…and from chaos to clarity
My team and I are building an animated show using GenAI, and it’s definitely an adventure. If you’re used to e-learning software tools, creating in this new way will feel familiar and refreshing. First, GenAI tools give you much more creative freedom in terms of what you can design as a learning experience designer. Secondly, I’m excited to be able to tell stories and educate in a whole new way.
While creating this series, I have been tasked with doing what I have done for other organizations: documenting the production process in a way that is easy for others to understand. After you document it, link it to an AI chatbot that can quickly retrieve the information you need (this is a story for another post). Here are some lessons we had to rethink when documenting our AI processes.
discovery phase
When you create a new process, like now, you try out different approaches to see what works best. Patience is required at this stage. There have been many times when I started working in a certain direction, only to find a better way later and had to pivot and discard my previous work.
One example is when I started creating scenes for the show using characters I had previously generated as references. This worked for some scenes, but the more images I generated, the more the characters became distorted to the point where they were no longer recognizable. I was frustrated to say the least and realized that my method was neither sustainable nor reproducible. So, I went to “YouTube University” for advice. The kind instructor in the video elaborated on each character in the prompts and suggested adding those prompts to every scene for consistency. I followed his advice and it worked! I quickly added all the character details to a “playbook”.
I’m currently in the discovery phase for other parts of the process, drawing on traditional animation production methods (which I have a lot of respect for), storytelling principles, and my team’s personal experiences.
Documentation phase
As mentioned earlier, the documentation phase and the process discovery phase can occur simultaneously. The most important thing to remember when documenting is to make sure the AI process is clear and simple enough for anyone to understand. When you add AI to the equation, it becomes even more important to make sure the information is structured so that the AI can scan and retrieve it exactly as written, without hallucinations.
As we have done for other organizations, we pay close attention to clarity when documenting our processes. Just as we would simplify a fraction like 3/6 to 1/2, we need to reduce process instructions to their simplest form. It’s also important to explain why a process is important and who is responsible for it before explaining how to perform it. Providing this context ensures that your documentation conveys both purpose and accountability.
Returning to our previous example, when we discovered a better way to generate consistent scenes, we documented why we added prompts to each character, who was responsible for creating the scene, and how we did it. This allows anyone to complete their work with confidence.
living document
In times of rapid change, settling on fixed AI processes can be difficult. As technology evolves, workflows will inevitably need to be updated as well. That’s why documentation must be constantly evolving, regularly reviewed, and living. Before implementing a change, there should be a review process and case studies or examples to validate that the new process truly improves on the old process. We recommend checking the documentation quarterly for updates and adjustments.
As organizations large and small adapt to these changing times, they may want to de-prioritize documentation. But it should remain the cornerstone of effective management. In my experience, teams that document as they grow are the ones that scale with the least friction. Onboarding is faster, more effectively automated, and less time is wasted reinventing what’s already working. Documentation sustains innovation, not slows it down. In doing so, organizations can preserve the wisdom gained from experimentation.
As we continue to build this GenAI show, we are reminded that creativity and structure are not opposites, but partners. The creative process thrives on freedom, but making that freedom sustainable depends on systems. The same principles apply to any organization experimenting with AI or digital transformation. Innovation without documentation is like building a house without a foundation. They may seem admirable at first, but they cannot withstand pressure.
So when you implement AI tools, automate workflows, or redesign how your team collaborates, take the time to document what’s working and why. Capture the information you discover before it gets lost in busy inboxes and forgotten threads. Clarify areas of confusion and create a living guide that grows with your organization. Because the truth is that process documentation is not just about efficiency, it’s about empowerment. This ensures that knowledge is shared, accessible, and ready to evolve, rather than being locked away in one person’s mind. That’s how innovation becomes a culture.
If your organization is ready to bridge creativity and structure to make what you’re building scalable and repeatable, we’d be happy to help you design a system that makes it possible. If you’d like help documenting the AI processes in your department or business, we’d be happy to help.
