Jennifer Nelson, Jordan Neels, Margo Pecha, Sasha Vogele

E a s t e r n W a s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y
Kaiser Aluminum Jo Plan !ecommendation !e"ort
Kaiser Aluminum Job Plan
Recommendation Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary 3
Introduction 4
Information Gathered 5
Client meeting and Facility Tour 5
Heuristic sa!ility 5
"rticles #
$ecommendations %
Conclusion &
"''endix "( Style Guide )*
#
#
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To fulfill 'art of our technical communication degree re+uirements at Eastern ,ashington
niversity- a team of us .or/ed .ith 0aiser "luminum in a community involvement
'artnershi'1
In order for 0aiser "luminum to facilitate safe and lean manufacturing- they needed a
standardi2ed 3o! 'lan to use .hen 'erforming re'airs and maintenance on machines1 4ecause
multi'le em'loyees in different 'ositions .ere creating 3o! 'lans .ithout a standardi2ed
tem'late- the 3o! 'lans .ere inconsistent in .ording- length- formatting- technical level- and
ex'ected user ex'erience1 This resulted in the 3o! 'lans not !eing com'letely read and even
understood1
Initially- .e toured the 'lant facility and met .ith the client to fully understand the 'ro3ect needs1
4ecause of safety regulations- our team .as una!le to 'erform usa!ility testing .ith em'loyees
and the e+ui'ment1 Instead- .e used an evaluating chec/list !ased on usa!ility 'rinci'les to
'erform heuristic usa!ility testing on a 3o! 'lan the client 'rovided us1 From this testing- .e
concluded that the 3o! 'lan5s text and formatting .as hindering document com'rehension and
reada!ility1 In addition- .e referenced the !oo/ Guidelines for Developing Instructions !y 0ay
Ina!a1 This text!oo/ 'rovided hel'ful technical standards that are used in the industry .hen
creating instructions1
To address the client5s needs- our team aimed to create a standardi2ed tem'late and style guide
for em'loyees to use .hen .riting a 3o! 'lan1 4y 'roviding a tem'late for the em'loyees to use-
the goal .as to hel' 'revent missed ste's and extended .or/ hours1 This in turn .ill 'romote
lean manufacturing and a safer .or/ing environment1
"fter researching and redesigning the 3o! 'lan- .e recommend 0aiser "luminum to al.ays use
ca'itali2ation- italics- and !old s'aringly in order to em'hasi2e im'ortant information users need
!e a.are of1 "lso- !y incor'orating more .hite s'ace .ithin the document- users .ill not !e
over.helmed .ith too much information1 Finally- to !etter hel' em'loyees easily deci'her .hat
level of information they are reading- set a clear hierarchy of tas/s and ste's .ithin the document
that informs em'loyees of the general tas/ !efore they !egin1
6verall- these changes 'roduce a more reada!le and legi!le document that .ill facilitate a safe
.or/ing environment along .ith lean manufacturing1 4y using the 3o! 'lan tem'late and style
guide .e designed- these changes can easily !e im'lemented1
$
INTRODUCTION
0aiser "luminum uses a 'rogram called 7aximo to com'ile 3o! 'lans for .or/ers to use1 The
'ro!lem .ith 7aximo is that there is no s'ecific tem'late- formatting- or uniformity re+uired
.hen 'utting together these instructions1 This can create 'ro!lems for the .or/ers .ho are in an
environment .here there is little light- small time frames for com'leting 3o!s- and loud noise
from heavy machinery1 Some fonts or font si2es can !e difficult to read- and !loc/s of text can
ma/e it hard to find s'ecific ste's1 There is also a lac/ of .arnings- dangers- and cautions in the
documents- .hich should stand out to avoid ha2ardous situations1 4ecause these documents can
!e difficult to read- some .or/ers s/im them or do not use them at all1 This can result in
accidents to .or/ers or 3o!s done im'ro'erly1
,e have designed a tem'late for 7aximo users that .ill hel' reduce mista/es and increase
reada!ility of 3o! 'lans1 This tem'late uses .hite s'ace and includes colored 8.arning-9
8danger-9 and 8caution9 sym!ols to dra. the reader5s eye to s'ecific areas- and ste's are 'laced
in a''ro'riate and logical order1 The text has a consistent font and font si2e- .ith minimal use of
ca'itali2ation throughout to decrease confusion and im'rove the ease of reading the document1
,hen designing the tem'late for 7aximo- .e referenced many articles and a heuristic usa!ility
re'ort to guide our 'rocess1 ,e also com'iled a command ver! and a nomenclature list in order
to /ee' the language consistent and easy to read1 These lists can !e found in a''endices C and :1
Throughout the recommendation re'ort- an in de'th summary of our 'rocess and design choices
.ill !e given- as .ell as some of the research .e used and a style guide1 ,e have also 'rovided
sam'les of the command ver! and nomenclature lists .e com'iled in order to /ee' the language
uniform and easy to understand1
%
%
INFORMATION GATHERED
7ulti'le .ays of gathering information .ere used in creating the 3o! 'lan tem'late1 First- .e
gathered 'rimary information- .hich .as gained through our meeting .ith 7r1 :avis and our
tour of the 0aiser "luminum 3o! 'lant1 Second- .e conducted a heuristic usa!ility test1 Third- .e
gathered secondary information- .hich included a variety of articles from .hich .e formed
recommendations for greater usa!ility1
Client Meeting and Facility T!"
