Vocabulary Focus - Sequencing text

When you want order a text and say what comes first and follows afterwards, you can use the following linking words:

first...second...third... then... after that... finally

firstly... secondly... thirdly... afterwards...in the end

the first step is to....the next step is .... and the last step is ... (either to+ inf., or -ing form)

in the beginning ... then... subsequently...  at last

when;

When you want to refer to future steps, you can say

The following step .... The next step

And when you want to look back and refer to processes in the past, you can say:

the previous process