I think about like a dependency graph. I am make and the recipe is the Makefile.

When I was learning to cook my process was to read the recipe thoroughly, including any instruction on techniques. A good book will tell you how to chop an onion and sauté it. I would then distil this into a dependency graph which I would write down in a book. I still have this book. A recipe in there looks something like this (excuse the bad ASCII art):

    2 eggs      -|
    200g sugar  -|---- beat together---|
    200g butter -|                     |
                                       |--- combine --- bake
    240g flour      -|                 |
    1tsp baking pdr -|-- combine ------|
    1tsp vanilla    -|

Notice that, just like make, I don't need to write down how to beat or combine stuff together. I have a library of known steps to get from those ingredients to the desired state.

Nowadays I don't have to actually write this down because I stick to a few cuisines that I know well (English, French, Italian and Indian generally). I know 90% of the techniques I'll need for any recipe so I can simply read the recipe, assimilate it, then execute it in the kitchen.

The two biggest mistake I see new cooks making is not reading a recipe through first, and not building a library of common techniques. Instead I see people taking the original recipe right into the kitchen, often on their phone these days, and executing it as they are reading it through for the first time. This usually leads to incredible amount of wasted time due to poor scheduling. Always aim to be free of the recipe. Like a musician you should eventually be able to play the piece without the music.