Service Description

Version 5 · Effective as of 28 July 2026

Editorial note: this Service Description covers the same functional scope as the DE-instruct product guide, organised the same way — four phases, eleven stages, every function with the role that may use it. Commercial figures are deliberately not repeated here: package prices, storage limits, credit bundles and which package unlocks which function are set out in the pricing document, incorporated by Section 1.2 of the Subscription Agreement. This document is incorporated by Section 1.1.

1. Subject of the Service

DE software & control GmbH provides the Customer with access to the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform DE-instruct for use over the internet. DE-instruct is a cloud-based platform for companies in industry and the trades, for the digital creation, central management, translation and AI-assisted automation of work instructions and operating procedures. Access is provided via the domain de-instruct.de.

2. Roles

Three roles govern permissions across the whole platform:

• Viewer — read access; carries out published work instructions.
• Editor — creates and edits work instructions and media, in addition to everything a Viewer may do.
• Admin — additionally manages users, roles, invitations, settings, billing, deletions and approvals.

The first person to register an organisation automatically becomes its Admin. Where a function below is restricted, the applicable role is stated in brackets.

3. Phase A — Getting started: create an account and get an overview

3.1 Creating an account and getting going

New users register their organisation, confirm their email address, sign in — and can start immediately with prepared demo work instructions. Inviting a team and assigning roles is covered in 6.3.

• Self-service registration [All] — enter company name, your name, email and a password; the first person automatically becomes Admin.
• Email confirmation [All] — one click on the link sent activates the account and forwards to the dashboard.
• Sign in with email and password [All] — unconfirmed accounts are rejected with a notice.
• Resend confirmation email [All] — if no email arrived, it can be re-sent with one click.
• Forgot password (request reset link) [All] — a reset link is issued and is valid for one hour.
• Reset password [All] — set a new password via the link.
• Log out [All] — ends the current session.
• Delete your own account [All] — deletes your personal user account.

Registration does not sign you in directly: the email address is confirmed first, and only then is sign-in possible.

3.2 Dashboard: your overview

The start page adapts to the role — key figures, credit balance and quick actions differ for creators and Admins versus Viewers.

• Role-dependent welcome start page [All] — the dashboard greets you by name; what follows depends on whether you create or carry out work instructions.
• Key-figure tiles for creators [Editor] — total, published and draft work instructions at a glance.
• Credit balance and spending widget [Admin] — current credit balance plus spending by category (video, document, manual, translation, step) as a pie chart. Visible to Admins only.
• Key-figure tiles for users carrying out instructions [Viewer] — how many work instructions are available, in progress and already completed.
• Storage tile with progress bar [Editor] — used storage in relation to the package limit; after a package upgrade the display updates automatically, without reloading the page.
• Role-dependent quick-action cards [All] — creators are taken to “create new” and the AI assistant, users carrying out instructions to the library and to “my progress”.
• “Recent” grid of the latest work instructions [All] — up to six recently relevant work instructions with cover image and status badge; a click takes creators to the editor and others to the detail view.
• Root entry with auth-dependent forwarding [All] — the start address forwards signed-in users to the dashboard and everyone else to the sign-in page. There is deliberately no public app start screen; the marketing site is separate.
• Error page (404 / not found) [All] — an unknown address shows a dedicated error page with a short explanation and a button back to the start page.

4. Phase B — Creating: from the idea to an approved work instruction

4.1 Creating a work instruction: manually or with AI

Every work instruction starts here — either from an empty template or by having the AI assistant generate a draft from a video or document.

• Mode selection: manual or AI assistant [Editor] — the starting point of every new work instruction.
• Enter basic data [Editor] — title (mandatory), optional description and difficulty, then straight into the editor.
• Upload a file (video / PDF / DOCX / TXT) [Editor] — by drag & drop; large files in parts with progress, cancellable at any time.
• Analysis review: check cost and balance [Editor] — detected length, expected credit cost and available balance are shown before processing starts.
• AI assistant: choose a file from the media library [Editor] — use a file that already exists instead of uploading a new one.
• AI assistant: start / cancel processing [Editor] — start processing with one click or cancel a running analysis.
• PDF processing: upgrade notice on a package that is too small [Editor] — a notice leads directly to the matching package selection.
• Credit purchase logic on the free tier [Editor] — buying credits is locked; the call to action links to the package selection instead.
• Deep link: start an analysis automatically via URL parameter [Editor] — from the media library, a deep link starts the analysis directly for the chosen file.
• Media library: central media management and upload [Editor] — upload and manage images, videos and documents centrally, reusable for creation and in the editor.
• Media library: deletion with usage check and cascade [Editor] — before deletion the platform checks where a file is used; dependent references are resolved cleanly.

