Most teams manage work instructions in isolated documents that are disconnected from each other, from the overall process, and from the people executing them on the floor. In Threaded, work instructions are not isolated documents. They live inside your process, directly linking the map of how your product is built to the detail instructions for building it. This connection means your instructions aren’t just documents, they’re a description of your system for manufacturing. Essentially, your source code for production.

#Key Concepts

Procedures are the core unit of a work instruction in Threaded. Each procedure contains work steps, visual media, and process plan data, and is attached to a process node in your value stream. A process node can have multiple procedures, and procedures can be reordered or moved between nodes as your process evolves. You can start with a single process node that includes all of your procedures and then break them up as needed, or you can map out all of your process nodes before adding procedures—whatever works for you.

Work Steps are the individual instructions within a procedure. Threaded supports three step types:

Work The primary building block of a procedure. Work steps describe the actions an operator needs to take, and include process plan data such as operator and machine cycle time, required operators, and lot size to support capacity planning and analysis.
Check Used to call out inspection points, verification steps, or key notes the operator should confirm before proceeding. These also include process plan data, as checks often have time and resource requirements.
Safety Warning Used to highlight specific risks, required countermeasures, and PPE requirements for safe operation.

Step type can be changed at any time, and helps operators quickly identify the nature of each step at a glance as they are being trained or for reference while building.

The Value Stream connection means your instructions are organized as a system rather than a collection of files. Procedures sit under process nodes, which connect as a value stream to map the full flow of your production process. A Summary Page for each process node rolls up the process plan data, parts, and tools required for all procedures beneath it. This system-level organization is what makes Threaded more than just a document management system. Rather than a collection of individual files, your instruction set becomes a connected, executable description of how your product is built from the first operation to the last. For more on how the value stream works, see The Map.

#Creating Work Instructions

#Creating Procedures

Work Instructions are accessed by selecting the Work Instructions tab and clicking on any process node, or via Process > Instructions in the sidebar. Empty process nodes will have an empty section with a button to “Add Procedure”, and you can add additional procedures before or after in the 6-dot menu next to each procedure name. Once a procedure has been added, a user can name it and begin adding steps and media.

#Adding and Organizing Work Steps

Steps are added within a procedure and can be reordered by dragging, or moved between procedures using drag and drop. Each step has a type — Work, Check, or Warning — which can be changed at any time. Step types help operators quickly identify standard instructions, verification points, and safety information at a glance. Clicking on the 6-dot menu next to a step allows you to update cycle time and required operator information for process planning.

#Adding Visual Media

Images and videos can be added to each procedure to help operators understand exactly what to do. Images can be added from your media library, uploaded from your desktop, or pasted directly from your clipboard. Mobile upload is also supported from either the mobile app or web access, making it easy to capture images directly from the floor. Any image captured in the app is automatically available in your media library to all editors in your organization, removing the need for manual image transfer or emailing photos between collaborators. For more on uploading and organizing your visual assets, see Media Library.

#The Canvas Editor

Threaded includes a built-in canvas editor for annotating and composing images without leaving the platform. The editor opens in a dialog with the media library on the left for quick access to your files, and the annotation canvas on the right. The toolbar provides:

Pointer: Select and move existing annotations.
Text: Add text labels and callouts directly on the image.
Shapes: Rectangle, circle, and arrow tools for highlighting areas, drawing attention to components, or showing direction of assembly.
Symbols: Green checkmark, red X, and yellow warning triangle for go/no-go visuals, safety callouts, and quality indicators.
Crop: Trim images to focus on the relevant area.
Image positioning: Compose and layer multiple images together in a single visual.
Zoom: Zoom in, zoom out, and fit-to-view controls for working on detail areas.
Undo/Redo: Step back or forward through your edits.

Annotations are saved with the image when you click Save, and the annotated version is what operators see in Production. This means you can add callouts, labels, and indicators that make the image self-explanatory without relying on separate text descriptions.

#Parts, Tools, and Linking

Threaded maintains organization-wide tables for Parts and Tools that serve as a shared library across your entire instruction set. These tables store reference data and connect your instructions to the broader system of what it takes to build your product, enabling analysis and traceability that isn’t possible when instructions live in isolated documents. For the full reference on managing your parts and tools tables, see Parts and Tools.

