Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1005929
26 | July - August 2018 | www . machinerylubrication.com as absolute truth. Instead, it means reviewing, evaluating and either using the feedback or providing explanations as to why the feed- back will not be used. is type of approach will help guarantee that feedback is provided. As more maintenance tasks are converted to procedures, develop and use a single template. is will foster consistency across an orga- nization, making procedure-based maintenance easier to put in place and sustain. One c aut ion w hen u si n g craftspeople to write procedures is to first train them on the process. Procedures need to be specific and actionable without any unnecessary information. A nother approach is to have a craf tsperson write the procedure and then have it edited by a technical writer. Both approaches have their pros and cons, so be sure to choose the right one for your organization. Writing Usable Procedures Writing procedures is not an easy task. Many people have different opinions on the sequence, specifi- cations, etc. Once this is sorted out, the procedure should be written in a way so it can be followed by all craftspeople, including non-native English speakers. ankfully, with English being the universal language of aviation, we can continue to learn from the aviation industry. This industry has developed simplified, technical English. Simplified, technical English is a controlled version of English that is designed to help the users of English-language maintenance documentation understand what they read. Technical writing can be complex and difficult to understand, even for native English speakers. Simplified, technical English makes procedures easy to understand and follow, eliminating language issues and reducing premature and main- tenance-induced failures. Simplified, technical English provides a set of writing rules and a dictionary of controlled vocabulary. e rules cover grammar and style. e dictionary specifies the words that can be used and those that can't. For the words selected, there is only one word for one meaning, and one part of speech for one word. Some of the benefits of simpli- f ied, technical English include reducing ambiguity, enhancing the clarity of technical writing, improving comprehension for people whose first language is not English, and increasing equipment reliability by lowering the probability of defects being introduced during mainte- nance and assembly. e simplified, technical English specification is not easy to learn, but training and software are available. Even without becoming an expert, you can still make your procedures more readable and drive reliability. Begin with some basic writing guidelines and by reviewing the procedures before they are issued. Some of the best practices for writing procedures include the following: • Use shor t sentences. The recommended maximum limit is 20 words in a procedural sentence and 25 words in a descriptive sentence. • Restrict noun clusters to less than three nouns. • Restrict paragraphs to less than six sentences. • Avoid slang or jargon. • Avoid the passive voice. • Be as specific as possible. • Use articles such as "a/an" and "the" wherever possible. • Use simple verb tenses (past, present and future). • Write sequential steps as sepa- rate sentences. • Put commands first in warnings and cautions, with the exception of certain conditions. • Use the word "that" after subor- dinate clauses that use verbs such as "make sure" and "show." • Introduce a list item with a dash (hyphen). • Use graphics where needed to clarify meaning. A picture is worth a thousand words. • Use the word "warning" to protect a g a inst ha rm to personnel but t he word "caution" to protect against equipment damage. Once the procedure is written, review and delete any information that is not relevant (i.e., instead of synthetic lubricating oil, use only oil). Well-written procedures should help to eliminate any misinter- pretation and drive clarity to the craftsperson performing the activity. Here is an example of how the wording of a procedural step could be open to interpretation. e task "replace the filter" could mean either MAINTENANCE AND RELIABILITY