---
title: "Digital Work Instructions Software | Tulip"
description: "Digital work instructions software that guides operators step by step, checks the work as it happens, and captures what was done at every station."
url: "https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/digital-guidance/digital-work-instructions/"
lang: "en"
---

Digital Work Instructions Software

# Capture data and ensure quality at every step of production

Build guided instructions from the documents you already have, put them on the station, and capture what was done at every step. Changes reach the line through an approval gate instead of a reprint.

[Request a Demo](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/contact-sales/)

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WHY DIGITAL WORK INSTRUCTIONS MATTER

## Paper-based processes are costing you more and more every year

### Instructions go stale the moment your process changes

An engineering change means printing the new version and walking it to every station, and until that happens operators are building to the last one. The more variants and revisions you run, the more often you pay for it.

### Paper-based SOPs lead to inconsistency and human error

Paper can't enforce a sequence or check a value against a tolerance, so a skipped step or a mistyped number becomes a defect. You pay for it at final inspection as rework and scrap, or at the customer as a return or a chargeback.

### No data means no improvement

A completed traveler shows that the job finished and who signed for it, and nothing about what actually happened. Without step-level data there's no way to find the slow step or the one that precedes the defect, so the same cost repeats on every run.

## How Tulip keeps work instructions current, consistent, and measurable

Tulip's digital work instructions are guided workflows that display the right information at each step, capture data as the work happens, and stay easy to update. They connect directly to the scales, tools, and systems at the station, so measurements land in the record automatically and get checked against expected ranges.

**Authoring and Step Design**

Authoring and Step Design

### Engineers Build the Instructions Themselves

Build guided instructions as a sequence of steps in Tulip's App Editor, without writing code. Drop in the images, video, PDFs, and STL models the work needs, and add logic with when-if-then triggers. Process engineers own the build, so a change doesn't wait on IT.

![App builder building an app in Tulip](https://tulip.widen.net/content/rv2gd7lnys)

[Explore authoring in Tulip](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/platform/authoring.md)

**AI-Assisted Authoring**

AI-Assisted Authoring

### A PDF Becomes a Draft App in Seconds

Upload a PDF procedure and Tulip AI Composer pulls out the steps, images, and data-collection points, then proposes an app structure you review before it's built. Start from one of your own templates so your data model and interface come with it. Refine the draft, then publish.

![AI Composer](https://tulip.widen.net/content/gu6dapegab)

[See what Tulip AI can build](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/platform/native-ai.md)

**Native Integrations**

Native Integrations

### Tools and Systems Feed the Step Directly

Connect torque tools, scanners, and calipers so readings land in the record without anyone typing them, and get checked against tolerance before the operator moves on. Pull work orders from ERP and drawings from PLM so operators see the right revision. Machines connect over OPC UA and MQTT, no middleware required.

![Native integrations and connectors](https://tulip.widen.net/content/yfbyjapohh)

[Browse devices and connectors](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/platform/connectors-integrations.md)

**Step-Level Analytics**

Step-Level Timing and Analytics

### See Where the Process Loses Time

Every completed job records the duration of each step, the operator, the station, and the app version. Find the slow step, the one that varies most between operators, and the one that precedes a defect. Embed the analysis back into the app so supervisors read it in context.

![Operations data review](https://tulip.widen.net/content/qpxvrfwsno)

[Explore Tulip Analytics](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/platform/analytics/)

**Version Control and Approvals**

Version Control and Approvals

### No Revision Ships Without a Signature

Every app is version controlled, and only published versions run at a station. Assign approvers and each new version needs their electronic sign-off before it deploys. A revision reaches the station once the job in progress finishes, so nobody gets switched mid-build.

![Scalability and governance](https://tulip.widen.net/content/uukifsifxy)

[See how Tulip governs change](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/platform/scalability-governance-insights.md)

Customer stories

## What leading manufacturers have achieved with Tulip

See how leading manufacturers use Tulip to guide operators and capture what happens at every step.

**Test Devices by SCHENCK**

![Test Devices Operator](https://tulip.widen.net/content/ectwqk8eiz)

### Administrative effort down 79%, output up 50%

Test Devices began by digitizing work instructions and travelers, and raised output from about 8,000 to 12,000 parts a year without adding headcount. Administrative effort tied to documentation and record handling dropped 79%. A single part can be worth $20,000 to $80,000.

> "This has saved us countless times from a part skipping a critical step, and at some point in our process, you can't go back."
>
> — **Darren O'Neil**, Industrial Engineering Manager, Test Devices

[Read the case study](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/case-studies/test-devices/)

**Tiffany & Co.**

![Tiffany & Co. jewelry assembly](https://tulip.widen.net/content/p4yjsww9sd)

### Training time down 80% for select products, rework down 40%

Tiffany & Co. runs Tulip across four North American sites and 1,700 users, with operators choosing English or Spanish and instructions translated by Tulip AI. Detailed work instructions cut rework 40%, and new product introductions moved from quarterly to nearly weekly.

> "Tulip has allowed us to be nimble and change on a dime while still ensuring the same quality and aesthetic is met."
>
> — **Steve Saulen**, Director of Manufacturing, Tiffany & Co.

[Read the Tiffany & Co. story](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/case-studies/tiffany-and-co/)

**TICO Tractors**

![TICO Terminal Tractor](https://tulip.widen.net/content/o3jwitl4fa)

### Quality inspection and rework time down 50–60%

TICO started with digital work instructions and saw value within months, reducing errors, speeding up onboarding, and taking load off supervisors. Production doubled over four years as they added tracking, Andons, and quality app by app.

