The Parts of a Procedure

The following section lists those information elements that are critical for writing a good procedure.

1. Title

The title should be action oriented, revealing the activity that will be performed in the procedure.

2. Scope

The scope should indicate what software revision and/or system configuration the procedure applies to.

3. Responsibility

This element indicates who is responsible for performing the procedure.

4. Objective

The objective should summarize the component activities the procedure involves. It should also explain when and why the procedure must be performed.

5. Key Results

The key results enable the performer to "know when he is done."  That is, they describe what success looks like. Be careful though, the key results describe the finished product - and not completed tasks.

6. Requirements

This section should detail the following:

• System status 
• Prerequisites (the completion of other tasks)
• Personnel (people requirements: #, skill sets, etc.)
• Required Materials (consumables like glue, etc.)
• Required Tooling
• Required Parts
• Relevant Documentation

7. Tasks

Each task should be formed as a command using the imperative mood form for verbs and have, as a sub-component, a description of the immediate result of performing the task.

Tasks may be further divided into steps. Steps should be written in the same manner as tasks.