Getting Started with Guides
Learn what Guides (SOPs) are and how they help standardise procedures across your organisation
What are Guides?
Guides (also known as Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs) are step-by-step visual instructions that help your team follow consistent processes. Each Guide contains numbered steps with titles, descriptions, and screenshots that show exactly what to do.
Whether it's onboarding a new starter, processing a customer request, or following a compliance procedure, Guides ensure everyone follows the same proven method every time.
Key Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Visual Steps | Each step includes a title, description, and optional screenshot |
| Image Editing | Highlight important areas, blur sensitive information, and crop screenshots |
| Folder Organisation | Organise Guides into nested folders for easy navigation |
| Assignment Rules | Control who can see each Guide by department, job role, location, or group |
| Draft & Published | Control when Guides are visible with draft and published status workflow |
| Checklist Mode | Users can follow Guides step-by-step with progress tracking |
| Feedback | Collect completion feedback and per-step comments from users |
| Chrome Extension | Record browser workflows with TrainMeUK - Guide Recorder — save to TrainMeUK or export a PDF |
| Search | Find Guides quickly with keyword search across titles and descriptions |
Who Can Use Guides?
Creating Guides
The following roles can create and manage Guides:
- Administrators - Full access to create, edit, publish, and manage all Guides
- Managers - Can create and manage Guides within their scope
Viewing Guides
All users can view Guides that have been:
- Published (not in draft or archived status)
- Assigned to them via assignment rules (department, job role, location, or group)
Tip
How Guides Work
The Guide Lifecycle
- Create - Start a new Guide manually or record one using the Chrome Extension
- Add Steps - Build out each step with a title, description, and visual aids
- Edit Images - Highlight key areas, blur sensitive data, and crop screenshots
- Organise - Place the Guide in a folder and set assignment rules
- Publish - Move from draft to published so users can access it
- Maintain - Update Guides as processes change
Status Workflow
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Draft | Guide is being created or edited. Not visible to regular users. |
| Published | Guide is live and visible to users matching the assignment rules. |
| Archived | Guide is no longer active but preserved for reference. |
Two Ways to Create Guides
Manual Creation
Use the web-based editor to build Guides step by step. Add titles, descriptions, and upload screenshots for each step.
Best for: Guides where you already have screenshots, or for non-browser procedures.
Chrome Extension Recording
Install the free TrainMeUK - Guide Recorder extension and record your browser interactions. Steps and screenshots are generated automatically in the side panel. Save to TrainMeUK or export a PDF locally.
Best for: Web-based procedures where you can demonstrate the process in a browser.
Accessing Guides
Guides are accessed from the main navigation menu. Click Guides in the sidebar to view all available Guides organised by folder.
From the Guides page you can:
- Browse Guides by folder
- Search for Guides by title, description, or keyword
- Create new Guides (Admins and Managers)
- Manage folders and organisation (Admins and Managers)
Next Steps
Ready to start creating Guides? Continue to:
- Creating Guides - Build Guides manually with the web editor
- Chrome Extension Setup - Install Guide Recorder from the Chrome Web Store
- Viewing & Following Guides - Learn how to use Guides as a learner