If you are a member of the Technical Writer in Action community on LinkedIn, you now understand why I could not tackle the topic of “effective procedure writing” in the comment section.

This is the final installment, and I thank all of you that have followed this discussion. I would love to hear from you, either through LinkedIn, through comments in WordPress, or by emailing me directly at mrprocedure@gmail. com. I read and answer every email (which to date has not been too taxing).

The final attribute of an effective (read, excellent) procedure writer is a firm, solid belief in your ability to be a contributor in your organization. Make a point of learning everything you can about your organization, so that regardless of the writing assignment, you know how it is intended to result in a better organization and will be able to discuss the project in terms of achieving objectives instead of “how many pages do you want?”

Confidence in your ability is essential. But be aware that arrogance is not confidence. There is a substantial difference between projecting a vibe of “I can be an effective contributor and agent of improvement” and “you are so lucky to even have me.”

Know your abilities (raise them as appropriate), know your organization, know your customers, know what defines success…in addition to knowing your writing craft.

As I close, I know I have only scratched the surface of the subject matter. But I hope this discussion serves as an encouragement to those of you performing the essential work of technical and procedure writing. It is incumbent on us to make sure the work continues to be essential. Performed effectively, procedure writing opens a gold mine to the organization, in terms of realizing its objectives (which include financial, of course).

If you have not requested the Procedure Writing course, contact me by any means above (it’s a .pdf file, nothing fancy, but it is free!). God bless you in all ways as you pursue procedure writing excellence.

Tim James, Mr. Procedure–connect with me on LinkedIn.