3. Procedure article
Procedure articles provide a series of steps, and can include substeps and learning notes.
Procedures can be used for anything from high-level processes to low-level instructions. Roles may be nominated as responsible for the whole procedure or just some steps in it. A step may have substeps or link to another procedure as a sub-procedure, which will then include a back-link to the step from which it was called. This can be up to 10 levels deep.
| # | Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| a | Display mode | How much of each step is shown |
| b | Links | Links to each step |
| c | Procedure roles | Roles that may perform steps in the procedure allocated to them. Typically only for higher level procedures |
| d | Step | Procedure step |
| e | Step roles | Roles allowed to perform the step. Not shown if only one role for the procedure |
| f | 🗁 (Open) | Indicates the step contains more content. Clicking on it will expose that content |
| g | 🖺 (Notes) | Indicates learning notes available for the step. Clicking on it will expose the notes |
| h | Substep | Substep of a step. May be up to nine |
| i | Sub-procedure | Link to a sub-procedure. Can be up to 10 deep. Can also be done using a Step link where the link forms the whole objective |
| j | Parent procedure | Link to step of parent procedure where called from |
A step can be a Step, Step link or Substeps. A substep can be a Substep or Substep link.
Step△
Steps in Smallsite Design are detailed.
| # | Area | Description |
|---|---|---|
| a | Objective | What the step is trying to achieve |
| b | Action | What physically has to be done |
| c | Action notes | Learning notes for the Action |
| d | Response | What happens as a result of the Action |
| e | Response notes | Learning notes for the Response |
Display modes△
The structure of the steps allows different parts to be displayed for audiences of different skill levels.
| # | Mode | For |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Compact | Only show the Step objectives. Suitable for those familiar with the procedure, but just need a prompt |
| 2 | Normal | Shows all except for notes. For those who need to do the procedure there and then, but may have only had training on it |
| 3 | Learning | Show all, including notes. For those learning to do the procedure |
The display mode can be selected by either:
Clicking on the 🖺 checkbox for Substeps will display the notes for all its substeps, but only if their 🗁 checkboxes are checked.
Hierarchy of procedures△
Sets of procedures can be nested to cater for different levels of responsibilities.
Steps can be nested by either:
Sub-procedures are for when:
When clicking on the procedure link in a step, the target procedure includes a back-link at its end to return to that step. This process can occur up to 10 levels deep, allowing documenting company-level processes down to the instructions for a manual task. This does not apply to links to procedures on other sites.
If currently in Compact mode, clicking on a return link to a substep will force the mode of the target procedure to become Normal to allow the substep to be shown.
Roles△
Roles can be defined for who is to do all or some steps in a procedure.
Roles may be defined for:
If there is only one role defined for a procedure, no roles are shown for individual steps. No roles are defined for substeps, as they are all expected to be completed by the role defined for the step.
Learning notes△
Notes are typically for when learning, but may be used for ancillary or supportive descriptions.
When learning, the goal is to not just to learn to do the steps, but to understand why. To this end, learning is often designed to slow down execution of the steps to allow that understanding to take place. Notes provide this in Learning mode without cluttering up the procedure for when actually doing the procedure for real as efficiently as possible.