Hovedtrinn

Hovedtrinn is a Norwegian term that translates to "main steps" or "principal steps." It is not a technical concept with a single universal definition; rather, it is a generic phrase used to describe the essential stages in a process, guideline, or procedure. In practice, writers use hovedtrinn to identify the core actions required to reach a goal, often listing them in sequence and distinguishing them from substeps or detailed instructions.

In practice, the term appears across domains such as project management, instruction design, and engineering. In project management, hovedtrinn may refer to the main stages from needs assessment or scope definition to planning, execution, monitoring, and project closure. In instructional design, it marks the critical actions a user must perform to complete a task, with substeps providing additional detail. In construction or operations, it denotes major phases of a workflow, such as design, procurement, construction, testing, and handover.

When referring to Norwegian-language texts, hovedtrinn can be singular as hovedtrinnet or plural as hovedtrinnene, depending on grammar and definite context. The term often serves as a stylistic or organizational device rather than a fixed technical concept, enabling writers to foreground the essential sequence without enumerating every minor task.

Related terms include fasen (phase), trinn (step), and deltrinn (substep). Hovedtrinn functions as a descriptive label used to structure information, plans, and procedures, rather than as a formal theory or standardized framework.