
670 Part III n Information Quality Applied to Core Business Value Circles
Write steps as
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imperative sentences with positive commands.
Use correct grammar.
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Use standard punctuation.
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Use Simplified Technical English for Technical Procedures and Complex
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Documentation, and Controlled English for textual Information
and Documentation.
Set reading difficulty three grade levels below the level of the Reader.
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Procedures must NOT be workarounds. Workarounds indicate a broken
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process. Workarounds in formal processes indicate that Employees are per-
forming Information Scrap and Rework by design, without realizing it!
Avoid
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ambiguous words or phrases.
Avoid Acronyms and Abbreviations (without a legend).
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Use checklists for complex procedures to ensure no missed Steps or
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Information.
Make Procedures
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easily accessible for performers.
Specify ranges versus error bands: “31 – 47 (Normal = 39),” not “39
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+
8.” This forces someone to make a mental calculation that can easily be
miscalculated.
If the step requires a calculation, provide calculation formula or calcula-
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tion steps.
Use formal logic rules (IF, WHEN, THEN, AND, OR, NOT) for conditional
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statements:
“IF the Customer does not want to provide a birth date,
THEN leave the field blank
AND select Reason Code of “Refused”
Use “NOT” for a negative condition or prohibition:
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“IF the amount of coverage is NOT sufficient . . .” versus “IF ...