Guidelines for writing Specifications ELEC 421
Word Use in Engineering Specifications Traditionalist: Obligation: shall Permission: may Revisionist: Obligation: must Permission: will Minimalist: Using the imperative (command) form of the verb with implicitly assumed subject.
6C Rule Clearly written (unambiguous) Coherent and well-organized (format) Complete (no omissions) Concise (no unnecessary words) Consistent (terminology, accuracy, drawings, constraints and needs) Correct (both technical & grammatical)
Jargon The specialized language used by experts in a particular discipline Makes communication more efficient among knowledgeable people Define terms in the text where they are first used for the benefits of all stakeholders
Acronyms Analogous to jargon Well-recognized and accept as a part of the language SCUBA (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) RADAR (radio detection and ranging) Use acronyms judiciously and define them when they are first mentioned
Nominalizations A technique for changing a verb into a noun by adding a suffix Avoid its usage to shorten the text for conciseness and readability Repetitive use of normalizations makes the processing of writing more difficult. Text is harder to read when verbs are nominalized repeatedly.
Noun Stacks Use of a stack of nouns as an adjective to describe another noun For ease of reading, limit noun stacks to three or fewer nouns Noun stack: Aircraft wing-body junction vortex generation Revision: vortex generation at the wing-body junction of an aircraft
Long Sentences Sentence length should be guided by the complexity of the idea being described Avoid run-on (fused) sentences (i.e., containing more than one independent clause) Use connecting words to relate shorter sentences
Unforgivable Grammatical Errors Subject-verb agreement Fragments Run-on Sentences
Dr. Peeples’ Comments Use present tense unless explaining some sequence of events Clear & Precise Language. No marketing spin allowed Simple, direct, & Concise Consistent naming of functions and components throughout the spec.
Dr. Peeples’ Comments No “hanging” illustrations (i.e., figures or tables) that are just there and never discussed, explained, or even referred to for clarity Don’t specify brand names (Fluke, HP..) unless absolutely required to use a particular brand or model number As complete as possible
Reminder The specifications is written to describe the technical details of the project Formal project proposal concentrates more on marketing aspect