This is the basic procedure that I use as a guide for players in my D&D 5e games:
Dungeon Exploration
When you decide to stop traveling and explore a given area, the exploration phase begins. An area of 1000 square feet or smaller can be explored in 10 minutes. Use the Exploration Area asset to indicate the area being searched. You stay within this area during the exploration.
Goal & Approach
After the DM describes the environment, you describe what you try to do for the next 10 minutes with reasonably specificity. Common tasks might include, but are not limited to the below. The associated ability score may be commonly relevant to any ability checks made to resolve an outcome for the task (if there is an ability check at all).
- Check for Traps & Hazards (Wis)
- Figure Out a Trap or Hazard (Int)
- Forage/Loot (Wis)
- Keep Watch (Wis)
- Perform a Ritual
- Pick a Lock (Dex)
- Search for Secret Doors (Wis)
- Figure Out a Secret Door (Int)
A task that is dependent upon another task being completed cannot usually be completed in the same round of exploration. (These are the indented tasks in the above list.)
Working Together
Instead of performing a task by yourself, you can work together with someone else. By working together, you can grant advantage to the character leading the effort. You can only provide help if the task is one that you could attempt alone and when working together would actually be productive.
Wandering Monsters
At the end of the 10 minutes of exploration, the DM rolls for a wandering monster. The roll is made with advantage if noise was made during the exploration. If a stealthy wandering monster is indicated, any character that was not keeping watch is automatically surprised.