Good Repair Procedures, Part 4
The typical repair procedure is based on the manufacturer's manual or training class. Its focus is on how to fix a given problem with the equipment. That's essential information, but:
- It's often too detailed for use by a trained technician in the field, and
- It doesn't start at the beginning.
You solve for first issue by providing the necessary sequential steps in a distilled version. For example, don't provide three pages detailing how to remove a particular assembly. Write a step that says, "Remove X assembly."
Write your repair procedures to ensure the repair technician doesn't leave out an important step, not as a substitute for training. When faced with too thick a procedure during a repair, techs are highly motivated to simply ignore it.
What if the tech doesn't know how to remove the assembly? Where appropriate, provide references to relevant support documents and/or videos. Videos work especially well if techs can access them from their mobile devices.
The second issue is a problem because before you can change out parts or do much else, you need to stop the equipment. Afterwards, you probably need to a test run. The tech needs operational instructions unless an operator is available for this purpose.