Rey, thank you for the outline structure. That's very similar to our procedures and test instructions (whole 'nother types of documents in the house). I'm glad to see that we're structured similar to an FDA-compliant setup.

Going back to my original post, we're looking now at the appearance of the information provided, trying to make that easier / cleaner / neater. I've scrubbed a couple of pages and can show those as examples.

First up: our existing layout. The approvals and items-needed tables don't appear on every page, just the first one. Step 1 is shown; subsequent steps are displayed similarly.



This format has evolved over 20+ years, so there's a pile of information there.

The next image mocks a page from the proposed new style -- far cleaner (so far).



So as we delve into the idea of a new layout, I wonder if any of you can share similar images and ideas.

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We did talk on Friday about embedding exploded diagrams and animations/videos. This is certainly an option as we place more PCs on benches, and we're looking forward to exploring it.

I'm going to assume you have a manufacturing / process engineer that is responsible for breaking down the steps for clarity and efficiency.

I don't have any actual manufacturing procedures to share as I've been away from the production floor for a while in my career after switching to supply chain management.

I'm going to comment from an audit perspective.

Re: Bullet points in Approvals Box. What you document in procedures can and will be used against you. Is it true that the latest controlled version of this document is ONLY accessible by viewing on Vthoky Documents Database? 1) What steps have you taken to ensure this? 2) Would there be any copies of the latest controlled version of this document legitimately viewed elsewhere? I think you can off load this statement to a general procedure document. What happens if in the future, you have to change document locations? Then you have to revise all the manufacturing documents. If you have a general procedure, then you have to just change that one document.

Re: Item numbers. How do you know the right item is being bought from a qualified vendor? SOX and ISO requires a manufacturer to ensure the right items are bought from a qualified vendor. This usually entails a database linking part numbers to approved vendors for that part.

Re: Process steps. I usually see three columns with the third column reserved for writing down any measurements or numbers and also for signatures either operator or quality control. The first and second columns are as you have it: verbiage and pictures.

I see that you want to move to the "cleaner" format. I would suggest removing the horizontal line between the step heading and the picture. Then it would look like a whole square for each step. I would carryover whatever precautions and information from the previous format into each square. But keep each step in its own square/rectangle. Don't subdivide the step with horizontal lines.