Process Documentation

What is Process Documentation?

Process documentation is the practice of writing down how work actually gets done in your organization. It captures workflows, tasks, and the steps needed to complete a business process from beginning to end. Think of it as a reference guide that helps everyone on your team execute tasks the same way, following company standards.

What sets process documentation apart from individual Standard Operating Procedures or work instructions? It's the big-picture view. Instead of focusing on a single task, process documentation shows all the related activities in sequence: the steps involved, who's responsible for what, decision points along the way, alternate paths when things don't go as planned, and the various outcomes you might see. This becomes especially valuable when employees leave or change roles, since the knowledge doesn't walk out the door with them.

At its core, process documentation helps standardize how your team performs tasks. It cuts down on variability and errors, and gives you a clear roadmap for meeting industry standards and staying compliant with regulations. When paired with a well-organized procedure manual, teams can quickly find the guidance they need.

Key Characteristics of Process Documentation

• Full Workflow Coverage: Captures everything from start to finish, including inputs, outputs, decision points, and everyone involved. It's not just about one task in isolation.
• Big Picture with Practical Detail: Gives you that high-level view of how things connect while still including enough detail to actually guide execution.
• Meant to Evolve: This isn't a document you write once and forget. It should be reviewed and updated as your business needs, tools, and workflows change.
• Institutional Memory: Captures the expertise, workflows, and lessons learned over time so that knowledge doesn't disappear when people move on.
• Shows How Teams Connect: Documents how different departments interact, what they pass between each other, and how it all fits together in the bigger business process.

Process Documentation Examples

Example 1: Employee Onboarding Process

Picture a tech company's process documentation for bringing new software engineers on board. It covers the entire journey from offer acceptance through the first 90 days. You'll find prerequisites like background checks and equipment ordering. It spells out who does what: HR handles paperwork, IT sets up accounts, the hiring manager runs check-ins, and a buddy helps the new hire get settled. The documentation walks through day-one activities, weekly milestones, training modules, system access, and knowledge transfer sessions. For different situations (remote vs. on-site, junior vs. senior engineers), there are decision trees that branch accordingly. And when someone needs the nitty-gritty details on setting up a development environment, the documentation links to specific work instructions.

Example 2: Procure-to-Pay Process

A manufacturing company might document its procure-to-pay process, covering everything from "we need to buy something" to "payment sent." The documentation lays out clear boundaries for the process, then walks through each step: identifying the need, selecting a supplier, issuing a purchase order, receiving the goods, verifying the invoice, getting payment approved, and finally sending the payment. It assigns roles (procurement team, finance, the department that made the request), sets approval thresholds based on dollar amounts, and explains what to do when exceptions pop up. Having this documented makes it much easier to spot bottlenecks and stay on the right side of financial controls.

Process Documentation vs Standard Operating Procedure

These two are closely related, but they serve different purposes and work at different levels of detail.

How Glitter AI Helps with Process Documentation

Creating process documentation used to mean sitting down and writing everything out from memory, which takes forever and often misses details. Glitter AI changes that. Using screen recording, Glitter captures your processes as you actually perform them, then automatically generates step-by-step documentation with screenshots, descriptions, and annotations.

Teams can build out their process documentation quickly, and because Glitter captures what you're really doing (not what you think you're doing), the documentation tends to be more accurate. Multiple people can contribute, add feedback, and keep things up to date. Version control is built in, so updating documentation is straightforward. Your process documentation becomes something that actually grows and changes with your business, staying useful over time instead of collecting dust.