Create a work instruction
5-step wizard covering General, BOM, Images, Assets and StepFlow — including the Assembly vs Item BOM logic.
Before you start
How to access the wizard
1 minute
From the left sidebar, navigate to Production → Work Instructions, then click Add Work Instructions. This opens the 5-step creation wizard.
The top header card always shows the current step number and the active step name. You can navigate back with ← Go Back at any time without losing data.
Step 1 of 5
General
3 minutes
Step 1 covers the core identity of the work instruction. Only Name, Description and Type are required — Version and Linked Item are optional.
Work Instruction Details
Work Instruction Details
Name, description and version for this work instruction
| Field | Required | What to enter |
|---|---|---|
| Name of Work Instructions | Yes | A clear name for this guide, e.g. "CNC Machining — Part A" or "Assembly Line 3 — Subframe Build". Operators see this name on the shop floor. |
| Description | Yes | A short summary of what this work instruction covers. Shown in the work instruction list and on the detail page. |
| Version | No | An optional version number — e.g. 1, 2.1, v3. Useful when you update a guide and want to track which revision operators are following. |
| Type | Yes | The category of work this instruction describes. Select from the 10 available types listed below. |
Type options
Choose the type that best describes the category of work this instruction covers. The type helps filter and organise work instructions in the list view.
Linked Item
You can optionally link this work instruction to a specific product or assembly in your item catalogue. Linking means when this work instruction is attached to a work order, the BOM step automatically shows the relevant components for that product.
You don't have to link this work instruction to an item. Unlinked instructions (e.g. Training, R&D, Setting up types) work perfectly without a linked product. If you do link an item, it affects what appears in the BOM step — see Step 2 for the full logic.
Click Show Item Catalogue to browse your products and assemblies. Tick the checkbox on any row to link that item to this work instruction.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Number | Your internal product number / SKU. |
| Item Name | The product name as set in your catalogue. |
| Item Type | Item (a single product) or Assembly (a product with a Bill of Materials). This determines what the BOM step shows in Step 2. |
| Total Stock | Current stock level with a ▲ (surplus) or ▼ (deficit) indicator relative to expected levels. |
| Item Unit | Unit of measure — editable inline via dropdown. |
| Status | ACTIVE means the product is live and available. Inactive items can still be linked but won't appear in new work orders. |
| Choose Item | Tick the checkbox to link this item to the work instruction. Only one item can be linked at a time. |
Step 2 of 5
BOM
3 minutes
Step 2 lets you build the Bill of Materials for this work instruction — the list of component parts operators will need. What you see on this step depends on the type of item you linked in Step 1.
Assembly vs Item — what changes
Assembly Linked item is an Assembly
The BOM step shows the Item Catalogue with a radio filter toggle — All Items (shows every product) or BOM Items (shows only the components already on this assembly's BOM). You can tick items to add them to this work instruction's BOM, set a quantity for each, and see everything you've added in the Current BOM Items table below.
Item Linked item is a plain Item — or no item linked
The BOM step shows only the All Items view — no BOM Items filter, because plain items don't have a BOM. You can still add components manually by ticking items and setting quantities, building a BOM from scratch.
Item Catalogue (top table)
Item Catalogue
Browse and select component parts to add to this work instruction's BOM
| Number | Item Name | Type | Status | Stock | BOM Qty | Quantity | Unit | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 323 | Austin Martin | Item | ACTIVE | 0 ea | 132 | Qty |
Each |
Current BOM Items
Items currently added to this work instruction's bill of materials
| Number | Item Name | Type | Status | Stock | Quantity | Unit | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No items added yet — tick items in the catalogue above to add them here | |||||||
| Column | What it shows / does |
|---|---|
| Number | Product number / SKU. |
| Item Name | Product name. |
| Item Type | Item or Assembly. |
| Status | ACTIVE or INACTIVE. |
| Total Stock | Current stock level. |
| Item Qty in BOM | Only shown when the BOM Items filter is active on an Assembly-linked instruction. Shows how many of this component are on the assembly's existing BOM. |
| Quantity | How many of this component are needed per production run. Enter the number before ticking the checkbox. |
| Unit | Unit of measure for this component — editable inline. |
| Action (checkbox) | Tick to add this item to the Current BOM Items table below. It appears immediately once ticked. |
You don't have to add any BOM items. Training, R&D, Setting up and many other work instruction types don't need a BOM. Click Next Step to skip this step if not applicable.
Step 3 of 5
Images
1 minute
Upload reference images and diagrams that operators can view while following this work instruction. Images are shown inline on the work instruction detail page and during StepFlow execution.
Upload Images
Drag and drop or click to browse — JPEG, JPG, PNG, WEBP · Max 10 MB
Drag 'n' drop some files here, or click to select files
JPEG, JPG, PNG, WEBP · max 10 MB per image
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Accepted formats | JPEG, JPG, PNG, WEBP |
| Max file size | 10 MB per image |
| Primary image | After uploading, mark one image as Primary. This becomes the cover image shown in the work instruction list and on the detail page. If no Primary is set, the first image uploaded is used. |
| Multiple images | You can upload as many images as needed. Operators can swipe through them during StepFlow. Upload diagrams, photos of the finished part, safety notices — anything visual that helps. |
| Step is optional | Images are not required. Click Next Step to skip if no images are needed for this instruction. |
Images go here (Step 3). Documents, data sheets, spreadsheets and videos go in Assets (Step 4). Keep them separate — images are displayed inline, assets are downloadable attachments.
Step 4 of 5
Assets
1 minute
Assets are supporting files operators can download while following this instruction — data sheets, engineering drawings, spreadsheets, videos and more. This is the last step before saving.
Upload Assets
Click to browse or drag and drop — PDF, DOCX, XLSX, ZIP, MP4 and more · Max 50 MB
Drag 'n' drop some files here, or click to select files
PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, CSV, ZIP, MP4, MP3 · max 50 MB · no images
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Accepted formats | PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, CSV, ZIP, MP4, MP3 — and other document/media formats. Images are not accepted here — use Step 3 for images. |
| Max file size | 50 MB per file (five times larger than the image limit). |
| Multiple assets | Upload as many files as needed. Operators can download any asset while following the instruction on the shop floor. |
| Step is optional | Assets are not required. If you have no supporting documents, click Save Work Instructions to publish. |
Clicking Save Work Instructions at the end of Step 4 creates the work instruction and makes it available to attach to work orders. The next screen (Step 5) confirms the save and offers two next steps: jump straight into the StepFlow editor to define the operator steps, or go to the detail page.
Step 5 of 5
StepFlow — confirmation & next steps
2 minutes
Work Instruction Created!
The work instruction has been successfully saved. Select an option below to continue.
What would you like to do next?
If you're not ready to do either, click Exit in the footer bar to return to the Work Instructions list. You can always come back to create steps or view the instruction later.