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First, I'm speaking of numbered lists, not bulleted lists. (There is a
difference: numbered lists imply sequence, whereas bulleted lists do not.
Each numbered 'step' in my list is a complete sentence.) Secondly, the
'sentence' introducing the list is not a sentence at all, but rather a
'title' consisting of a slightly 'embellished' infinitive (which may very
well answer my question in and of itself). For example,
To phone a friend(:)
1. Pick up the receiver.
2. Dial the number.
3. Wait for the person you are calling to say hello.
<snip>
I'm simply gathering information before I make a recommendation for our
house style.
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With that in mind, then:
If the title introducing your list (or procedure) is in a heading format,
then I would capitalize it accordingly (initial caps, probably), phrase the
title so that it was an imperative instead of an infinitive (Phone a
Friend), and _would not_ use a colon.
If the title introducing your list (or procedure) is in the same format
(more or less) as the list itself, I _would_ use a colon, especially if you
retain the "embellished infinitive" style for the title.
