In a newspaper article, the paragraphs are ordered by importance, so that the reader can stop reading the article at whatever point they lose interest, knowing that the part they have read was more important than the part left unread.
I never knew that, though now that I've seen it said, it does seem accurate. Articles do lose importance as the article goes on. But I'd argue that it's a much older method, known as a "hook". Relying on a reader's knowledge of an unstated rule / guideline is effectively suicide when dealing with large quantities.
It does make good advice for engineers, though, especially as it's procedural. Follow the steps for win. If couched in these terms, you'd probably get more / better technical writing from most people.