> "Everything's central. Anybody can look at the defect record. They can look at trends. I think it's going to be one of the biggest impacts we've had with how we're using Tulip."
>
> — **Mike Rousch**, Director of Product Operations, TICO Tractors

[Read the Case Study](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/case-studies/tico-reduced-quality-inspection-and-rework-time-by-60/)

**Formlabs**

![Formlabs operator scanning barcode](https://tulip.widen.net/content/67rjz7seka)

### Cycle time down 20%, defect logging time down 60%

Formlabs combined real-time work instructions with automated data entry and task management, cutting cycle time 20% and lead times 20%, with a 30% productivity increase.

> "We know exactly how much time it takes for parts to go through the wash cycle. We can track idle time between stations."
>
> — **Parth Modhia**, Senior Ops System Specialist, Formlabs

[Read the Formlabs story](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/case-studies/formlabs-mes/)

## Questions? We have answers!

### What are digital work instructions?

Digital work instructions are step-by-step procedures delivered to an operator on a screen at the point of work, replacing printed sheets, binders, or PDFs. A digital instruction can capture data as the work happens, verify a value before the operator continues, pull a reading from a connected tool, and record which revision was followed, none of which a static document can do. In Tulip, each instruction set is an app built from a sequence of steps.

### How are work instructions created in Tulip?

Tulip's App Editor creates work instructions as apps, without writing code. You build a sequence of steps, drag widgets onto each one, and add logic through triggers on a when-if-then-else structure. Step groups organize long procedures, and a base layout holds the formatting every step inherits. Tulip AI Composer can also generate a first draft from an existing PDF procedure, extracting the instructions, images, and data-collection points for you to review before the app is created.

### Can Tulip convert our existing SOPs and PDFs into digital work instructions?

Tulip AI Composer converts PDF documents into draft apps, extracting instructions, images, and data-collection points and proposing a structure you review first. It accepts PDF only, so Word documents and spreadsheets need converting first. AI Composer supports linear documents such as work instructions and checklists, and generates limited application logic, so plan to refine the draft before it reaches a station.

### How do work instruction changes get controlled and approved?

Tulip version controls every app, keeping one development version and as many published versions as needed, each a frozen copy at the moment of publishing. Tulip records which version each operator ran, and a new version only reaches a station once the app in progress completes or cancels. With Approvals configured, every new version requires sign-off from assigned approvers before deployment, a rejection requires a comment, and accepting requires the approver to re-authenticate. Compare App Versions diffs two versions so a reviewer can see exactly what changed.

### Does Tulip support multiple languages?

Tulip supports 30 different languages, with language set on the user's profile and switchable from the Player menu. App AI Translation is generally available and free on Enterprise plans, translating app content into the selected language; the underlying multi-language capability is an Enterprise feature. Content appears translated only where translations exist for that language. Tulip doesn't publish guidance on translation accuracy or review expectations, so plan for a local-language reviewer on safety-critical content.

### What devices can connect to a work instruction?

Tulip connects to the tools and devices at the station through Edge Drivers. Torque tools are the best-documented case: the Torque Open Protocol driver has been tested with controllers from Atlas Copco, Cleco, Ingersoll Rand, Stanley Black & Decker, Desoutter, and Kolver, and a tightening event returns torque, angle, and whether measurements were in range. Also confirmed are barcode scanners (any acting as an HID keyboard), RFID readers, digital calipers, the Mitutoyo U-Wave receiver, Insize multichannel calipers, foot pedals, Zebra label printers, Cognex DataMan and In-Sight readers, and the Tulip Light Kit for pick-to-light. Most specialist drivers run on Windows or a Tulip Edge device.

### Can Tulip track operator training and skills?

Tulip records training and qualification through the Frontline Training and Skill Management suite. Training Manager assigns training and reports completion; Training Terminal shows an operator their assignments and qualification status. Theoretical templates deliver video, text, and PDF content with a self-assessment, and practical templates handle on-the-job training with optional supervisor approval. A qualification record carries valid-from and valid-to dates against a specific material, asset, or operation, so a status expires. A skills matrix shows users against skills across four levels. You configure these templates to your process, and blocking an unqualified operator is done with a step that queries the training table and branches..

### What data can be tracked from a work instruction?

Tulip produces an immutable completion record for every completed app, holding the duration of each step, total cycle time, the operator, the station, the app version, start and end times, and any variables you chose to capture. Step-level timing and cycle time are captured without configuration. Defect tracking and first-pass yield are analyses you build from a variable you capture. Completion data isn't available through the Tulip Table API, so pushing execution data to a BI platform means writing to Tables or exporting.

### How long does it take to get digital work instructions live?

A first instruction set can be running at a station inside a week, and a more complex deployment with device integrations and work-order data from ERP typically takes three to four weeks. The usual sequence is two days to pick the process and gather the content, two to three days to build and connect the first instruction set, a week piloting it at one station to see where operators hesitate, and the remaining time wiring connectors, assigning approvers, and rolling to other stations. A process or manufacturing engineer does the building, with an operations lead deciding what the instruction should say and IT handling SSO and connector work. Most first deployments run with one builder and part-time help from the other two.

### Why Tulip for work instructions?

Tulip puts authoring with the engineers who own the process, which shortens the distance between noticing a problem at the station and having a fix running there. The same platform carries the version control, the approval gate, the device integrations, and the training records, so the instruction, the verification, and the qualification sit on one data model. Tulip is certified to ISO 9001:2015, maintains a SOC 2 Type II report, and supports SAML single sign-on with SCIM provisioning.

## Get started digitizing operator workflows

See how manufacturers author guided instructions, connect the tools at the station, and find out where the process loses time.

[Book a Demo](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/contact-sales/)

[Take a Virtual Tour](https://pr-1391.tulip-co.tulipecointra.net/tec-virtual-tour/)

![DisrFactory Illustration](https://tulip.widen.net/content/8uc6gjw9qo)