> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.stage3.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Adding Guides

> Learn how to create process Guides with RACI role assignments

## What Are Guides?

Guides are the individual actionable steps that make up your Core Process. Each Guide represents one distinct action that needs to be completed as part of your business workflow.

In MPQA, Guides form the foundation of your process documentation and include built-in RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) role assignments to clarify who does what.

<Info>
  Guides appear as rows in your RACI Responsibility Matrix and as boxes in your Visual Process Flow diagrams. Each Guide can have its own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documentation.
</Info>

## Before You Add Guides

Make sure you have:

* **A Core Process created** - Guides belong to Core Processes
* **An understanding of your process steps** - Know what tasks need to be completed
* **Key team members identified** - You'll assign RACI roles when creating Guides

<Tip>
  Sketch out your process steps on paper first. List the main tasks in order before entering them into MPQA. This helps you organize your thoughts and identify any gaps.
</Tip>

## Creating Your First Guide

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Your Core Process">
    Go to **Business Processes** in the left sidebar and select the Core Process where you want to add Guides.

    Make sure you're on the **RACI** tab to view the Responsibility Matrix.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Add Guide">
    Click the blue **"Add Guide"** button in the top right corner of the RACI matrix.

    This opens the "Create New Guide" dialog.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter Guide Name">
    In the **"Guide Name"** field (required), enter a clear, action-oriented name for your Guide.

    **Good Guide names:**

    * "Review job applications"
    * "Send follow-up email"
    * "Approve budget request"
    * "Schedule kickoff meeting"

    **Poor Guide names:**

    * "Applications" (no action verb)
    * "Do the thing" (too vague)
    * "Step 1" (not descriptive)

    <Tip>
      Start Guide names with an action verb: Review, Send, Approve, Create, Update, Analyze, Schedule, etc.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign to a Blueprint (Optional)">
    In the **"Blueprint"** field, enter the name of the phase or stage this Guide belongs to.

    **Examples:**

    * "Initial Screening"
    * "Planning Phase"
    * "Execution"
    * "Final Review"

    If you leave this field empty, the Guide will be created without a Blueprint grouping.

    <Note>
      If the Blueprint doesn't exist yet, it will be created automatically. If it already exists, the Guide will be grouped under that Blueprint. Blueprint names are case-sensitive.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign Responsible (R)">
    In the **"Responsible"** field, enter who does the work to complete this task.

    This is the person or team that actually performs the activity. You can assign multiple responsible parties if needed.

    **Example:** "HR Coordinator", "Sales Rep", "Project Manager"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign Accountable (A)">
    In the **"Accountable"** field, enter who is accountable for the completion and signs off.

    This is the person who ultimately owns this activity and has approval authority. There should typically be only one accountable person.

    **Example:** "HR Director", "Sales Manager", "VP of Engineering"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign Consulted (C)">
    In the **"Consulted"** field, enter who provides input and feedback.

    These are people who need to be consulted before or during the activity. This is two-way communication.

    **Example:** "Legal Team", "Finance", "Subject Matter Expert"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign Informed (I)">
    In the **"Informed"** field, enter who needs to be kept updated on progress.

    These are people who need to know about the activity's progress or completion but don't actively contribute. This is one-way communication.

    **Example:** "Executive Team", "All Staff", "Client"
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the Guide">
    Click the blue **"Create Guide"** button to save your Guide.

    The Guide will appear in the RACI matrix under its Blueprint (if specified), ready for you to add documentation and detailed instructions.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Understanding RACI Roles

When creating a Guide, you assign RACI roles to clarify who's involved and how:

**R - Responsible**

* Who does the work
* The person or team who actually performs the Guide
* There can be multiple responsible parties working together

**A - Accountable**

* Who approves the work
* The person who ultimately owns the Guide and has final approval authority
* Should be only ONE per Guide

**C - Consulted**

* Who provides input
* People whose opinions or expertise are needed
* This involves two-way communication and collaboration

**I - Informed**

* Who is kept updated
* People who need to be informed of progress or decisions but don't contribute
* One-way communication

<Warning>
  Every Guide should have at least one Responsible (R) person and one Accountable (A) person. The other roles (C and I) are optional depending on the Guide's needs.
</Warning>

