Menettelyä

Menettelyä is the partitive singular form of the Finnish noun menettely, commonly translated as procedure, method, or process. The term refers to the way something is done, including the sequence of steps, rules, and practices that guide a task or decision.

In everyday language, menettelyä describes how activities are carried out. In formal or institutional contexts, it denotes recognized procedures defined by rules, policy, or law. Examples include administrative procedures, judicial procedures, and research protocols. The concept emphasizes the process and order of actions as opposed to the outcome alone.

Grammar and usage notes: menettelyä is used with verbs and constructions that require a partitive object, for example noudattaa menettelyä (to follow a procedure) or käsitellä menettelyä koskevia ohjeita (to handle the instructions concerning the procedure). The plural form is menettelyt, and related forms include menettelytapa (procedural method) and hallinnollinen menettely (administrative procedure). In legal and government language, references to the procedure often appear as hallinnollinen menettelylaki or oikeudellinen menettely, illustrating the term’s relevance to formal rules and processes.

See also: menettelytapa, käytäntö, prosessi. The concept is used across domains from everyday tasks to formal governance to describe how actions are organized and governed.