I'm working on upgrading our technical instruction manuals. My question is what's the difference between a manual and a workbook? Should I continue to keep the instruction manual a step by step guide with workbooks and training separate or should I incorporate exercises into the instruction manual? Any suggetions would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Here's my view of the world, FWIW...

An instruction manual is a document that contains step-by-step procedures or work instructions. This might be one manual, or it might be a series of documents such as Standard Operating Procedures. This might be a physical manual or it might be an online document.

A user manual is a feature driven document describing "how to" execute features of a software program. This might be online or might be a hard copy document.

A training workbook contains material necessary to do the activities in the training course itself-- instructions for an activity, data they will use to input into a computer system for an activity, key points/concepts, fill-in blanks or space to write down discussion thoughts, notes, etc.

I actively strive to have training workbooks contain the least amount of reference material possible. That is what the instruction manual or reference manual is for. In the training, my preference is to teach them where to find the instructions. Then incorporate this into the activities. Such as:

Using the online help for the HR new hire procedure, complete this form...

This teaches them how to help themselves.

My goal is to minimize updates of training workbooks. The instruction manuals/SOPs/reference manuals may change frequently. I do not want my team spending time cutting/pasting into training workbooks, etc. Also, when the training manual is a "reference manual" trainees use it like a bible. They keep referring back to it. Well, guess what? Procedures change! So, if you have trained them to refer back to their "training manual" you've trained them to do the wrong thing! They should be looking at the most current procedure guide.

The most common reason training workbooks become reference manuals is that they are filling a gap: no SOPs or reference materials exist and procedures are needed to teach the training, so training creates procedure manuals instead of training manuals. IMHO procedure manuals are the purview of the Operations teams. Perhaps training or tech writing helps them get their materials into consistent format or online, but the content belongs to the business unit.

It's a tough battle to fight, but once you make the shift... no more 200 page training manuals. They are more like 10 pages long!

Just to supplement what Amy is saying --

If you are designing learning (aka instructional design) ---Never recreate/repackage/rewrite or write in the first place how to do things. That's what reference manuals, user manuals, online help, etc. are for. That's what technical writers do.

Instruction - learning - should involve defining and designing what learners need to do to connect with, explore, discover, practice, apply whatever the new skill/knowledge is.

Designing learning is not about creating user manuals. Have your learners create their own quick reference guides. Have them turn them in in class. Copy them and distribute them so that everyone may benefit from them, but do not spoonfeed that which your learners can and should do for themselves.