Process or Procedure? One Is What Happens, One Is How
A process is a series of steps producing a result. A procedure is the documented way of carrying them out, and organisations confuse the two constantly.
A process is a series of actions leading to a result. A *procedure* is the prescribed way of carrying out one of those actions. A hospital's admissions process is what happens to a patient; the admissions procedure is the document telling staff how to do it. The distinction saves a lot of arguing in quality management.
- A series of steps. *The manufacturing process.*
- To deal with or treat. *Process the applications.*
- Legal proceedings. *Due process of law.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | process | A slow process. |
| Plural | processes | Internal processes. |
| Verb | process | Process the data. |
| Noun | processing | Data processing. |
| Related | procedure | The correct procedure. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The process takes about six weeks.The sequence as a whole.
- Applications are processed in order.The verb.
- Everyone is entitled to due process.Legal fairness.
Process words
- Procedure — the documented method
- Workflow — the sequence of tasks and who does them
- Bottleneck — the step limiting the whole process
- Throughput — how much gets through in a period
- Due process — the legal guarantee of fair treatment
From Latin *processus*, an advance, from *procedere*, to go forward. Note the pronunciation: British PROH-cess, American PRAH-cess.
Process or procedure?
A process is the sequence of steps and what it achieves. A procedure is the instruction for performing a step.
Processes or processi?
Processes. It is a Latin fourth-declension noun, not the kind that takes -i, and English pluralises it normally.