Work instructions: what they are, shown on one real example with every part labelled

A work instruction is a written, numbered description of how one person does one task, action by action, with the result they should see at the end. It is the most detailed document under an SOP: the SOP says who does what and when, the work instruction says how.

By The stepkeep team. Published .

The short answer

  • What goes in it: a trigger (when to start), prerequisites, numbered actions, the expected result, what to do if the screen differs, an owner and a revision line.
  • Who writes it: the person who does the task drafts it; a named owner role approves it and keeps it current.
  • For a task in a browser: one screenshot per step that changes the screen, with the click marked.

How it differs from an SOP is shown on one task in SOP vs work instruction; this page does not repeat it.

One work instruction, every part labelled

The task: Northwind (a made-up company) voids an unpaid invoice in Ledgerly, a demo accounting app, after a customer cancels before paying. Below is the whole work instruction. The left column names each part; the right column is what the finished instruction says.

ID and title
WI-12 Void an unpaid invoice in Ledgerly
Trigger
A ticket says the customer cancelled and has not paid.
Scope
Invoices with the status Draft, Awaiting payment or Overdue.
Not for
Paid invoices. They get a refund (WI-13 Refund a paid invoice).
Prerequisites
The Finance role in Ledgerly, the invoice number, the ticket open.
Actions
  1. In Search invoices, type the invoice number from the ticket (here 10427). Only that invoice stays in the list.
    Ledgerly Invoices page with a numbered ring on the Search invoices field, which holds 10427; one row is left, Overdue, 318.40 euros, the customer name blurred
    Step 1: one row left. Customer names are blurred in every screenshot.
  2. Click the row #10427. The row is highlighted.
  3. Click Actions. A menu opens.
  4. Choose Void invoice.
    The open Actions menu with a numbered ring on Void invoice, above Send reminder and Download PDF; the invoice row below still shows Overdue
    Step 4: Void invoice is the first item in the menu.
  5. Check that the notice Invoice #10427 voided appears above the tabs and that the status reads Void, struck through.
    A numbered ring around the green notice Invoice #10427 voided; the row below shows the status Void, struck through
    Step 5: the notice and the struck-through status.
Expected result
The invoice reads Void. Reply in the ticket with the invoice number and close it.
If this happens
The red notice is Paid and cannot be voided: issue a refund instead means the customer has paid. Stop, change nothing, and follow WI-13 instead.
A ring marked with an exclamation mark around the red notice #10428 is Paid and cannot be voided: issue a refund instead; the row below still shows Paid
The stop condition, as the app shows it for a paid invoice.
Owner
Billing lead
Revision
Rev. 1 · 4 October 2026 · first version
Parent SOP
Billing corrections, step 3

The example, filled in, as a file to keep or adapt: Word, .docx (206 KB), PDF (108 KB, 2 pages) or Markdown, .md (1 KB).

The form is the same away from a screen. Northwind's warehouse, WI-31 Change the blade on the carton cutter, owner the shift lead:

  1. Switch the cutter off at the main switch and hang your own padlock on it.
  2. Press Start once. The cutter must not move; if it moves, stop and call the shift lead.
  3. Change the blade with the blade tool, never with bare hands.
  4. Remove your padlock, switch on and cut one test carton. Expected result: a clean edge.

A work instruction for a machine is not its safety instruction. In Germany the employer must give workers who handle hazardous substances a written safety instruction, the Betriebsanweisung, in a form and language they understand (§ 14 GefStoffV); that is a separate document the law requires. A work instruction rests on the employer's right to direct the content, place and time of the work (§ 106 GewO).

What each part is for

Part Question it answers Mistake it prevents
ID and title Which instruction is this? Two people following two versions of "the invoice doc"
Trigger When do I start? Work done on hearsay, without a ticket behind it
Scope and not for Does this apply to my case? Following the right steps on the wrong case, such as a paid invoice
Prerequisites What do I need first? Stopping at step 3 because the access is missing
Actions What do I click, in which order? Guessing which of two similar buttons is meant
Expected result How do I know it worked? Closing the ticket while the invoice is still open
If this happens What if the screen differs? Working around an error instead of stopping
Owner Who fixes this page? An outdated instruction nobody feels responsible for
Revision Is this the current one? Following a printout from before the last screen change
Parent SOP Where does this task sit in the process? Doing the task without the approval the SOP requires

A three-step task needs fewer parts. Trigger, actions, expected result and owner stay; scope can go when there is no case it excludes, and the parent SOP only appears when there is an SOP.

How to write a work instruction

Recording the task, taking the screenshots and wording each step work as for any procedure: How to write an SOP covers the recording and How to write step-by-step instructions the wording. A work instruction adds three things:

  1. The frame, by hand. Trigger, scope, prerequisites and expected result. No recording contains them.
  2. The stop branch. The one case where the task must not go ahead, here a paid invoice: what the screen shows, and which instruction to follow instead.
  3. A role as owner. The billing lead, not a person's name, so the page survives a job change; plus the revision line.

Test it on a new hire

The test itself, someone new following the page alone, is described in How to write an SOP. For a work instruction, run it twice: once on a case inside the scope, where it passes when they reach the expected result, and once on a case it excludes, such as a paid invoice, where it passes when they stop.

Work instruction or procedure

A work instruction is the click-level part of a procedure for one role; how procedure and process differ is in SOP vs work instruction.

Who writes and owns work instructions

The person who does the task drafts it, because they know the clicks. A named owner role, such as the billing lead, approves it and keeps it current. The new hire's test is the review.

Review when the screens change, not on a calendar alone. The revision line records what changed: "Rev. 2 · 12 January 2027 · Void invoice moved into the More menu".

ISO 9001 does not require work instructions by name (SOPX on clauses 7.5.1 and 8.5.1); what it does ask for is in SOP vs work instruction.

Sources

All pages checked on .

  1. Gefahrstoffverordnung (GefStoffV), § 14. The written Betriebsanweisung for hazardous substances.
  2. Gewerbeordnung (GewO), § 106. The employer's right to direct the content, place and time of the work.
  3. SOPX: ISO 9001 SOPs and work instructions, what is required. Work instructions are not required by name; clauses 7.5.1 and 8.5.1.