Here's the ritual I've gotten into:

Normally I use 3 passes; WTG, XTG, ATG but it all depends on how good of a shave I want and how much time I want to spend. To do all 3 passes it takes me 6 to 8 minutes. For the best finish, after rinsing I use an alum block and let that dry while I'm cleaning the brush, finish stroping the razor and generally cleaning things up. Next witch hazel. Now the alum and witch hazel have tightened the pores making the beard stand at attention and any less than perfect spots really stand out. While my face is wet from just the witch hazel I very lightly run over those areas (of course a very sharp blade is a must). In all the the process takes 15 to 20 minutes and yields a true BBS finish that I can get away with for up to 24 hours.

Happy shaving.