3 Examples of Procedures

John Spacey, July 29, 2022

A procedure is an established way of doing something. These are often defined for work situations that recur many times such that coming up with a standard approach can improve efficiency, productivity or optimize for a goal such as safety or revenue. The following are illustrative examples of a procedure.

Instructions

The most common and direct way to document a procedure is a textual set of instructions. These may include both general guidelines for work and specific steps that must be completed.

Worksheets

Procedures are often presented as worksheets that can be filled out as you complete work. These may capture data or act as an audit trail to confirm work was done according to standard practices.

Policy & Procedure

A policy is a set of rules or guidelines that are adopted by an organization, group, institution or government. These are often intertwined with procedures such that they are commonly captured by the same document known as policy & procedures.

Notes

The examples above are purely illustrative -- they are aren't actual procedures.

Overview: Procedures
Type	Planning
Definition (1)	An established way of doing something.
Definition (2)	A documented set of guidelines and steps for completing work.
Also Known As	Standard Operating Procedures Policy & Procedures
Related Concepts	Planning » Audit Trail »