6ur team .as a!le to tour the 0aiser "luminum 'lant- and then meet .ith 7r1 :avis after.ard
to learn more a!out 7aximo1 ,e found this extremely hel'ful !ecause .e .ere a!le to see the
'lant conditions .here our documents .ill !e used- as .ell as see firsthand the formatting
ca'a!ilities of 7aximo1 ,e found that the .or/ing conditions .ere often in lo.er lighting- and
the maintenance em'loyees had to use headlights to !etter see .hat they .ere doing1 ,e also
sa. the machines em'loyees .ould 'otentially !e .or/ing on and that the 3o! 'lans .ould li/ely
!e soiled .ith dirt and grease1 4ecause of these conditions- .e designed the document .ith
!igger font and more s'acing !et.een lines1 This .ill hel' em'loyees .ith reada!ility and
legi!ility of the document in lo. lighting and if the 3o! 'lan gets dirty1 "lthough the document
.ill !e longer !ecause of more line s'acing than the original document- .e !elieve 3o! 'lan .ill
get more use !ecause it .ill !e easier to read and deci'her1
,hile the tour .as hel'ful !ecause .e sa. the .or/ing conditions our tem'late .ould !e used
in- the meeting .ith 7r1 :avis after.ard .as also !eneficial !ecause .e sa. the document
design ca'acities of 7aximo1 ,e found that 7aximo has !asic data entry and formatting tools-
so .e designed accordingly1 The font family- si2e- and color are all standard- and should !e
.ithin 7aximo1 ,e also used standard num!ering and !ulleted lists- as .e sa. 7aximo has the
ca'a!ility for these as .ell1 The tem'late .e 'rovided does include the 0aiser ;ogo and footer
image< 7aximo may not have the ca'a!ilities to incor'orate these design elements- !ut .e
.anted to try and give the documents 0aiser "luminum5s loo/ and feel1 These t.o elements can
ho'efully !e 'asted into 7aximo to give the document authenticity1 6verall- the tour and
meeting .ith 7r1 :avis .ere very hel'ful for our team !ecause it gave us a firsthand vie. of the
.or/ing conditions and /no.ledge of 7aximo5s design ca'acities so .e could create a design to
meet these conditions1
He!"i#tic U#a$ility Te#t
" heuristic usa!ility test .as a''lied to evaluate the 3o! 'lan and determine ho. it fit s'ecific
language use- formatting- and 'lanning information1 The test .as a''lied to the 3o! 'lan tem'late
and each section of the 3o! 'lan .as evaluated- .ith a chec/mar/ 'laced !eside the s'ecific
section1 If the 3o! 'lan met the criteria in the usa!ility test- then a 8yes9 chec/mar/ .as 'laced in
the !ox next to it1 If the 3o! 'lan did not meet the criteria in the usa!ility test- then a 8no9
chec/mar/ .as 'laced in the !ox next to it1 "lso- if the 3o! 'lan did not fulfill re+uirements- then
&
comments .ere made !eside it to descri!e .hy it did not fit the criterion1 The usa!ility chec/list
.as a''lied to the entire 3o! 'lan- and there .ere many sections that the 3o! 'lan did not reach
the chec/list standards1
The three sections that a''lied to the 3o! 'lan .ere 'lanning information- language control- and
text and formatting1 Throughout the 3o! 'lan it .as noted that there .as exce'tional use of
command ver!s1 Ho.ever- the 3o! 'lan itself .as difficult to read !ecause of the hierarchy of the
ste's and information1 The ste's in the 3o! 'lan .ere not num!ered or 'laced in a .ay that .as
easy to find the next ste'1 Each tas/ .as one long 'aragra'h .ith letters in front of the ste'-
.hich made the 3o! 'lan extremely difficult to read1 To go along .ith the hierarchy of the 3o!
