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Why is explaining the 'why' just as important as the 'how' in process documentation?
March 6, 2026·2 min read·Screen Recording to Documentation
Process documentation that only explains "how" creates button-pushers who cannot handle exceptions. When you include the "why" — the business reason behind each step — employees understand the purpose and can make judgment calls when something unexpected happens. Documentation with context also gets higher adoption because people follow instructions they understand, not instructions they blindly obey.
What happens without the "why"?
| Scenario | "How" Only | With "Why" Added |
|---|---|---|
| Step says "Select Express shipping" | Employee always selects Express, even for non-urgent orders | "Select Express shipping — this is required for orders over $500 to meet our SLA. For orders under $500, use Standard." |
| Step says "Add a note to the ticket" | Employee writes "Done" | "Add a note describing what you did — the customer sees this in their email notification" |
| Step says "Click Approve" | Employee approves everything without review | "Click Approve only after verifying the total matches the PO — this triggers payment to the vendor" |
How do you add "why" without bloating the SOP?
- One sentence per step — Add the business reason in the same line as the instruction: "Click Submit — this sends the invoice to the customer's email"
- Use warning callouts sparingly — Reserve for steps where mistakes are costly or irreversible
- Explain consequences — "If you skip this step, the order will not appear in the fulfillment queue"
- Skip obvious steps — "Click Save" does not need a "why." "Select the billing entity" does.
Glyde auto-generate the "how" — the click, the element, the screenshot. Your job is to add the "why" during the 3-5 minute review pass. That combination produces documentation that new hires can follow independently.
This answer is part of our guide to screen recording to documentation.