Whether the subject of the paper is to discuss the best method for bathing a hedgehog or to detail the operating procedures of a particle accelerator, the process must be clear, detailed, and provide sufficient definitions of unfamiliar terms. It must be structured in such a way that the audience will have no difficulty understanding what you are talking about. Lucidity is especially important to the process paper, because if you are vague or inaccurate, a reader could misunderstand and make a serious mistake, like using a particle beam to dry off their hedgehog. While a process paper is subjective, a set of instructions is objective. In other words, instructions are for anyone to follow, while the process paper is what happened when the writer tried it.
Instructions are merely a sequential series of steps that result in the completion of the task.
Where a process paper uses a narrative style, the instructional paper uses imperative language and is simply a statement of fact. For example, you must attach the bulkhead to the superstructure before you can connect the plumbing. Clear, effective instructions can mean the difference between success and failure. The instruction writer must have a clear understanding of the difference between a note or hint and a warning. A note or hint will help the reader to better understand or complete the step, whereas a warning is intended to avert possible harm to someone or something.