'lan- the notes inside of each ste' .ent right after the ste' and .ere not easy to identify1 The
notes in the ste's .ere not !olded or formatted in a .ays that .ere easy to find1 The document
also lac/ed any 8.arning9 or 8caution9 notes .hich .as a !ig concern !ecause it meant some of
the regular notes could have !een 8.arning9 or 8caution9 and as such .ere s/i''ed over !ecause
they .ere not formatted correctly1 If .arning notes are not formatted correctly- they might not !e
easily recogni2ed- leading to 'ossi!le in3uries1
The 3o! 'lan also lac/ed clear and 'recise nouns and nomenclature- s'ecifically .hen e+ui'ment
.as addressed in the 3o! 'lan1 The 3o! 'lan .ould refer to s'ecific 'um's in the !eginning of the
document !ut later refer to 8'um's9 .hich did not name the s'ecific 'um'1 This meant that the
.ea/est 'art in the 3o! 'lan .as the text and formatting section of the heuristic usa!ility test1
,hen creating the 3o! 'lan tem'late- the text and formatting .ere the !iggest focus1 " ne.
command ver! list .as created as .ell as a nomenclature list for use in the ne. tem'late1 The
hierarchy .as also addressed and 'ut into the tem'late in a .ay that is easy to read !y listing
each ste' according to their im'ortance1 The notes in the tem'late no. have a s'ecific format- so
they are easy to identify1 ,arnings and cautions .ere also 'laced in the 3o! 'lan tem'late to
avoid ris/ of in3ury1
A"ticle#
In 're'aring a usa!le tem'late for .riting a 3o! 'lan- .e gathered several articles .hich 'rovide
resources to create the !est 'ossi!le set of instructions1 These articles included 8Intro to
=rocedures-9 8$eading to learn to do-9 8=ersona-9 and 8The ;ogical and $hetorical Construction
of =rocedural :iscourse19
8Intro to =rocedures9 stated the 'ur'ose of having 'rocedures then- in detail- listed several
!enefits to having good instructions- such as reducing the 'ossi!ility of errors- ensuring the tas/
is done in an efficient and safe manner- and 'roviding an administrative function of including
chec/>off and sign>off !lan/s to !e filed if a 'ro!lem arises later1 This article tal/ed a!out .hy
'eo'le resist using 'rocedures and the stress .or/ers may feel .hen com'leting 'rocedures1
'
'
8$eading to ;earn to :o9 distinguished !et.een the t.o main ty'es of literature .e read1 6ne
/ind is to learn a!out a to'ic and the other is to learn ho. to do a tas/1 Instructions are reading to
do1 $eaders don5t .ant to learn the history of a tool< they .ant to learn ho. to use it1 From
reading this article- .e are a!le to guide the user only in 'erforming the tas/ and not 'roviding
extraneous information1
"n article titled 8=ersona9 'ut a face to the user .hen .riting instructions1 It tells the .riter ho.
