Job aids are simply checklists, diagrams, tables or other reference information to help a trainee perform a task efficiently, effectively, and correctly every time.

They are particularly useful for critical processes and procedures where performing the duty/task incorrectly could cause personnel injury or equipment damage.

They contain information we choose not to remember, information we can refer to when the need arises. Duties that are performed infrequently, and thus, would probably not be clearly retained in memory are another example of where a job aid can be useful.

Job aids can also be used to help reduce training costs. They should not be used as a replacement for necessary training, but basic training can be provided to the employee who can then be taught how to obtain information using job aids.

Encourage fellow employees to create their own job aids. Consider the types of work a new employee may have problems completing. Test to see if a job aid helps ensure consistency between new and existing employees.

Some people categorize job aids into the following three basic categories:

Informational: calculators, drawings, directional signs or maps, indexes, Yellow Pages, airport departure flight schedules, and “honey-do” lists.

Procedural: computer help assistants, maintenance or production procedures, vending machine/gas pump instructions, guided flow for credit card purchases via computer, faxing or shipping procedures for overseas clients or procedures to ensure appropriate accounting/charge codes are used.

Decision-making: troubleshooting charts and checklists, questionnaires, “memory joggers,” or John Robertson’s Proven Tips for Equipment Troubleshooting pocket-guide.

Have you ever found yourself searching for the steps to perform a unique computer or printing function that either you have never done or you do fairly often but always have to check the appropriate numbers, sequence or step? Is there a formula or series of formulas you always have to look up? These are the types of activities in which a job aid can help.

What Can I Do?

Consider capturing common or necessary information you often seek for reference. Put the information into a usable form and in an easily accessible location. Don’t get caught up in format. The format should fit the need, and format follows function.

Do consider whether to make the job aid electronic or hard copy. A hard copy or hand-written job aid will prove more useful than an electronic job aid for the employee who doesn’t have computer access.

Where an electronic job aid may automatically calculate a formula, you can simply revise the hard copy to show the formula needed for the calculation.

Again, usability is the key. Will it make your work easier? Will it make your work more efficient, accurate, or effective? And most important, will you use it? Give it a try. What can you do to make yourself more productive? Consider the use of a job aid as a first step in your improvement process.

You may find, after creating some job aids, that certain nagging areas of your work are no longer so difficult to perform. You may also find that the frustration level of new employees is reduced.

How much of your work is “need to know and remember” versus “need to know the system for when and how to get the appropriate information or procedure”?

Don’t make the mistake of substituting job aids for necessary training. However, creating job aids and training on the proper use of the job aids can provide bottom-line savings in your training budget. Just make sure the job aid users are involved in the development process and that common sense is applied.