What is a Procedure?
A procedure explains how something is done or what is to be done. Procedures often show how rules and guidelines (in the form of policies) are put into practice.
Sometime these explanatory documents are called process descriptions, workplace instructions, standard operating procedures or process flows.
Essentially we are talking about any document in which you’re trying to say how something is done or what is done.
Yet writing effective procedures is easier said than done.
The Challenge
One of the greatest challenges in writing procedure material is getting people to read it and then act intelligently on the information.
Procedures can be full of complexity and present a mixture of information types making it hard for a reader to find the information they are seeking.
The Solution
In order to be effective, best-practice procedures should:
- be written in clear, concise, simple language
- avoid information that may be quickly outdated (e.g. people’s names)
- be action and outcome-oriented with consistent repeatable predictable results
- be unambiguous
- make it easy for the reader to find relevant information
- make important, critical information stand out
- be readily available and accessible.
The information can be separated into distinct types with rules separated from instructions. Warnings, examples and notes are easy to identify.
Labels provide a summary of the contents and act as an aid to skimming.
What Does Best Practice Look Like?
Below are examples from procedure documents Before and After best practice was implemented.
BEFORE – a mix of rules and instructions. Hard to find the information needed.
AFTER – warning, rules and instructions differentiated. Easy to navigate.
BEFORE – complex criteria, looks like a procedure but not written that way.
AFTER – all information clearly written as steps to follow.
What is a quality or compliance management system and how can you use it to achieve quality management compliance?
See How Your Documents Can Be Improved
For 25 years TechWriter has helped businesses improve their documentation. We use a structured approach to designing, writing and reviewing documents and online content, based on international research into how people read and absorb information.
Do you want to see how your documents can be improved? Send us one of your typical documents and we will benchmark it against best practice – at no cost to you, of course.
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