## Guide Naming Best Practices

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Do">
    Start with an action verb:

    * "Review candidate resumes"
    * "Send proposal to client"
    * "Approve final design"

    Be specific and clear:

    * "Schedule technical interview" vs. "Schedule interview"
    * "Approve marketing budget" vs. "Approve budget"

    Keep it concise (3-6 words):

    * "Create monthly sales report"
    * "Update project timeline"

    Use consistent language:

    * If one is "Send email," don't name another "Email is sent"
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Don't">
    Avoid vague names:

    * "Do research"
    * "Handle requests"
    * "Process stuff"

    Don't use nouns without verbs:

    * "Applications" → "Review applications"
    * "Budget" → "Approve budget"
    * "Meeting" → "Schedule meeting"

    Avoid overly long names:

    * "Review all job applications to ensure candidates meet the minimum qualifications" → "Review job applications"

    Don't number Guides:

    * "Step 1: Review" → "Review applications"
    * Numbers become confusing if you reorder Guides
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## What Happens After Creating a Guide

Once you create a Guide, it appears in your RACI matrix with several features:

### In the RACI Tab

* **Guide row:** Your Guide appears as a row in the table
* **Blueprint grouping:** If you assigned a Blueprint, the Guide is grouped under that Blueprint header
* **RACI columns:** Each column (R, A, C, I) shows icons indicating assignments
* **Details column:** Space for adding detailed instructions or documentation links
* **Actions column:** Contains action buttons for the Guide

### Available Actions

Each Guide has several action buttons:

* **Document icons (R, A, C, I):** Click to view who's assigned to each role
* **+ Add SOP:** Create or edit the Standard Operating Procedure for this Guide
* **Edit icon (pencil):** Edit RACI role assignments
* **Delete icon (trash):** Remove the Guide from the process

### In Other Views

* **Visual Tab:** The Guide appears as a box in the process flow diagram
* **Swimlane Tab:** The Guide appears in swimlanes organized by responsible person
* **SOP Tab:** You can document detailed procedures for the Guide

## Editing Guide RACI Assignments

Need to change who's responsible for a Guide?

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the Guide">
    Locate the Guide in your RACI matrix.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click the Edit Icon">
    Click the pencil icon in the **Actions** column.

    This opens the "Edit RACI Assignments" dialog.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update Assignments">
    Modify any of the RACI fields:

    * **Responsible (R):** Who does the work to complete the task
    * **Accountable (A):** Who is accountable for the completion and signs off
    * **Consulted (C):** Who provides input and feedback
    * **Informed (I):** Who needs to be kept updated on progress

    You can also select "None" from the dropdown if a role doesn't apply.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save Changes">
    Click the blue **"Save Changes"** button to update the Guide.

    The RACI matrix will immediately reflect your changes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  When you edit RACI assignments, the changes automatically update in all views including Visual diagrams and Swimlane charts.
</Info>

## Adding Documentation to Guides

### Creating an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)

Each Guide can have detailed procedure documentation:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click Add SOP">
    In the Guide row, click the **"+ Add SOP"** button in the Details column.

    This opens the SOP tab with a rich text editor.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Document Your Procedure">
    Use the editor to create detailed step-by-step instructions:

    * Write clear, numbered steps
    * Add formatting (bold, italic, lists)
    * Include links to resources
    * Add tables if needed

    The placeholder text says: "Start documenting your standard operating procedure..."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Comments (Optional)">
    Click **"Add Comment"** to leave notes or ask questions about specific parts of the SOP.

    Comments help teams collaborate on documentation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the SOP">
    Click the **"Create SOP"** button in the bottom right to save your documentation.

    Your SOP is now associated with this Guide and appears in the Version History.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  SOPs support version history, allowing you to track changes over time and revert to previous versions if needed.
</Tip>

## Reordering Guides

Guides should be listed in the order they're typically performed in your process. You can reorder them as needed:

### Using Drag and Drop

1. Hover over the Guide you want to move
2. Click and hold on the drag handle (usually appears on the left side)
3. Drag the Guide up or down to its new position
4. Release to drop it in place

The RACI matrix and all visual diagrams will automatically update to reflect the new order.

