What you’ll make
One set of instructions you can follow from a safe starting point to a checked result.
Worked example
Exporting sample images for a digital brush set
Start with the approved design file that shows the brush strokes. In the recording, select the three sample images and export them as PNGs to a demo folder. Give each a name that tells you which sample it shows, such as brush-samples-01.png.
Open the three PNGs from the output folder and compare them with the approved images. If one name already exists, save the export with a new version number before continuing.
Before you start
- Choose a recurring task, a screen recorder, and a way to get the transcript. Write down what access the person following the guide will need.
- Rehearse using demo data. Hide private tabs and credentials, check audio, and clear the screen of customer information before recording.
Record one repeat task on a demo copy
Pick a task you do often. Record one run with safe sample data. Say what you opened, what you clicked, and what you expect to see when it works. Save a transcript or jot down the steps with timestamps.
Turn the recording into a draft
Paste the prompt into Claude or ChatGPT. Attach a transcript, notes, or screenshots you can share, and add your task details if you didn’t fill in the boxes. Compare any uncertain label with the recording.
I’d give it my recording notes for exporting three brush sample PNGs and tell it what happens if a filename is already taken.
I’d expect a short set of steps that tells me which images to select, where to export them, and how to handle the duplicate.
Turn my recording notes into instructions
Write one set of instructions for the task in my recording notes, transcript, or screenshots. Use the details I provide in this chat or in my attachments. Start with what someone needs open, then give the actions in order and say how to check that the result worked. Use exact labels only when the material shows them. Include the decision I’ve described at the step where it comes up. Mark missing clicks or uncertain labels for me to check, and ask if the starting point or finished result is unclear. Use a demo copy for any action that could overwrite or publish something. Return a short document I can follow from the beginning. Give it a title and leave a place for the date I last checked it.
Run the draft from a clean start
Use a fresh demo folder and follow what the draft says. If you have to guess or rely on memory, add the missing action. In the brush example, I’d put a PNG in the folder on purpose to check the versioning step.
Save the checked instructions
Run any step you changed again and save the dated document beside the recording.
- Check the menus and filenames against the recording.
- Try one exception safely, such as a filename that already exists.
- Open the result and confirm it matches what the instructions say you should see.
Optional: Add a screenshot where someone might get stuck
Open the checked instructions and choose a step where the next click is easy to miss. Add a clean screenshot and label the control they need. Then try the step from a clean start.
Plan the recording a new teammate will need
Before you record, turn your starting point and finish line into a safe run you can narrate once.
I’m recording how to [recurring task] for [teammate role]. It starts when [trigger] with [typical input], and it’s done when [visible result]. Here’s the access the operator has, what they can change, and who owns exceptions: [details]. If I haven’t supplied a starting condition, success check, or owner, ask me to fill it in before writing that part. Give me a one-run recording plan with demo data, setup, the actions I should narrate, and the checkpoints I should show on screen. Mark decisions where I should pause and say what I’m checking. List branches that would be clearer in a second short clip. If a step can overwrite or publish, tell me what to demonstrate in a safe copy. Finish with a pre-recording check for audio, private tabs, credentials, and customer information.
Write the SOP from what I recorded
After cleaning the transcript and naming your screenshots, give them to Claude to draft the procedure and flag gaps.
Draft an SOP for [role and task] using [clean transcript, time-stamped screenshots, exact labels, starting state, and definition of done]. Include owner, trigger, prerequisites, numbered actions, checks that tell the operator when to continue, and a final visible success check. Put decision branches where they happen. For a step that publishes, overwrites, or needs extra access, state the stop condition and who to ask. Link screenshots by filename where they explain a control. If a menu label, permission, or step is unclear, mark it with a timestamp and question for me. End with one dry-run input and its expected result.
Fix the first gap in my instructions
After your walkthrough, use your notes to fix the step you had to fill in from memory.
Here are [SOP draft, source excerpt, demo input, and my walkthrough notes]. I had to fill in this gap from memory: [step and missing detail]. Show what the instruction assumed and use the recording to fill in the missing action. Rewrite the affected step with the exact label, expected result, and what to do if that result doesn’t appear. If the evidence is incomplete, give me a question to answer before changing it. End with the safe input and visible checkpoint I should use for the retest, plus any links, access, owner, or date I still need to confirm.
Troubleshooting
The transcript skips an important click.
Check the recording at the nearest timestamp. Add the exact action and a screenshot or record a short follow-up clip.
The instructions say where to click, but how do I know what to pick?
Add an if/then rule with both outcomes and a safe escalation path. Try a second sample input that uses the other branch.