AI analysis consumes credits depending on length (per second for video, per page for documents), and each new step in the editor consumes credits as well. Cost and balance are broken down transparently before processing starts.

4.2 Editing a draft and versions

The editor with all its tools: steps, operating instructions, check elements, media (frame picker, image annotator, video trimmer), materials — plus a complete version history.

• Open a draft [Editor] — the drafts overview lists all unpublished work instructions as a tile grid with cover image, version and last edit date.
• Maintain basic data (General tab) [Editor] — title (mandatory), description and difficulty; changes are saved automatically.
• Work out the steps (Steps tab) [Editor] — add work steps, reorder them by drag & drop and fill each with operating instructions, media, warnings and linked materials.
• Preview and check versions [Editor] — open the preview of the finished work instruction or the version history from the header bar, which also shows draft status and the underlying base version.
• Set a cover image [Editor] — by file upload or, for AI-generated work instructions, as a still frame from the source video; removable again.
• Material list (bill of materials) [Editor] — maintain the work instruction’s central bill of materials with name and unit: create, rename and delete materials.
• Global safety notices [Editor] — instruction-wide safety and warning notices, prominently highlighted throughout the document.
• Operating instructions per step [Editor] — add individual operating instructions as text fields per step, edit and sort them by drag & drop, and mark individual ones as mandatory.
• Check elements on operating instructions [Editor] — add a checkbox, free-text entry or dropdown to an operating instruction, with label, description, options and mandatory flag.
• Warning notices per step [Editor] — store warning notices per step as text fields, edit and sort them by drag & drop; displayed prominently.
• Upload media per step [Editor] — upload images and videos per step with a progress bar; they appear as a gallery with video preview and can be reordered by drag & drop and deleted.
• Frame picker (still frame / clip from the source video) [Editor] — for AI-generated work instructions, choose step media directly from the source video: still frames or a trimmed clip, based on the time markers the AI proposed.
• Image annotator [Editor] — edit images in a full-screen editor with freehand, rectangle, circle, arrow, line, text and crop, including colour, stroke width and undo/redo. The preview shows the number of objects.
• Video trimmer [Editor] — set start and end time with a dual slider and preview the range as a loop. Trim times are stored on the medium and shown as a badge.
• Video preview per medium [Editor] — a click on a step video opens a full player that respects any trim that has been set.
• Material link per step [Editor] — link materials from the bill of materials per step, optionally with a quantity, unlink them again and sort by drag & drop.
• Status filter (draft / in review / rejected) [Editor] — filter the list via clickable status badges, individually or combined; all three are active by default.
• “Assigned to me” filter [Editor] — shows only drafts you are responsible for reviewing.
• Draft search (full text) [Editor] — search your drafts by full text across title and description.
• Draft context menu [Editor] — each draft card offers edit, preview, version history and delete.
• Delete a work instruction (with source-file cascade) [Editor] — irreversibly deletes the entire work instruction with all versions; a checkbox optionally also removes the underlying source video or document.
• Reviewer display on the draft card [Editor] — if a reviewer is assigned to a draft, the card shows a badge with their name.
• Version history page [Editor] — all versions of a work instruction as a timeline with status (published, draft, archived), date and approval comment; the active version and the current draft are shown compactly at the top.
• Restore a version [Editor] — transfers the content of an archived or published version into your current draft, overwriting it. Available as soon as a draft exists.

Restoring a version overwrites the current draft; check beforehand whether unsaved work would be lost.

4.3 Approval and publishing

Not a separate menu item but a state in the editor: depending on the package, publishing happens in one step, or the two-stage approval process applies (submit → Admin approves).

