Using AI to Write Policies & Procedures

Sara Niemiec

Hello, everyone. I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I have an idea for something, and I'm wondering if it's already being done.

At the CASE Drive Conference in DC last month, I saw a product demo by a company called ovrture which featured virtual stewardship reports and showed AI actually tracking where and how a donor interacted with the virtual stewardship report. It got me thinking… Would it be possible to use AI to track my cursor and clicks while I'm performing a routine data entry update and then write up a list of the clicks/tasks I completed (with screenshots) into a procedure for me? If this isn't a thing, how would one go about making it a thing? I know plenty of people who HATE writing up policies and procedures manuals but recognize the critical importance of standardizing how stuff is entered into the database for ease of reporting, etc.

I'd love any input on this.

Crystal Bruce

@Sara Niemiec Hi! I'm going to move this to the general discussion in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT for more eyes. Thanks!

Darlene LeVielle

@Sara Niemiec If I am understanding your use case correctly (I may not be); and Until BB develops AI intentionally for this purpose within the RE interface (web View or DBV), there are already several low-code or no code tools that can do something like this. Not certain if these examples below will allow recordings of your clicks in the browser you are using with RE.

Scribe:

• Description: Scribe is an AI-powered documentation tool that turns any process into a step-by-step guide. It captures your actions, including keystrokes and screenshots, as you work.
• Features:
  • Automatically creates how-to documentation with text and annotated screenshots.
  • Allows you to customize guides, add tips, and combine multiple guides.
  • Integrates with tools like Sharepoint, Notion, and Confluence.
• Use Cases: Create SOPs, training manuals, user guides, and more.
• Availability: Available as a Chrome extension and desktop app1.

Microsoft Task Recorder:

• Description: Task Recorder is a built-in tool within Microsoft Dynamics 365 (including Human Resources and Finance). It records actions performed in the product UI, capturing events executed against the server.
• Features:
  • Records steps in the UI, including keystrokes.
  • Creates task recordings that can be used as task guides or saved as Word documents.
  • Useful for documenting processes and creating training materials.
• Use Cases: SOPs, software documentation, training guides, and more2.

Whatfix (Not Microsoft, but worth mentioning):

• Description: Whatfix is an interactive digital adoption platform that helps create SOPs and guides.
• Features:
  • Records actions, including keystrokes.
  • Generates step-by-step instructions with screenshots.
  • Suitable for creating SOPs and training content.
• Availability: Not specific to Microsoft, but widely used3.
  

Dariel Dixon

Scribe! I'm familiar with this tool and it works well with some apps. I don't remember if if worked with database view at all. Like @Darlene LeVielle stated, these tools are great for creating SOPs, but you may still need to write your policies down by hand.

Spring Velazquez

@Darlene LeVielle I would also add Tango to this list - very robust and the free verison (from the website):

HOW WILL YOU USE TANGO? ? How-to guides (both simple and detailed) ? Process documentation ? Training guides ? Product updates ? Walkthroughs ? Software rollouts & upgrades ? Merger & acquisition integrations ? Standard operating procedures (SOPs) ? New employee onboarding ? Customer onboarding & offboarding ? Knowledge management ? Software training tutorials ? Playbooks ? Quick answers to the “How do I…” questions

Free Version allows:

• 15 shared Workflows
• Browser capture
• Basic exports and sharing
• Up to 10 users per Workspace

Tango website

Darlene LeVielle

@Spring Velazquez Yes, it's all good when/if it works for your Usage Scenario. Thanks!

Rose Dixon

@Darlene LeVielle Darelene, have you used any of these and recommend one over the others? My fear is they are wonderful, but so is Power Automate which we needed to hire a consultant to set up for our acknowledgements because it's not quite that simple.

Darlene LeVielle

@Rose Dixon While I have not directly engaged with these solutions, my exposure is limited to observing demonstrations, which did not include integration with BB products. It is my understanding that Power Automate is capable of executing automated workflows; however, I am not currently aware of any inherent AI capabilities within the platform that facilitate the generation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or business rule documentation.

Sara Niemiec

@Darlene LeVielle, I can certainly look into them. Thank you so much! This is what I was asking for.

Karen Diener

@Sara Niemiec In my line of work, I find that IF an organization has written documentation of their processes, it is often a regurgitation of step-by-step “how to" information. Click here, enter this, save and close, then click here, etc. Quick videos can definitely help supplement written documentation, because everyone learns differently, but context for YOUR organization is EVERYTHING.

If you do not explain the “why” in any of your documentation - written or video - it will not be successful. Why are those the values in your drop-down list? What do they mean / how should they be applied? When should I pick one over the other? When should I change them?

And like all documentation, you will need to make sure updates to policy and process are captured. This may mean re-recording an entire video, and while that might not seem like a lot, it takes some thought and practice to make sure it flows smoothly and contains the necessary information.

Just some things to keep in mind! I see a lot of documentation, and work with a lot of organizations that lack documentation. It is incredibly important and maintenance of it should be much more common in any organization.

Darlene LeVielle

@Karen Diener Creating step-by-step click instructions requires a deep understanding of internal business rules and policies. For instance, even when using platforms like Blackboard’s Knowledge Base or any other similar platform, some articles may appear outdated until they are updated to reflect the most current information.

Karen Diener

@Darlene LeVielle:

@Karen Diener Creating step-by-step click instructions requires a deep understanding of internal business rules and policies. For instance, even when using platforms like Blackboard’s Knowledge Base or any other similar platform, some articles may appear outdated until they are updated to reflect the most current information.

Oh I completely agree. But just clicking around and asking someone to watch a brief video clip without any spoken context will not actually teach them what to do or why.

And while the creator of the documentation might understand the process completely, they are not the audience for the documentation. Anyone creating documentation needs to make sure they can see this from the perspective of a new person.

Darlene LeVielle

@Karen Diener Having clearly documented organizational policies and business rules is essential. It helps users understand the context behind the click-by-click instructions. While the Trainer might be well-versed in the process, thinking from a newcomer’s viewpoint ensures effective communication. Providing this documented context of additional Business Rule explanations alongside video clips and/or documents of the step-by-step instructions can enhance the training experience.

Karen Diener

@Darlene LeVielle:

@Karen Diener Having clearly documented organizational policies and business rules is essential. It helps users understand the context behind the click-by-click instructions. While the Trainer might be well-versed in the process, thinking from a newcomer’s viewpoint ensures effective communication. Providing this documented context of additional Business Rule explanations alongside video clips and/or documents of the step-by-step instructions can enhance the training experience.

It sounds like we are in agreement on this.

Julie Hollyday

@Sara Niemiec I love using Tango (Create software training guides, in minutes | Tango) for process documentation. It follows your cursor clicks, creates screengrabs, gives general headings for the action (which you can edit later), tracks the programs used in the step, and puts it into an multiple formats you can share whether someone has a Tango account or not.

After completing the process, you can go into Tango and:

• Add more information/context for each step. These are written instructions
• Delete and re-order steps, and create section headings for clarity
• Allows you to edit the screengrab images to blur confidential information, re-set the focus of the image, or draw/add text to the image for clarity
• Share on lots of different platforms, send links for online use, creates PDFs, and if your whole organization uses Tango, there is a super cool “walkthrough” options.

After working in instructional design for a book publisher, I understand the importance of bringing images and words together to create a complete package for people to follow the process. There are other programs like Tango out there--Scribe, Trainual and ClickHelp are a few that come to mind.

EDIT TO ADD: And YES, this does work with desktop programs, including RE database view. BUT you need a paid subscription for that. The free version will only track online processes.