Procedures, Processes and Work Instructions...what's the difference?

There are three terms often confused: Procedure, process, and work instruction.  Here's a quick snapshot of the differences between them.

Procedures describe a process such as "Purchasing". They describe an overall process, where as work instructions would describe a more detailed portion of the procedure such as "Completing a

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" or "Ordering supplies". Procedures are used for all of the Quality System Processes. You are required to have a procedure wherever it is dictated in the standard to ensure that the process is performed correctly and consistently.