• Start the approval from the header bar [Editor] — once the draft is finished, the approval starts directly from the editor’s header bar. Which action appears depends on the package.
• Publish directly [Editor] — in packages without a review step, publish the draft in one go: choose the version type in the dialog, optionally add an approval comment, confirm. The first publication is always v1.0.0.
• Submit for approval [Editor] — hand the draft over for review (status “in review”) and optionally assign a reviewer from your team.
• Review: approve or reject [Admin] — the responsible person approves the submitted version or rejects it with a reason. Publishing is restricted to an Admin role, enforced server-side; on rejection the work instruction returns to “rejected”.
• Semantic versioning (patch / minor / major) [Editor] — choose the type of change when publishing and see the resulting version number immediately. The first release is always v1.0.0, and the version only ever increases.
• Approval / change comment [Editor] — add a short comment when publishing. It is stored with the version and shown later in the version history.
• Load available reviewers [Editor] — the platform provides the reviewers of your organisation automatically for the reviewer selection.
• Rejection reason in the draft [Editor] — if an approval was rejected, the draft shows an expandable notice with the reviewer’s reason.
• Read-only review preview [Editor] — opening a work instruction with status “in review” shows the finished content read-only instead of the editing tabs — exactly the version awaiting approval.
• Automatic PDF email on approval [Editor] — if a central recipient address is stored, approval automatically generates a PDF and sends it. Every send is logged; a failed email does not affect the approval itself.

In the two-stage procedure, Editors may submit and reject, but the final publication is reserved for an Admin role — enforced server-side.

5. Phase C — Using: find, carry out, trace

5.1 Library: finding work instructions

All published work instructions, ready to be carried out.

• Open the library [All] — all approved work instructions appear as tiles with cover image, title, short description, difficulty badge, version and update date.
• Live search / filter [All] — the search field filters the tiles as you type; if nothing matches, a corresponding empty-state notice appears.
• Open the detail view [All] — shows the work instruction in detail: key figures (difficulty, material positions, number of steps), global safety notices, bill of materials and all steps with images, videos, action items and warnings. Start and PDF buttons appear depending on status and package.
• Download a work instruction as PDF [All] — downloads the opened work instruction as a finished PDF.

Viewing is always open: library, live search and detail view are available regardless of package. Starting an execution and the PDF download depend on the package.

5.2 Carrying out with checklists

Work through the instruction step by step, tick off actions, progress is saved automatically. Reached via the start button of a published work instruction, not via the menu.

• Start an execution (start dialog) [All] — a dialog shows the number of steps, the version, the expected cost, an optional target language and a start comment. Starting records the version used as a snapshot.
• Work through step by step [All] — a progress bar guides through the instruction, each step with images, videos, warnings and materials. “Next” is only released once all mandatory actions are done.
• Tick off actions and fill in checklists [All] — every step has action items to tick off; optional ones do not block “next”. Additional checks (checkbox, free text, selection) appear depending on the package.
• Ad-hoc translation of the execution [All] — choose a target language at the start or during the execution: popular ones directly, any other via a dialog with cost confirmation. A dropdown switches between the original and translations; machine translations are marked as such.
• Multiple active executions / resume [All] — if executions are already running, a selection dialog shows progress and comment per run; step, ticks and entries are restored. Starting over or discarding a run is also possible.
• Save progress and read-only grace period [All] — progress is saved automatically when moving on. During the cancellation grace period the system responds read-only and states clearly that nothing was saved, instead of silently moving on.
• Cancel an execution [All] — a running execution can be discarded; a confirmation prompt guards the cancellation.
• Protocol assistant (chat while working) [All] — a floating, movable and resizable chat window accompanies the work: ask questions about the running execution and read answers live.
• Completion and document naming [All] — a completion screen with version and “recorded” badge plus an editable naming field (a proposal following the naming convention, optionally with an Ex number) for the record and the export.
• Automatic record delivery by email [All] — on completion the record is sent automatically to the central company address, without duplicate delivery, even if the tab is closed. The screen states honestly whether it was sent or whether no address is stored.
• Export an execution as PDF [All] — creates an execution PDF with completed actions, checklist values, comment and designation / Ex number.

5.3 Records and traceability

Two views: your own history for everyone, all records for Admins — including PDF and CSV export.

