Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 1996 Open Access

The Sequential Order of Procedural Instructions: Some Formal Methods for Designers of Flow Charts

Carel J. M. Jansen ; Michaël F. Steehouder

Abstract

Document designers who present procedural instructions can choose several formats: prose, table, logical tree, or flow chart. In all cases, however, it is essential that the instructions are ordered in a way that allows users to reach the outcome in as little time as possible. In this article two formal methods are discussed that help determine which order is most efficient. The first method is based on the selection principle. The second method is based on the principle of the average least effort.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1996-10-01
DOI
10.2190/nu5k-kndc-u2ek-ly4t
Open Access
OA PDF Green
Topics
multimodality

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

  1. Tham (2023)
    Instructional Design Pedagogy in Technical and Professional Communication
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Passera (2018)
    Flowcharts, Swimlanes, and Timelines
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication

Cites in this index (4)

  1. Mulder (1996)
    Perception of Anthropomorphistic Expressions in Software Manuals
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Cornelis (1995)
    The Passive Voice in Computer Manuals: A New Perspective
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Jansen et al. (1992)
    Forms as a Source of Communication Problems
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Jansen et al. (1986)
    ALEXIS: computer-assisted feedback on written assignments (1)
    Computers and Composition
Also cites 9 works outside this index ↓
  1. Steehouder M. (1992)
    Studies of Functional Text Quality
     ↗
  2. 10.1109/TPC.1982.6447739
     ↗
  3. 10.1177/001872087501700209
     ↗
  4. 10.1177/001872088302500511
     ↗
  5. 10.1075/idj.4.1.02jan
     ↗
  6. 10.1111/j.2044-8325.1979.tb00455.x
     ↗
  7. 10.1075/idj.5.2.03ste
     ↗
  8. Steehouder M. (1994)
    Quality of Technical Documentation
     ↗
  9. Jansen C. (1994)
    Quality of Technical Documentation
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 8 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2026
    Stance in CEO Statements from U.S. and Vietnamese Banks’ Annual Reports: A Corpus-Based Cross-Cultural Study ↗
    Minh Hieu Nguyen
    multimodality professional writing
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2026
    An Acceptance Analysis of Firms’ Posts on Sina Weibo to Build Credibility ↗
    Chenghui Wu
    multimodality social media
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    Developing Intercultural Socioemotional Communication Skills: A Hybrid Student Exchange Project Between Kenya, Ireland, and Germany ↗
    Belinda Oechsler; Yvonne Cleary; Sissi Closs
    multimodality technical communication
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    What Video Games Can Tell Us About Interactive Technical Communication ↗
    Emily Kuzneski Johnson
    multimodality technical communication multilingual writers
  5. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    “Is This Ethical?” New Data on the Ethical Principles and Practices of Document Design ↗
    Leslie Seawright; Amy Hodges; Timothy Ponce
    multimodality technical communication disability studies multilingual writers