Urgent Updates as Shop-wide Training
Urgent Updates as Shop-wide Training
Summary: Designed our system for urgent process change announcements made in Discord, which often have to balance operating as both a standalone, complete training reference and a scannable, quick read for technicians who need the immediate update mid-build. The nature of Discord and the company's culture requires a tonal balance between casual update and complete instruction.
Outcome: These detailed update announcements serve as training for the whole shop in parallel, freeing up trainers and management to continue production without requiring them to train around 40 individual technicians. Because of their detail, these updates also inform the eventual Wiki article, saving documentation time in the future.
I designed two update announcement workflows:
New processes get full documentation on our internal Wiki first, then get a brief Discord announcement that funnels them to the full doc.
Partial process updates are usually urgent. These require an immediate announcement in Discord, and they go on the Wiki in more detail once the changes stabilize. Changes made this way are effective shop-wide immediately upon announcement.
The post included below is an example of the second workflow.
Context for this post:
Technicians would not receive individual, direct training on this update, so the announcement itself needed to serve as the training.
The change was immediate and extensive (using a simple FPC vs. hardwiring or board modification), but wouldn't have any impact until techs faced a relevant build.
Full Wiki documentation would require a fundamental re-write of the existing process's page, delaying the rollout.
The announcement needed to be complete enough to act on immediately, even on in-progress builds.
The intro went in our main updates channel, while the model-specific guides went separately into their relevant channels to reduce information overload for techs who only build one model.
This is an example of the second workflow described above. While it's a technical writing sample, it demonstrates how I utilize that skill to enable asynchronous, parallel training within the system I designed. Note: the full announcement contains proprietary processes and images that are under NDA. For this case study, I've included redacted text of the announcement.
In the original post, the introduction was the announcement notification. The individual process guides then went into dedicated channels for each controller model immediately after the announcement. Instruction repetition across models was intentional for structural and audience reasons. Techs often specialize in a single model. I adapted this structure here via collapsible sections.
Introduction (click to expand)
Howdy @Technicians 🫡 We have a happy update for you today: [Mod name] flexes!
These flexes connect to the original four [Component 1] points and remove the need for any dremeling or manual wiring. For now, I'll include installation guides below, with full documentation coming soon.
You don't have to read these guides until you're actually doing an installation. The important part is that you know these flexes exist and prepare to start using them immediately.
Note: instructions assume a fresh [C1] area. As long as someone is removing [C1] in advance for you, skip the removal steps.
[Mod name] flex installation - [Model 1] (click to expand)
If it's present, remove the [Component 1]. Flatten the four [C1] solder points with solder wick so everything can lie flat.
The [Mod name] flex has an adhesive backing. Peel off the paper covering before proceeding.
Place the flex flat onto the board, centering it between the [C1] points.
Orient the flex so the cutout corner aligns with the [C2]s at the bottom-right of the original [C1] area.
Solder the flex onto the board using all four original [C1] points.
Place the [C3] onto the flex, centering it among the four [C1] points.
Solder the [C3] to the pads at the top and bottom of the flex. Make sure it's sitting flat.
⚠️ Warning: avoid bridging the bottom [C3] to the nearby [C2].
Use flush cutters to cut out the bottom wall of the [C4]'s [C1] area.
‼️ Important: the previous process removed the top and left walls due to the [C3]'s diagonal orientation. Only remove the bottom wall now.
⚠️ DON'T:
Sand the [C3].
Add a felt dot.
Dremel the [C5].
All other installation steps remain the same.
[Model 1] troubleshooting
What if I knock off the [C2]?
See [troubleshoot manager], [training manager], or [process designer] for help.
My [Mod name] feels too tight.
Check these first:
Did you remove the adhesive's paper covering?
Leaving it on can add too much height.
Do you have a felt dot attached?
If so, remove it.
Is your [C3] sitting flat?
If not, flatten it and check again.
If those aren't the issue, try the usual [Mod name] fixes. If those also fail, consult a trainer.
My [Mod name] feels too loose.
Let us know first, then try a felt dot. If that doesn't fix it, consult a trainer.
My [C3] has no input.
Check the flex's connection to the four original [C1] pads. You may need to manually wire the [C3] using the extra pads.
[Mod name] flex installation - [Model 2] (click to expand)
If it's present, remove the [Component 1]. Flatten the four [C1] solder points with solder wick so everything can lie flat.
⚠️ Note: on [C1]S with the [points] above the [C1], flatten them with solder wick as well.
The [Mod name] flex has an adhesive backing. Peel off the paper covering before proceeding.
Place the flex flat onto the [C1], centering it between the [C1] points.
There's only one orientation that allows the four flex contacts to align with the four [C1] points.
The bottom of the flex will butt up against the [C2].
Solder the flex onto the [C1] using all four original [C1] points.
Place the [C3] onto the flex, centering it among the four [C1] points.
Solder the [C3] to the pads at the top and bottom of the flex. Make sure it's sitting flat.
‼️ AVOID:
Melting the [C2] that's right next to the bottom [C3].
Bridging the top [C3] to the nearby pad.
⚠️ DON'T:
Sand the [C3].
Add a felt dot.
Dremel the [C1].
All other installation steps remain the same.
[Model 2] troubleshooting
What if I melt or damage the [C2]?
See [troubleshoot manager], [training manager], or [process designer] for help.
My [Mod name] feels too tight.
Check these first:
Did you remove the adhesive's paper covering?
Leaving it on can add too much height.
Do you have a felt dot attached?
If so, remove it.
Is your [C3] sitting flat?
If not, flatten it and check again.
If those aren't the issue, try the usual [Mod name] fixes. If those also fail, consult a trainer.
My [Mod name] feels too loose.
Let us know first, then try a felt dot. If that doesn't fix it, consult a trainer.
My [C3] has no input.
Check the flex's connection to the four original [C1] pads. You may need to manually wire the [C3] using the extra pads.