Writing Procedures

The Process Approach to Writing a Procedure – Creating a Draft

Writing a Draft Procedure – An Activity Itself
Drafting is, pretty much, a single activity; that of putting words on a page.
What do we mean by a successful draft? It doesn’t mean that it is perfect and ready for release – it is a “draft.” In a successful draft, whether an essay, a report, or a procedure, you have created a coherent piece intended for a user/reader in the proper form. This is different from what is created in the Planning stage such as a process map, outline, or notes and free-writing. The end users will never see those things. They will, however, see the document you begin to create as you start to Draft.
It’s a Draft!

Let’s emphasize, as mentioned above, that it is a “Draft.” You should not be trying to create the perfect written product in the first attempt. The best of writers work with and craft their writing; they never toss words on the page then proclaim “finished.” (That’s what the worst of writers do!) The point is to not become encumbered and inhibited by trying to create a perfect document the first time. Those who came up with the “do it right the first time” slogan never took on serious writing projects. It is important to understand design flow and the difference between iteration and replication.

The goal of the draft is to get the writing project off the ground by getting it down coherently in the proper form. Becoming obsessed with perfect grammar, phrasing, and structure with no errors is counterproductive to creating the draft. Plus, it is somewhat freeing to create a draft and call it a draft. The word itself implies that it is not finished - a work in process. Now when reviewers point out errors and make suggestions you do not need to take it personally. They are only helping you work on your draft. This perspective can alleviate some of the fear and dread many of us have when it comes to writing.

Procedure Appearance Matters
If you are in an organization with established procedures then this should already be resolved. If it is not, this is an issue that needs to be addressed quickly with those responsible for procedures and the document system.

Procedures should have a very consistent look and feel throughout the organization, regardless of their purpose or the department or segment in which they are used. Their appearance should be as familiar and as easily recognizable by organizational members as are other well-known documents such as bills of materials, invoices, and product specifications.

A well-designed procedure should have:

• An appropriate title block
• Proper margins and balanced use of white space
• Running headers/footers including page numbers
• Sections and subsections delineated by clear, meaningful headers
• Smooth integration of tables and graphics

Consider the Level of Detail in Your Procedure
Writing the Draft also requires thought about the level of detail documented in a procedure. Procedures should document the basic activities needed for the process to transform inputs to outputs, but that doesn’t mean it should reach the level of detail of a specific work instruction.
It is a common error that procedure writers make; trying to incorporate intricate levels of detail about operating equipment, using computer applications, etc…, when the procedure should focus on executing the process, including objectives, measurement, review, and improvement, not operating equipment.