Improve documentation with digital photography

by Jim Black, CIRAS

Would your company procedures be easier to follow with photographs included? Have you ever had to cut a photograph down to size, tape it to a document, then make copies? For years, companies have been cutting and pasting photos into process documentation. Digital photography eliminates many time and material wasting steps by permitting photos to be inserted into documents as electronic files.

With the ease of adding photos, companies are finding their procedures easier for operators to visualize and learn. This, in turn, improves quality by making processes less variable in less time. Remember, W. Edwards Deming defined quality as low variation!

What is digital photography?

To the photographer, digital photography is very similar to 35 mm photography. Using a digital camera, the photographer points and shoots the photo, just as with a traditional camera. Then the process becomes simpler. The resulting photo is stored in the camera as an electronic image file that can be e-mailed, stored, edited, or printed directly, one at a time or as a batch.

Why use digital photography?

Some of the benefits of digital photography include

eliminating trips
- to buy film,
- to drop off film for developing,
- to pick up developed film,
- for enlargements or reprints;
adding the capability
- to edit own photos, or
- to transfer photos by disk, e-mail, or web page;
improving timely availability of photos.

What equipment is required?

Digital camera--from $200 to over $1,000
Photo editing software--included with some digital cameras
Color printer--from $200 to over $1,000
Optional Equipment
- LCD monitor
- Memory card
- AV cable
- Serial cable
- AC adapter
- Remote control

Application examples

A section of a typical process sheet is shown above. The photo of the machine tool control panel was imported to a Microsoft Word 6.0 document. The arrow was inserted onto the document to clarify which knob is being referenced. Imagine the comparative time to locate a specific knob or button using this photo vs. a verbal description.

Not only will time be saved, but errors are less likely.

For a printed example, the Jan DeYoung and Wes Merryman pictures in the Staff Notes article are digital photographs.

How can CIRAS help us get started?

An introductory program has been developed to help CIRAS client companies learn about digital photography and evaluate applications within the company. This program includes the development of prototypes of some typical documents, including digital photographs.

CIRAS can come to your plant and work with your employees to develop prototypes of appropriate documentation listed in the sidebar. Assistance would include instruction on the use of digital photography equipment, development and layout of the forms, and insertion of photos into the documents.

Compare part to print; ensure presence of keyway on spline shaft.
Follow quality check instructions
Set knob as shown in photo at right.
Continue with procedure

Process Documentation	Quality Documentation	Printed Publications
Operator procedures Setup procedures Kaizen--before/after pictures Visual Management tools Preventive maintenance procedures	Quality standards Red light/Green light charts ISO work instructions News release photos Improve timeliness and editing capability	Newsletter photos E-mail photos Company Brochures
Reports	Presentations	Electronic publications
Proposals Project final reports Annual, quarterly, monhly reports	PowerPoint presentations Slide shows Company meetings Capture white board or flip chart contents	Home page on the Web Internet marketing Publish articles on web

If you are interested in learning more about digital photography applications for your company, call Jim Black in the Ames CIRAS office at 515-294-1507.

CIRAS News, Vol. 32, No. 1, Fall 1997

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