common problems of typical work instruction management and how VKS is positioned to overcome these standard obstacles.

1. Poor Version Control in Work Instructions

As anyone who has dealt with keeping paper work instructions up to date knows, this is no easy task.

Manually updating documents or replacing hard copies across the shop floor is time consuming and error prone, leading to outdated instructions being followed.

On top of that, it’s not uncommon for operators to make their own changes to documentation leading to nonstandard work across the floor.

How VKS Solves Version Control Issues

VKS ensures operators only have access to the newest version of their work instructions.

Previous versions will still be saved and stored inside VKS but operators will no longer have access to those outdated instructions.

On top of this VKS still allows for operator feedback, by allowing messages to be sent to customizable groups.

Additionally, VKS also includes a digital approval chain, allowing for a more efficient method to finalize work instructions.

Using built-in approval groups and instant notifications, teams can review and publish new instructions with clarity and speed, ensuring quality and compliance at every update cycle.

2. Limited Accessibility

It is common practice to place paper work instructions in a binder on a shelf away from where they’re intended to be used or taped to a workstation.

Either one of these methods leads to similar outcomes, documents go unused and unfollowed while being damaged in the process.

Another option is to have a digital instruction in a word document or PDF with a monitor at the workstation.

While this is certainly an improvement over paper there are still underlying issues, including a lack of traceability, lack of visuals, and difficulty in version control.

How VKS Improves Accessibility Across the Shop Floor

Because VKS is a web based application, all it takes is a connection to the internet to view any required work instruction.

Operators are unable to make changes to these instructions on their own, but can send messages to give feedback to the proper groups.

The production team can leverage their access to VKS to quickly and easily access all of the visual work instructions they will need to efficiently follow their processes.

3. Overly Dense and Text-Heavy Work Instructions

Text-based work instructions are typically text heavy documents with references and technical jargon.

This is not conducive to efficient production on the shop floor.

New employees will often be given these large documents to read so that they can understand the process that they will be following.

This is not an effective way to provide training to the workforce.

How VKS Makes Work Instructions Easy to Understand

This represents a core issue of VKS and is addressed by simply implementing VKS onto the shop floor.

Building your visual work instructions in VKS will allow experienced and new employees to follow their instructions in a step by step method.

Using this type of visual work instruction is demonstrably easier to understand and will allow for quicker training time, standard work, and higher quality.

In fact, many VKS users have seen significant operational improvements.

For example, Republic Manufacturing reduced inspection times by 75%, and KONE cut production time by up to 75%. And both of these just do happen to be 75%!

Using VKS’ instant translation feature, all of your work instructions can also be translated into more than 30 languages.

4. Inconsistent Processes Due to Lack of Standardization

When work instructions are present in paper form on the shop floor it is common practice to have them stored in a binder away from the workstation.

This does not promote the usage of these instructions, which in turn leads to the same process or product being made differently by different people.

A lack of standardization also creates a loss of efficiency as best practices aren’t followed or shared.

How VKS Enables Standardized Work Instructions

VKS provides a centralized platform to give easy access to the necessary work instructions.

Most importantly, VKS ensures all employees are following the best practices, which leads to consistent and high quality production.

On top of that VKS enables the capture of tribal knowledge and encourages communication between the production and documentation teams.

5. Ineffective Employee Training with Traditional Methods

It’s no secret that onboarding new employees and upskilling existing employees is no easy task.

It takes time, resources, and patience.

There are additional unseen costs — examples could be using your best employees to perform training, which takes away from their productivity, or classroom-style learning that isn’t intuitive.

How VKS Simplifies Training with Visual Work Instructions

Training isn’t and never will be a problem with a one size fits all solution. VKS’ approach to training is simple — it’s easier to learn a process by following along with visual instructions than to read text.

New employees can be given access to training guidebooks to prepare for the more streamlined production guidebooks.

VKS also has an optional training module to block access to guidebooks that an employee hasn’t been trained on.

VKS’ training methodology is tried and true, with many case studies showing how customers used VKS to upskill their workforce.

Employee training can also be customized using dedicated Training Guidebooks, which track certification status and control access to live production content, ensuring only trained workers engage with specific processes.

6. Lack of Traceability in Manufacturing Processes

A common need in aerospace, automotive, and medical manufacturing is stringent compliance to regulations, which requires traceability during production.

Even if you’re not subject to those requirements, adding traceability provides many insights on your processes.

Current methodology includes paper travelers that are completed during or after production which are then signed, scanned, and stored.

How VKS Enhances Traceability and Compliance

VKS is a one stop shop for traceability, able to capture productivity data, quality data, and provide live updates on shop floor production.

By using VKS you are able to create customizable forms to capture any data you want, whether it be serial numbers, non-conformances, or signatures.

Forms can be triggered automatically and operators are required to enter information before they continue following their work instructions.

7. No System Connectivity for Real-Time Data

Similar to the issue of traceability, it is also common to have a supervisor manually input data captured on paper into an ERP or MES.

This is a drain on a supervisor's valuable time and is a source for error on the data transfer.

This method does not provide any updates on production capacity or production issues until it’s much too late.

How VKS Integrates with ERP, MES, and Smart Tools

VKS offers an API which can be integrated to other software, examples being an ERP, MES, QMS, and Power BI among others. Utilizing this allows for the seamless sharing of all data captured in VKS with the software that it’s linked to.

On top of that VKS can pull information from the software that it's linked to.

This serves to make life easier for all involved; from an operator launching a scheduled work order in VKS to a manager getting live dashboards on Power BI with production data collected in VKS.

Additionally, by using VKS’ connect module the software can be linked with smart tools via ToolConnect, pick-to-lights and vision system using our new IO connect, all to ensure standards are met in the easiest way possible.

When combined with the VKS Rule Engine, these integrations enable dynamic workflows, automatically guiding operators based on smart form inputs and real-time machine data.

8. Reliance on Paper-Based Work Instructions

We used paper to put man on the moon, it doesn’t mean we need to use paper to put humans on Mars.

Everyone knows the difficulty associated with paper work instructions, from paper being lost or destroyed to removing all previous iterations of work instructions on the shop floor.

How VKS Eliminates the Need for Paper Instructions

This would be another core—and perhaps the core— issue to VKS’ value proposition. Implementing VKS removes the need for all paper based work instruction on the shop floor.

It’s as simple as that.

This includes complete removal of paper travelers, SOP binders, and legacy PDF workflows, consolidating everything into a single visual source of truth.

The Future of Manufacturing Depends on Smarter Work Instruction

One way or another the future of work instruction management is digital. As the demographics of the workforce shifts, the younger generation has come to expect digital devices and intuitive interfaces.

Digital work instructions prove to be an indispensable tool as industry 4.0 and beyond becomes more prevalent due to the culture of continuous improvement and operational efficiency that VKS work instruction software fosters.

The pitfalls of traditional work instructions limit manufacturers' ability to standardize their work and empower their workforce, resulting in a loss of time and money.

VKS offers a smarter, more efficient approach, allowing manufacturers to overcome these challenges and thrive in an increasingly competitive environment.