#Parts

The Parts table is your organization’s master list of components used across your value stream. Each part record includes fields for supplier, cost, lead time, minimum order quantity (MOQ), unit of measure, notes, and more — giving you a complete picture of your supply chain in the context of how and where each part is used in production.

Parts can be added manually using the “Add Part” button in the Parts table, or in bulk by providing a CSV of existing parts data to the AI Assistant and asking it to create them for you.

#Tools

The Tools table maintains a library of equipment and tooling used across your instruction set. Each tool record includes a description, cost, and usage to track not just what tools are needed, but where they appear across your procedures and what it costs to run the system.

Tools can be added manually using the “Add Tool” button in the Tools table, or with AI assistance in the same way as parts.

#Linking in Work Steps

Both tables come to life when linked directly into work steps using @mentions. While editing a step, type @ to open the mention menu and link to:

Parts Components required for the step, drawn from your parts table. Mentions also include the quantity used in this step or “ref” if the part is only referenced but not consumed.
Tools Equipment or tooling required, drawn from your tools table.
Procedures Reference another procedure directly, useful for linking to maintenance procedures, sub-assemblies, or related operations.
Media Link to files in your media library such as spec sheets, reference drawings, or supplemental documentation.

If a part or tool doesn’t yet exist, you can create it inline by typing @ followed by the name - “Create Part” and “Create Tool” options will appear when the text doesn’t match any existing reference.

Linked parts and tools automatically appear in the procedure summary of the procedure on the right hand side, and roll up to the Summary Page for the instruction set. Usage is tracked in the tables themselves, so you can see everywhere a specific part or tool is referenced across your entire value stream.

#Why this Matters

Linking transforms your work steps from isolated text into a connected, executable description of your production system. When parts and tools are linked, your instruction set changes from a document into a source of operational intelligence. Engineers can analyze where specific parts are used, understand the cost and lead time implications of process changes, and identify supply chain dependencies directly from the instruction set. The AI Assistant can also use this data to support deeper analysis of your process, supply chain setup, and equipment requirements and to provide relevant, actionable analysis for system-level improvement.

Additionally, because parts and tools are linked references rather than free text, changes to the tables are consistent and traceable across the entire instruction set. If a part number changes, a supplier is updated, or a tool is replaced, the update is made once in the table and reflected everywhere it’s referenced. These changes to parts and tools are captured in the diff during a Change Request review, just like edits to procedures and work steps. This helps ensure nothing is missed when a CR is processed through Version Control.

#Using Work Instructions

#Navigating Procedures

Procedures are organized in the sidebar grouped by their parent process node. The sidebar provides a quick way to move between procedures without losing context, automatically scrolling to the selected section. Left and right arrows at the top of the instruction set allow for discrete progression forward and back. Process node groups can be collapsed to focus on specific areas of the value stream, and when collapsed provide a summary page for that subset of the process.

#The Summary Page

The Summary Page at the top of your instruction set rolls up process plan data, parts, and tools from all procedures beneath it. It also includes a print function for generating formatted documentation. For the full reference on the Summary Page, line balancing, and performance statistics, see Process Plan and Statistics.

#AI Assistance

Threaded’s AI Assistant can help create, review, and improve work instructions. Editors can ask the AI to suggest steps for a given operation, review an existing procedure for completeness or clarity, help write safety warnings, or identify improvements across the instruction set. The AI operates with full context of your process and value stream, making it a useful collaborator for both building new instructions and continuously improving existing ones. Using @ in the chat allows you to focus on specific context with any request, and you can also attach external files—CSV, PDF, images, and more—for additional support. See The AI Assistant for more ways to leverage AI in Threaded.

#Operator Mode

Access to work instructions in Threaded is role-based. Editors have access to both the Development and Production environments, while operators see only the current published version in Production. Operator Mode provides a simpler, focused experience where draft content and previous versions are never visible, and operators can create Actions directly from their instructions to flag issues or provide feedback.

For the full details on what operators can see and do, how to add them to your organization, pricing, and compliance, see Operator Mode.