Write for the moment of work
Picture the person using the procedure: mid-task, slightly unsure, with a customer or a deadline waiting. They need the next action, not background. Put context in a short note step; keep action steps to one instruction each.
Start each step with a verb
“Check the delivery date”, “Send the request to your manager”, “Record the ticket number”. A step that starts with a verb is easy to scan and easy to check off.
Say what “done” looks like
If a step has to produce something, say so in a short checklist: “Approval received”, “Ticket updated”. It removes guesswork and gives people a clear moment to move on.
Name an owner and a source
Every procedure needs one named owner, and each rule should point to where it comes from, such as a policy section. People trust guidance more when they can see its origin, and owners know what to update when a policy changes.
Change it through review, not in place
Edit a draft, have someone compare it with the live version, then publish. Keep old versions. When a question arises later about what the procedure said last month, you will have the answer.
Watch where people stop
The steps where people abandon or restart a procedure, or flag it as unclear, are the steps to rewrite first. Usage data is more reliable than opinions about which part is confusing.