• Start an execution [All] — starts a new execution of a published work instruction and automatically creates the corresponding record with version, title and number of steps — the basis of all traceability.
• My history [All] — everyone sees their own executions as cards with title, version, status, designation / number, start and completion date, and a progress bar.
• Resume a running execution [All] — cards with status “in progress” are clickable and take you straight back into execution mode; the progress bar shows the steps already completed.
• All records [Admin] — Admins see all execution records of their company in a table, with user, work instruction, version, status, comment and start and completion date.
• CSV export [Admin] — exports the currently filtered record list as CSV, prepared safely so that cell contents are not misinterpreted as formulas.
• Statistics tiles [Admin] — four key-figure cards show total executions, completed ones, those in progress and the number of users with at least one completion.
• Status filter [Admin] — filters the record table by status: all, in progress, completed or cancelled.
• Full-text search [Admin] — a search field filters the table by work instruction title or user name.
• Bulk PDF export of selected records [Admin] — select individual or all records by checkbox and download a PDF record for each; success is confirmed by a message.
• Edit a record’s comment [Admin] — store or change a free-text comment on the execution, ideal for audit notes. Read-only roles cannot edit here.
• Marking of deleted work instructions [Admin] — records are retained even if the corresponding work instruction was later deleted. Such entries are marked “work instruction deleted”; the title remains stored.
• Admin access protection [Admin] — the overall overview is reserved for administrators. Other roles are returned to the dashboard automatically and get no insight into record and statistics data.
• History tabs (active / completed / all) [All] — three tabs with counters sort your executions, each with its own notice when there is nothing to show.
• Record PDF: content and traceability [All] — the PDF contains everything traceable: title, status, version, designation, execution comment, key data (difficulty, materials, steps), safety notices and all steps with completed actions and captured values.
• Access protection on individual retrieval [All] — an individual record opens only for the person who created it, or for an Admin of the same company. Nobody else is granted access.
• Automatic record delivery by email [All] — as soon as an execution is completed, the record is sent automatically and reliably exactly once to your company’s stored notification address. If no address is stored, this is noted.
• Manual re-send (retry) [All] — a safety net to re-send the record of an already completed execution, without accidental duplicate delivery and, if wanted, with a new designation.
• Edit the record / document name [All] — the designation of an execution or record can be renamed at any time, a pure name change without effect on the content. Read-only roles cannot do this.

Two views on the same thing: “my history” is open to all users for their own executions, whereas the overall “all records” view is reserved for Admins.

6. Phase D — Administering: billing, settings, team

6.1 Billing, credits and contract

Credit balance, credit bundles, package selection with a feature comparison, upgrade and downgrade, and cancellation. All amounts, limits and bundle sizes follow from the pricing document.

• Choose a package [Admin] — the packages are offered with a monthly base fee; each card shows the storage limit, the number of work instructions and the minimum term.
• Package upgrade (effective immediately) [Admin] — the change takes effect immediately; only the pro-rata difference for the remaining term is charged. On invoice the upgrade is active immediately; by card, as soon as the difference invoice is paid.
• Package downgrade at the effective date [Admin] — the downgrade is scheduled and only takes effect at the effective date, at the end of the minimum term or the billing period. There is no pro-rata credit; the platform informs you by email when it takes effect.
• Downgrade with storage over-allocation [Admin] — if your used storage exceeds the target package’s limit, the downgrade only takes effect once you are below it again. A mandatory confirmation is required in the dialog; until then the current package continues pro rata.
• Access protection of the billing page [Admin/Editor] — the billing page is reserved for roles with purchasing responsibility. Viewers cannot open it at all; anyone with read-only rights sees a notice instead of the billing data.
• “Billing & credits” menu item [Admin/Editor] — the entry in the left-hand navigation leads directly to billing and is visible only to authorised roles.
• Current credit balance [Admin/Editor] — a card at the very top shows your current credit balance legibly, so you always know how many credits your organisation has left.
• Buy additional credit bundles [Admin] — several bundles are available; a click opens the confirmation dialog, after which the balance is topped up.
• Credit purchase only with a paid package [Admin] — on the free tier, buying credits is locked: a warning banner appears, the purchase buttons are disabled and a deep link leads to the package selection.
• Feature comparison per package [Admin] — a table compares the scope of functions per package.
• Withdraw a scheduled package change [Admin] — withdraw a scheduled downgrade via the status card. A price change already prepared is safely reset to your currently booked package.
• Minimum term [Admin] — packages have a minimum booking period. During it an upgrade is possible immediately, whereas a downgrade takes effect only at the end of the term. The status card shows the end of the minimum term together with a notice banner.
• Contract and term status card [Admin] — the consolidated “contract & cancellation” card bundles the current package, contract start, end of the minimum term and the next renewal date. Its colour signals the status: active, scheduled cancellation or grace period.
• Cancel the subscription yourself (double confirmation) [Admin] — Admins can cancel the subscription for the entire organisation. The dialog lists the legal consequences, requires a confirmation checkbox and the entry of a keyword, and shows the earliest possible contract end. Other Admins are informed by email.
• Withdraw a cancellation [Admin] — as long as the subscription is still running, a scheduled cancellation can be lifted via the status card and the subscription reactivated. After the term has expired this is no longer possible.
• Read-only grace period and data deletion [Admin] — after the end of the term the organisation goes into a read-only mode; one month after the termination of the subscription term all data is irreversibly deleted. The status card names the end and deletion dates explicitly.
• Mandatory confirmation before a paid booking [Admin] — before every package or credit purchase a dialog shows the amount, the minimum-term notice and, depending on the case, the offsetting, invoice, card payment or scheduled downgrade. The booking is only triggered after your confirmation.
• Payment by card or on invoice [Admin] — two payment routes: card payment via a secure checkout (with success and cancellation messages) or “on invoice” with immediate provisioning and the invoice delivered by email. Invoice payment is enabled by the platform operator.
• Usage statement (account statement) [Admin/Editor] — lists all credit deductions by date, action type (e.g. video, document, manual creation, translation, checklist), originator and amount, with pagination.
• Transaction history [Admin/Editor] — lists all incoming and outgoing items and separates credit purchases (credits granted plus amount) from pure package payments (amount only).
• Credit consumption at a glance (dashboard) [Admin] — an aggregated evaluation summarises credit consumption per action type, with summed amounts, the count per type and the current balance. This overview sits on the dashboard, not in billing, and is visible to Admins only.

