Process Documentation in Manufacturing

What is Process Documentation?

Process Documentation refers to the structured description and continuous recording of manufacturing processes, including:

• Work steps and sequence
• Machines, resources, and tools
• Process parameters (e.g., torque, temperature, cycle times)
• Quality characteristics and inspection criteria
• Roles and responsibilities

In digital contexts, this documentation migrates from Word/Visio/Excel into MES-supported models that not only describe processes but actively control and analyze them.

Process Data Analysis: From Documentation to Facts

Traditional process documentation is static. MES-based process data analysis makes it dynamic:

• Machine and process data are automatically captured
• Data is linked to orders, products, variants, and shifts
• KPIs like OEE, First Pass Yield, scrap rate, and throughput time provide a factual process picture

This creates a continuous improvement loop:

1. Model the process in the MES (workflow, parameters, inspections)
2. Run live data against the model
3. Identify deviations, bottlenecks, and loss drivers
4. Adjust process design and measure impact on KPIs

Process Documentation becomes the operational foundation for process data analysis.

Process Design & the Process Owner Role

Process design defines how a process should ideally run:

• Step sequence
• Acceptable parameter ranges
• Inspection and approval points
• Escalation paths and rework procedures

The Process Owner:

• Defines and maintains the process model in the MES
• Establishes KPIs and control limits
• Evaluates process performance based on data
• Initiates continuous improvement actions (e.g., setup optimization, quality checks, automation)

Without a clear Process Owner, process documentation becomes just "filing." With clear ownership, it becomes a control foundation.

Benefits of MES-Based Process Documentation

MES-supported process documentation and process data analysis offer:

• Transparency: Every process is technically and economically described—backed by real data
• Comparability: Lines, plants, and variants can be objectively compared (OEE, scrap, cycle times) based on the same process model
• Compliance & Traceability: It's traceable which process with which parameters was valid for which lot/serial number
• Faster Process Design: Changes (new variant, new customer) are implemented in the MES model and immediately effective on the shop floor

Process Documentation with Cloud MES (e.g., SYMESTIC)

A Cloud MES like SYMESTIC connects process documentation directly with:

• Real-time process data (machines, tests, manual feedback)
• KPI layers (OEE, FPY, scrap, throughput times)
• Digital workflows (non-conformance handling, escalations, inspection plans)

This transforms process documentation into an MES-based process analysis tool:

• Process Owners model and modify processes centrally
• The shop floor operates according to these digital specifications
• Data from reality continuously shows where process design and actual execution diverge—and where optimization has the greatest impact