TELL: Test Every Line for Logic
A written procedure that back-tracks or omits critical steps is no better than trial-and-error. And if it provides safety warnings that follow risky operations instead of preceding the hazardous steps, it is not just inefficient–it’s dangerous.
- Make sure you have determined the end goal(s).
A complex procedure has an end goal that is the culmination of lots of smaller subprocedures, each of which has its own end goal. For example, a novice cook whose end goal is yummy potato salad actually has several subgoals.– Get the potatoes ready (scrub them, cook them peel them, cube them)
– Prep the eggs (boil them, cool them, peel them, chop them)
– Put together the dressing (measure and mix mayonnaise, mustard, spices)
- Account for required conditions.
A useful procedures includes things that the reader must know about, tools he must locate, schedules to be followed; all these are part of the logical analysis. Describe each required condition at the right place in the procedure–before the user begins the step where the condition becomes significant.