All answers
Why should our operations team use an AI documentation tool instead of writing guides manually in Google Docs?
March 6, 2026·2 min read·Employee Onboarding Documentation
Operations teams should use an AI documentation tool because manual guide creation in Google Docs is a time sink that discourages documentation. A 15-step guide takes 90 minutes to write manually — with screenshots, annotations, and formatting — versus 5 minutes with an AI capture tool. When documentation is fast to create, teams actually do it.
How does an AI tool compare to manual Google Docs?
| Factor | AI Documentation Tool | Manual Google Docs |
|---|---|---|
| Time to create | 5 minutes (perform the task, tool records) | 60-90 minutes (write, screenshot, format) |
| Screenshots | Automatic, annotated | Manual capture, paste, crop, annotate |
| Step descriptions | AI-generated from your actions | You write every sentence |
| Consistency | Uniform format across all guides | Varies by author |
| Update time | 5 minutes (re-record) | 30-60 minutes (re-screenshot, rewrite) |
| Likelihood of being created | High (minimal effort) | Low (significant effort) |
What does the workflow look like with an AI tool?
With Glyde:
- Click "Record" in the Chrome extension
- Perform the task as you normally would
- Click "Stop"
- Review and edit the generated guide (2-3 minutes)
- Export to Notion, Confluence, or share as a link
With Google Docs:
- Open a new document
- Perform step 1 of the task
- Take a screenshot (CMD+Shift+4)
- Switch to Google Docs, paste
- Resize, crop, add annotation
- Write the step description
- Repeat steps 2-6 for every remaining step
- Format the document
- Share
The AI tool path has 5 steps total. The manual path has 5+ steps per SOP step. For a 15-step process, that is 5 actions versus 75+ actions.
This answer is part of our guide to employee onboarding documentation.