What a work instruction does

A practical guide for Northstar office and frontline employees

A work instruction explains how to complete one task: what to do, in what order, and how to tell whether the result is acceptable. Clear instructions help colleagues perform the same task reliably across roles and locations.

Where to go for the real instruction

Use SOP Hub for the current instruction

This page explains the practice.

This page is not a procedure

It is not a procedure, a sign-off record, or a source of schedules.

What a useful instruction includes

The reader should be able to do the task and recognize when to stop.

Task and scope

Name the task and state who or what it applies to. Make limits or required preparation clear.

  • Identify the task in the title.
  • State relevant equipment, materials, or conditions.

Ordered steps and clear cues

Put actions in the order they happen. Pair images with written descriptions so the task remains understandable without relying on a picture alone.

  • Use one observable action per step where practical.
  • Describe orientation, placement, or other visual cues in words.

Checks and exceptions

Define the acceptance check and what to do when it fails, including when to hold the work and who receives the handoff.

  • Say what the reader can verify.
  • Give a clear stop, hold, or escalation action.

Find it, follow it, sign off in SOP Hub

SOP Hub is the authoritative place for the current instruction and its sign-off details.

  1. 1

    Open SOP Hub

    Find the instruction for your task in SOP Hub. Check that its task and scope match the work you are doing.

  2. 2

    Follow the current instruction

    Use the steps and acceptance checks shown in SOP Hub. If a check fails or the instruction does not fit the task, use the hold and help route stated there; do not substitute this explainer for the procedure.

  3. 3

    Complete the app's sign-off

    Use the sign-off action and any required acknowledgement or record fields presented by SOP Hub. The app holds the current sign-off details; this page does not define approvers, deadlines, or completion status.

  4. 4

    Create or correct an instruction in SOP Hub

    Use SOP Hub's available creation or correction workflow. Follow its review and approval steps before an instruction is treated as current; ask your team lead how to route a question if the app does not show the route.

What a sample task might contain

Northstar's sample welcome-pack task illustrates the kind of detail an instruction might contain.

  1. 1

    Assemble the pack

    Assemble one welcome card, one local guide, two blank note cards, and one kraft envelope.

  2. 2

    Check the pack

    Check the contents and orientation.

  3. 3

    Hand off if incomplete

    Keep an incomplete pack open and separate for a team-lead handoff.

A fictional example—not a live procedure

This example is fictional and is not a Northstar operating procedure. If your team uses a welcome-pack task, open its current instruction in SOP Hub and follow that instruction instead. Keep task steps, acceptance criteria, sign-off records, and schedules in SOP Hub.