to create the 'rocedures !y /no.ing the target audience for a s'ecific tas/1 4y /no.ing the
target audience- the .riter can create 'rocedures in such a .ay that the user isn5t made to feel
incom'etent- !ut also isn5t lost !y the .ording1 $emem!ering the user5s level of /no.ledge-
ex'erience- and time is extremely hel'ful in /no.ing ho. to .rite 'rocedures in a .ay that
maximi2es the user5s a!ility to 'erform the goal1
The final article is titled 8The ;ogical and $hetorical Construction of =rocedural :iscourse19
8=rocedural discourse9 refers to .ritten and s'o/en discourse that guides 'eo'le in 'erforming
tas/s1 It is !asically 8ho.>to9 communication1 :e'ending on ho. com'lex the instructions are
and ho. familiar the 'arts may !e to the user- the ty'e of communication changes1
From these articles .e gained insight into effective .ays to format and structure 'rocedures to
maximi2e user ex'erience1 Instructions need to !e clear and 'recise for the target audience and
not include su'erfluous information1 "''lying these techni+ues- user frustration .ill !e reduced
and fe.er mista/es .ill !e made .hile .or/ing1
CONCLUSION
6ur tem'late design focuses mainly on the formatting of the document- as .e found good use of
command ver!s and language in the original document1 In the tem'late- the use of ca'itali2ation
is saved only for the highest>level header in the tem'late?the 3o! 'lan name1 Ca'itali2ation-
italics- and !olding of text should !e used s'aringly and only .hen information needs to !e
em'hasi2ed1 Having excess ca'itali2ation decreases the legi!ility and hierarchy of information in
a document1 Furthermore- underlining of .ords and 'hrases has !een found to significantly
reduce legi!ility of documents and should usually !e avoided1
@ext- our tem'late has .hite s'ace1 This refers to the em'ty s'ace .ithin a design that doesn5t
have any text or design elements1 Having .hite s'ace .ithin a document is !eneficial !ecause it
hel's /ee' the document sim'le and easy to understand1 4y increasing line s'acing !et.een
tas/s- em'loyees .ill /no. .here they left off in a document .hen they refer !ac/ to it1 This
.ill also hel' to !etter com'rehend and 'erform each 3o! tas/1
Finally- .e incor'orated a clear level of hierarchy .ithin the tem'late1 Each $oman numeral ste'
AI- II- III- IB- etc1C is the overall tas/ name1 This isn5t a ste' or action for an em'loyee to ta/e- !ut
rather gives em'loyees the general direction of the overall tas/1 nderneath the $oman numeral
ste' are the s'ecific ste's A"-4-C-:- etc1C that the em'loyees need to ta/e to com'lete the tas/1
(
RECOMMENDATIONS
In re>designing 7aximo5s 3o! 'lan- .e suggest using a tem'late and style guide for future use1
The sam'le 3o! 'lan .e received from 7r1 :avis sho.ed a num!er of inconsistencies for .hich
.e have found solutions1 "s 'reviously mentioned- our tem'late decreased the use of
ca'itali2ation- num!ered lists- and a''lied the a''ro'riate use of 8caution-9 8danger-9 and
8.arning9 sym!ols- as .ell as notes1 "fter conducting a heuristic usa!ility test- .e suggest
im'lementing a command ver! list and a nomenclature list in order to restrict the ver!s used and
'rovide clarity and consistency1
" decrease in ca'itali2ation .ill allo. the user greater reada!ility- and the use of al'ha lists .ill
create a visual flo.1 4y a''ro'riately using 8caution-9 8danger9- and 8.arning9 sym!ols- as .ell
as notes- the user .ill !e a.are of any ha2ardous conditions .hile .or/ing and .ill not !e
uncertain of .hat the instructions mean1 "fter vie.ing the 0aiser facilities- tal/ing .ith 7r1
:avis- and referencing several articles- .e have created and can recommend a tem'late1 In
addition to the tem'late- .e have included a style guide to ensure continuity- regardless of the
.riter1 4y using our tem'late and style guide- goals can !e finished more +uic/ly- accurately-
and safely1