6.2 Settings and language

Organisation, approval-delivery email address, profile, language and the danger zone (delete account / organisation).

• Open the settings page [All] — organisation, profile, language and the danger zone are bundled here in cards.
• Maintain the company name [All; Admin to edit] — shows the name of your organisation. Administrators adjust it in the input field and apply it by saving; everyone else can only view it.
• Switch the app language DE/EN [All] — switch the interface between German and English with one click, immediately and without reloading. While signed in, your account remembers the choice.
• Check your profile [All] — check the name and email address on file. These entries are read-only here.
• Central email address for approval delivery [All; Admin to edit] — store a fixed recipient address; on every approval of a work instruction the finished PDF is sent there automatically. An empty field disables the delivery; only administrators can change the address.
• Danger zone: delete the organisation [Admin] — as an administrator, irreversibly delete the entire organisation including all users and data, protected by a confirmation dialog. A running subscription is properly cancelled at the earliest possible date beforehand, after which you are signed out automatically.
• Danger zone: delete your account [All] — permanently delete your own account including your personal data, after a security prompt. This is blocked for the sole administrator of an organisation with an active subscription; delete the whole organisation instead in that case.
• Language auto-detection with German fallback [All] — on first load the platform detects your preferred browser language and sets the interface accordingly. If no supported language can be determined, German applies.
• Legal pages [All] — imprint, privacy information and terms open in a new tab on the DE-instruct website; the links are in the sign-in footer and at the bottom of the sidebar.

Deletions are final. Organisation and account deletion cannot be undone.

6.3 Managing the team and roles

Invite users, assign roles, manage invitations — for Admins only.

• Open user management [Admin] — as an Admin, open user management and see a table of all active members with name, email and role. The menu item is visible to Admins only.
• Invite a user and assign a role [Admin] — invite new members by email and set the role at the same time (default: Viewer). The join link is also copied to the clipboard; addresses that are already registered are rejected.
• Join via an invitation link [All] — the invited person adds only their name and password via their personal link and joins with the role set in advance. The account is confirmed and signed in immediately.
• Adjust roles [Admin] — change a member’s role at any time via the dropdown in the table. You cannot change your own role.
• Viewer / Editor / Admin role model [All] — three roles govern permissions, as set out in Section 2.
• Remove a user [Admin] — remove a team member via the bin icon; all memberships are cleaned up properly. You cannot delete yourself.
• Manage pending invitations [Admin] — keep track of open invitations with email, role and date. Each can be re-sent, which restarts its validity period, or revoked.
• Delete the organisation [Admin] — as an Admin, irreversibly delete the entire organisation including all users and data, after a security prompt. A running subscription is cancelled in line with the contract beforehand; if that fails, nothing is deleted, as a safeguard.

A join link expires after a defined period; afterwards the invitation can simply be re-sent under “pending invitations”, which restarts the period.

Which of these functions is included in which package, and from which package a function is unlocked, follows from the package overview in the pricing document. Security-related properties of the platform (tenant separation, role-based access control, data residency, deletion) are set out in the Security Addendum; AI-specific provisions in the Service-Specific Terms and the AI Services Addendum.