ELECTRONIC WORK INSTRUCTION OBJECT ORIENTED SYSTEM AND METHOD

The present invention involves a method and system for manufacturing documentation for standardizing product manufacturing in an enterprise. The system creates data records representing work instructions, stores the data records in a database and enables the system's users to search the database for specific data records to view, edit, re-use or copy. The data records include process design data having both a fixed (bit-mapped) graphical component and a modifiable (object-oriented) graphical component, and the system enables one group of users to view the fixed graphical component and another group of users to both view and/or modify the modifiable graphical component. In order to maintain control over edits made to data records, the system maintains a log of additions, changes or deletions made to the data records.