For future 3o! 'lan documents- .e suggest em'loying these formatting techni+ues1 "l.ays try to
use ca'itali2ation- italics- and !old s'aringly so that they em'hasi2e im'ortant information users
need to !e a.are of1 "lso- incor'orate more .hite s'ace .ithin the document in order to not
over.helm user .ith too much information- .hich may result in him or her not using the
document at all1 Finally- to !etter hel' em'loyees easily deci'her .hat level of information they
are reading- set a clear hierarchy of tas/s and ste's .ithin the document that informs the user of
the general tas/ !efore he or she !egins1 6verall- these changes 'roduce a more reada!le and
legi!le document that .ill facilitate a safer and lean manufacturing environment1
)
)
A%%ENDIX A& STYLE GUIDE
sing a style guide allo.s com'anies to adhere to a common format .hen creating documents1
4y having a common format- a com'any can set standards to insure that information is 'resented
clearly and 'recisely1 The style guide sho.n !elo. .as used to create the 3o! 'lan tem'late and
can !e used on future 3o! 'lans to create an identical format and structure1
*
A%%ENDIX B& 'OB %LAN TEM%LATE
The follo.ing is the 3o! 'lan tem'late created using the heuristic usa!ility testing- articles- and
client meeting and tour1 The tem'late .as designed !ased u'on research and findings to !etter
enhance user ex'erience .ith instructions1
+,
+,
++
+#
+#
A%%ENDIX C& NOUNS AND NOMENCLATURE LIST
This list .as used to create using the client 'rovided 3o! 'lan of 7*#*#5DS)1 Having a noun and
nomenclature list hel's ensure that clear and 'recise terms are used to identify e+ui'ment1
)1 Coolant su''ly hose
E1 0erosene su''ly hose
31 Hydraulic hose
41 ;u!e hose
51 "ir su''ly hose
#1 Grease hose
%1 =ressure su''ly valve
&1 4ac/u' valve
F1 7ill valve
)*1 Balve stand
))1 4leed valve
)E1 4ac/u' roll
)31 ,or/ roll choc/s
)41 ,or/ roll
)51 4ac/u' roll 3ac/s
)#1 4ac/u' roll actuator
)%1 4ac/u' roll
)&1 $oll change hydraulic stand
)F1 $oll change sled
E*1 $oll nec/s
E)1 $oll 'ass
EE1 $oll stac/
E31 $oll !ite
E41 ,or/ roll s'ray!ars
E51 4ac/u' roll latches
E#1 $oll !alance
E%1 $oll !alance 'um'
E&1 Stri''er ta!le
EF1 Entry stri''er
3*1 Exit stri''er
3)1 Stri''er 'ins
3E1 S'ray !ars
331 0erosene s'ray !ar
341 S'ray !ar mount !rac/ets
351 Shim 'ac/
3#1 Horseshoe shims
3%1 Stac/ lift cylinders
+$
A%%ENDIX D& COMMAND VERB LIST
This list .as created using the client 'rovided 3o! 'lan of 7*#*#5DS)1 Having a command ver!
list hel's ensure that clear and 'recise ver!s are used to identify action1 Including a definition of
each term hel's avoid am!iguities1
)1 Calculate to determine !y mathematical methods or reasoning1
E1 Clean to change condition !y removing dirt- grease- or other foreign su!stances1
31 Close to move an item to 'revent entry or 'assage
41 Connect to !ring of fit together1
51 :isconnect to set a'art items fitted together1
#1 Ensure to ta/e necessary action to determine a condition or state1
%1 Enter to 'ut in or insert1
&1 Follo. to 'erform in accordance .ith1
F1 Ins'ect to loo/ closely for conditions1
)*1 Install to 'lace an o!3ect in correct location1
))1 ;oc/out to secure .ith a loc/1
)E1 ;u!ricate to a''ly a greasy su!stance in order to diminish friction1
)31 ;o.er to move do.n1
)41 6'en to move an item to allo. entry or 'assage1
)51 =lace to move an item to a desired location or 'osition1
)#1 =ull to a''ly force to move item a.ay from the 'erformer or reference1
)%1 =ush to a''ly force on an item- usually .ith one or t.o fingers1
)&1 $aise G to move u'1
)F1 $egulate control or direct1
E*1 $emove to ta/e an o!3ect a.ay from its current 'lace1
E)1 $e'lace to 'rovide a su!stitute or e+uivalent in the 'lace of
EE1 Turn to cause an item to move in rotary motion1
E31 Secure to ma/e firm of fast- as !y attaching1
E41 Select to choose and o!3ect or setting1
+%
+%
E51 ,atch to loo/ for a s'ecific 'ur'ose over a 'eriod of time1

+&