What are the best tools for capturing workflows from senior engineers?
The best tools for capturing engineering workflows combine screen recording with structured output. For browser-based workflows, tools like Glyde capture clicks and navigation automatically. For terminal and IDE work, Loom or screen recording paired with runbook documentation works well. The key is reducing effort for the engineer — they should record, not write.
What types of engineering workflows need capturing?
Engineers perform two categories of work that need documentation:
| Workflow Type | Examples | Best Capture Method |
|---|---|---|
| Browser-based | Admin panels, CI/CD dashboards, cloud consoles, internal tools | Workflow capture tool (Glyde, Scribe) |
| Terminal/IDE | Deployment scripts, debugging sessions, environment setup | Screen recording (Loom) + written runbook |
| Architecture decisions | Why systems are built a certain way, tradeoffs considered | ADR (Architecture Decision Records) in markdown |
| Incident response | What went wrong, how it was fixed, how to prevent recurrence | Post-mortem template in wiki |
How do you get engineers to actually document?
Engineers resist documentation for legitimate reasons: it's slow, it feels redundant, and it competes with shipping features. The solution is to make documentation a byproduct of work:
- Record, don't write — Ask engineers to hit record before performing a deployment, debugging session, or admin task. The recording becomes the source material.
- Convert recordings to runbooks — Use the recording to create a structured document with commands, expected outputs, and failure scenarios.
- Embed in the workflow — Store runbooks next to the code in the repository (README, /docs folder) rather than a separate wiki engineers won't visit.
- ADR habit — For architectural decisions, use a lightweight ADR template: context, decision, consequences. One page, written at the time of the decision.
The biggest mistake: asking senior engineers to write comprehensive documentation from scratch. Instead, have a technical writer or junior engineer create the first draft from a screen recording, then have the senior engineer review for accuracy. Review is 10x faster than creation.
This answer is part of our guide to capturing and preserving team knowledge.