Your Documentation Is Wrong (And It's Not Your Fault)
Here's an uncomfortable truth: most manufacturing documentation doesn't reflect what actually happens on the floor. And no, it's not because you have a bad team or outdated processes. The problem is much simpler, the people writing your SOPs aren't the ones doing the work.
Why Operators Don't Write Documentation
In most manufacturing environments, process operators rarely write their own documentation. The reasons seem perfectly logical:
They're needed on the floor making product. Taking someone off the line to write procedures means lost production time.
Writing isn't their specialty. Not everyone is comfortable translating hands-on knowledge into formal documentation.
Formatting and proofreading feels like punishment. Let's be honest, turning rough notes into polished SOPs is nobody's idea of a good time.
So instead, the job falls to supervisors, engineers, and process owners, the folks sometimes called "carpet dwellers."
Why Engineers Write Documentation Instead
On paper, this makes sense too:
They have the technical background. Those fancy degrees should count for something, right?
They designed the process or built the machine. Who better to document it than the person who created it?
It's their job to define the process. Documentation falls squarely in their wheelhouse.
But here's where things go sideways.
The Hidden Cost of "Carpet Dweller" Documentation
I learned a critical lesson from the Crane Business System early in my career:
if your documentation doesn't reflect what's actually happening on the floor, it's worse than useless, it's actively wrong.
I sat through countless Kaizens where the first step was always the same: map what ACTUALLY happens on the floor. And every single time, the reality didn't match what was written in the procedure. Not even close.
The phrase we used was "make it ugly." Show all the warts, all the workarounds, all the tribal knowledge that keeps things running. Because if you want to improve something, you have to see it for what it actually IS, not what you want it to be.
The Real Problem with Process Improvement
Here's the thing that no one talks about:
Kaizens cost money and time, and the first half is often just figuring out what actually happens.
Think about that. You're paying for improvement events where half the time is spent just understanding your current state. That's not process improvement, that's archeology.
And why? Because the people who know the process inside and out, your experienced operators, aren't the ones documenting it.
The MODocs Solution: Put Documentation Back Where It Belongs
MODocs eliminates every reason your operators aren't writing documentation:
They can document while they work. No need to pull someone off the line. Operators can capture procedures in real-time, right on the floor, without missing a beat.
The system speaks their language. Operators describe the process in their own words, and MODocs transforms it into professional, formatted documentation automatically. No writing skills required.
Just talk and approve. Dictate the steps, review the results, and you're done. No formatting. No proofreading headaches. No punishment.
Bonus: Capture tribal knowledge before it walks out the door. That veteran operator who "just knows" when something's off? Their expertise gets documented automatically.
Turn Your Operators Into Documentation Experts
Your experienced operators can create accurate documentation of what happens on the floor in the time it takes to do the job once.
That documentation serves two critical purposes:
It's a rock-solid training tool for bringing new people up to speed quickly
It gives you an accurate baseline for process improvement, no archeology required
Instead of starting your next Kaizen by figuring out what actually happens, you'll already know. Your improvement events can focus on actual improvement, not just catching up to reality.
Documentation That Reflects Reality
The best process documentation comes from the people doing the work. But traditional documentation methods make that impossible.
MODocs changes the equation. It makes capturing real-world processes as easy as doing the job and talking through it. No extra time. No special skills. Just accurate documentation that reflects what's actually happening on your floor.
Ready to document reality instead of theory? Let's build documentation that actually works.
Ready to see how fast your team can create accurate SOPs? Learn more about MODocs or schedule a demo to see conversational documentation in action.