Which Came First: The Form or the Procedure?

 

The "chicken and the egg" scenario can easily apply to the constant debate about which comes first: the form or the procedure. The real question is whether forms are designed as needed and procedures use them as references, or if the procedures are written and the forms are designed to fit them.

From a forms professional viewpoint, the answer is obvious: The forms analyst designs the necessary forms and the procedures writer can later reference them as needed.

From a procedures writer's viewpoint, the answer is also obvious: The procedure must be written before you even know which forms are needed. The purpose of this article is to briefly address this debate and to provide an answer. But first we will get a few definitions out of the way.

Definitions

A printed or electronic form is a document or screen bearing instructions with repetitive information preprinted or displayed in a fixed position. Forms provide space for fill-in information. A form serves a purpose such as to record results, check activities, or ask questions. The forms analyst is responsible for analyzing the forms' workflow and for laying out the form fields on paper or on the computer screen. In an ideal world, forms should be designed for every activity that needs repetitive information to be recorded. Forms can stand alone or be included in a procedure…

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