### Using Move Buttons

If drag-and-drop isn't available:

1. Look for up/down arrow buttons next to each Guide
2. Click to move the Guide one position at a time
3. Continue clicking until the Guide is in the correct position

## Moving Guides Between Blueprints

If you need to change which Blueprint a Guide belongs to:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Edit the Guide">
    Click the edit icon (pencil) next to the Guide.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Change Blueprint Field">
    In the "Edit RACI Assignments" dialog, look for a Blueprint field (if available).

    <Note>
      If the Blueprint field isn't in the edit dialog, you may need to delete and recreate the Guide with the correct Blueprint, or check for a different edit option.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save Changes">
    Save your changes to move the Guide to the new Blueprint.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Deleting Guides

<Warning>
  Deleting a Guide will remove the Guide itself, all RACI role assignments, any associated SOP documentation, and references in visual diagrams. Consider carefully before deleting.
</Warning>

To delete a Guide:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Locate the Guide">
    Find the Guide in your RACI matrix.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Delete Icon">
    Click the trash can icon in the Actions column.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm Deletion">
    Confirm when prompted that you want to delete this Guide.

    The Guide will be removed from your process.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## How Many Guides Should You Have?

The right number of Guides depends on your process complexity:

| Process Complexity | Guide Count  | Example                                    |
| ------------------ | ------------ | ------------------------------------------ |
| Simple             | 5-10 Guides  | Basic approval workflow                    |
| Medium             | 10-25 Guides | Employee onboarding, sales qualification   |
| Complex            | 25-50 Guides | Enterprise deal cycle, product launch      |
| Very Complex       | 50+ Guides   | Consider splitting into multiple processes |

<Tip>
  Guides should be meaningful tasks that a person completes. Don't document every mouse click, but don't make Guides so broad that they're not useful.
</Tip>

### Too Few Guides?

If your process has fewer than 5 Guides, you might be too high-level. Consider:

* Breaking down Guides into more specific steps
* Adding informal Guides that currently aren't documented
* Checking if this should be a Guide within a larger process

### Too Many Guides?

If your process has more than 50 Guides, consider:

* Combining very similar Guides
* Breaking the process into multiple smaller Core Processes
* Moving some Guides to sub-processes

## Examples by Activity Type

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Communication">
    * Send proposal to client
    * Notify stakeholders of decision
    * Schedule kickoff meeting
    * Update project status
    * Respond to customer inquiry
    * Distribute weekly report
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Review & Approval">
    * Review contract terms
    * Approve budget request
    * Validate data accuracy
    * Check compliance requirements
    * Sign off on deliverables
    * Assess risk factors
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Creation">
    * Create project timeline
    * Draft marketing copy
    * Design product mockups
    * Generate monthly report
    * Build client presentation
    * Develop training materials
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Analysis">
    * Analyze sales trends
    * Research competitor pricing
    * Evaluate vendor proposals
    * Calculate ROI projections
    * Assess project risks
    * Review performance metrics
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Guide Checklist

Before moving on from creating Guides, verify that each one has:

* A clear, verb-based name
* At least one Responsible (R) person assigned
* One Accountable (A) person assigned
* Proper Blueprint assignment (if using Blueprints)
* Correct sequence in the process flow

Optional but recommended:

* Consulted (C) and Informed (I) roles assigned as needed
* SOP documentation created
* Detailed instructions or links added

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

**Mixing detail levels**

Don't have "Complete entire hiring process" next to "Send one email." Keep Guides at a similar level of specificity.

**Forgetting RACI assignments**

Every Guide needs at least a Responsible and Accountable person. Don't skip these critical assignments.

**Ignoring process order**

Guides should be listed in the order they actually occur, not alphabetically or by importance.

**Being too vague**

"Do research" doesn't tell anyone what to do. "Research competitor pricing for Q4 report" is specific and actionable.

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Assigning RACI Roles" href="/processes/assigning-raci">
    Learn more about RACI role assignments
  </Card>

  <Card title="Creating SOPs" href="/processes/creating-sops">
    Document detailed procedures for your Guides
  </Card>

  <Card title="Visual Diagrams" href="/processes/visual-diagrams">
    See your process in visual flow format
  </Card>
</CardGroup>