A procedure is easier to write and far easier to use when every one of them follows the same shape. Readers learn where to look, writers stop deciding on format, and a missing field becomes obvious at a glance rather than during an incident.
The seven fields
Title: a verb plus an object, such as process a customer refund. Purpose: one sentence on why the process exists. Trigger: what starts it. Owner: the responsible role. Tools: the systems and files needed. Steps: numbered, one action each, each beginning with a verb. Done when: the check confirming completion.
Why each field earns its place
Purpose lets a reader decide whether they are in the right document. Trigger and Done when fix the boundaries so the procedure cannot sprawl. Owner tells people whose decision a change is. Tools prevents the common failure where someone reaches step four and discovers they lack access to the system it names.
Granularity of steps
Keep each step small enough that a new person could perform it without guessing. Update the customer record is too vague. In the customer system, open the customer, set status to refunded and record the refund amount in the notes field is usable, because every noun matches something visible on screen.
Action Step
Pick a task you did this week that someone else could do. Write it using the seven fields above, then ask a colleague to read it and mark every step where they would have to ask you a question.
This lesson is educational and reflects general practice. Results depend on your situation, market and effort; adapt what you learn to your own context.