I met with an operations lead recently who had a serious problem: if the machine was still down 48 hours after the initial problem was reported, his company was contractually obligated to reimburse their customers. Quite literally, every hour counted. This worked when the team was small, but they started to scale and their customers were dispersed across the US and even one in Europe. They started to outsource in-field technicians that were new to the product, varied in skill, and spoke different languages. They had to improve their maintenance docs, and fast.
Best Practices for Success
Your maintenance documentation isn’t just a manual; it’s the document that makes all the difference between uptime and unexpected shutdowns. Effective maintenance docs need to be clear, current, and accessible, not just written once and turned into a static PDF.
👎Generic language → 👍Content written with audience in mind
- Who will use these docs: in-house technicians, field service engineers, third-party contractors.
- Match tone, terminology, and detail level to user expertise.
- Tip: Use user interviews or watch maintenance in action to see where current docs fail.
👎Based on tribal knowledge → 👍Use engineering resources
- Use CAD models, engineering data, and actual maintenance history, not just tribal knowledge.
- Stress the importance of linking to design updates so maintenance docs stay accurate.
- Example: Changing a torque spec in CAD should auto-update the field procedure.
👎Text-heavy word doc → 👍Visually-driven slides
- Step-by-step annotated images or diagrams.
- Exploded views, callouts for critical specs, and “what good looks like” photos.
- Icons for warnings, tools needed, and safety gear.
- Data shows visual content reduces service errors.
👎Static PDF → 👍Alive documentation
- Build a process for updating docs after design changes, field feedback, or recurring issues.
- Assign ownership of who updates, who approves, who distributes.
- Version control to ensure only the latest doc is in circulation.
👎Sent via email → 👍Field-friendly and digital-first
- Digital formats optimized for mobile/tablet use.
- Easily searchable content through a digital database, that also offers offline access.
- Optimized for walk-through of steps (next-next-next) vs. scrolling on a page
Turn Maintenance Docs Into an Asset
Maintenance documentation shouldn’t be an afterthought - it’s part of the product’s lifecycle. By shifting your perspective of maintenance docs as a “one off to-do” to a living system, you’ll improve your machine uptime.
Too often, maintenance docs are created reactively—after a field issue escalates or a customer complains. But when documentation is treated as part of the product lifecycle, not an afterthought, it becomes a strategic asset.
Great maintenance documentation doesn't just reduce downtime. It:
- Prevents tech support fire drills.
- Protects your brand from field failures and public recalls.
- Scales your knowledge without scaling your team.
But here's the thing: most teams are still using PowerPoint decks and tribal knowledge to document incredibly complex systems. That’s risky.
Quarter20’s CAD-connected, visual-first documentation platform ensures maintenance docs stay accurate, clear, and ready in the field. We tie your documentation directly to your CAD—so every maintenance step reflects the actual design, and updates ripple automatically. The result? Fewer errors, faster fixes, and a field tech who doesn’t have to phone a friend every time a part looks “off.”
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