A process procedure template holds two levels, and the mistake is to flatten them. The process is the map: the trigger, the end state, the roles and the hand-offs between them, a page or a swimlane. The procedures are the steps for each task on that map, one document each, numbered and role first. The process changes rarely; the procedures change whenever a system or form does. The process documentation template on this site sizes the map, and the standard operating procedure template sizes each procedure beneath it.
The process level
Trigger, end state, roles, and the sequence of tasks with the hand-offs between roles marked. No numbered steps at this level; each box on the map is a task with a procedure of its own. A process page that starts listing steps has stopped being a map, and it will be out of date the first time a form changes.
The procedure level
One document per task on the map: title block, purpose, scope, roles, the numbered steps with one action each, decision points as steps, records named. Each references the process by name and version. The standard operating procedure template prints the sections, reading time and training load from the task's counts.
The join between them
Each task on the map names its procedure; each procedure names its process. When a procedure changes, the map does not; when the map changes, because a role is added or a hand-off moves, the procedures at each end are revised. Keeping the two joined but separate is what stops a system change from turning into a rewrite of everything.
What the two levels are for
The map is for the owner and the auditor: who does what, where the hand-offs are, where a control sits. The procedures are for the doers. The process documentation template prints how many hand-offs the process carries, which is the first measure of where it will stall. RunbookDesk Pro keeps the map and its procedures linked, each with its own version history.
Questions people ask about process procedure template
Can a small business skip the process level?
For a task within one role, yes; the procedure is enough. The map earns its keep when the work crosses roles, because the hand-offs are where it breaks.
How many procedures per process?
One per task on the map. A process with more than ten is usually two processes.
Are both templates free?
Yes: the process documentation template and the standard operating procedure template size their documents without an account. Keeping them linked with versions is the paid product.