Good writing practices are essential for engineering SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). They ensure clarity, reduce errors, and can save time. Clear procedures make processes easier to follow, improve accessibility for all team members, and support compliance with industry standards. Well-written SOPs also enhance professionalism, preserve organizational knowledge, and facilitate collaboration across teams. By prioritizing clear and concise writing, engineering departments can create SOPs that are efficient, reliable, and easy to use.
Clarity
Clarity is paramount. Long sentences can unintentionally become convoluted. The following is an actual statement found in a transcript from a doctor’s dictation.
“The baby was delivered, the cord clamped and cut and handed to the pediatrician, who breathed and cried immediately.”
The Bride of Anguished English by Richard Lederer, p65.
The problems with this quote are numerous. Unless the context is completely understood, the statement is a garbled mess.
Brevity
Keep sentences short. Especially avoid run-on sentences. Additionally, avoid wordiness.
Bad example, “I’m jumping off of the road.” The additional “of” is unnecessary.
Good example, “I’m jumping off the road.”
Do you speak American? by Robert MacNeil and William Cran quoting John Simon, p22
Directness
Instructions should be stated as imperatives. An imperative sentence gives the reader a direct instruction. These sentences begin with an action verb and are followed by the object being acted upon.
Additionally, write in the third-person or even “no-person” perspective.
Recommended, “Fill in all title block fields.”
Not recommended, “All title block fields will be filled in by you.” Really? All of them by me personally?
Not recommended, “Title block fields are filled in.” Wow, when did that happen?
Sometimes imperative sentences cannot be used, such as when there is a task for a particular role. In such cases, use gender-neutral pronouns. “They,” “their,” and “them” may be employed for both plural and singular forms.1 Avoid the jargon “he/she,” as this can convolute instructions and create other avoidable grammatical issues in subsequent text.
When not using imperative sentences, use the words “shall”, “may” and “should”.
- Shall – establishes a requirement
- Should – states a recommendation
- May – states a suggestion or option
“Should” and “may” are often used interchangeably. For example, in the ASME standards, they mean the same thing.
More recently, the word “must” is sometimes used in place of “shall.” Using modern English, “shall” is well-understood to mean a requirement within a set of instructions. However, “shall” has other meanings that may confuse localization and translation into other languages. That said, “must” is somewhat awkward when used in a set of instructions. The use of either term will be a matter of preference within your organization.
The word “will” may also be used to state a requirement, but only when the responsibility and timeframe are established by context.
Recommended, “Each operator shall be capable of lifting 50lbs.”
Not recommended, “Each operator will be capable of lifting 50lbs.” That’s nice, but when will that be a requirement?
Paragraphs should be kept as short as possible. That means each instruction should be numbered individually within the SOP. If you have multiple instructions for one action, then use sub-numbering.
1. Wash hands before eating.
1.1 Apply soap to hands.
1.2 Rub hands under water for 20 seconds.
1.3 Wipe dry on clean towel.
Other grammar considerations for SOPs
Use present tense. Avoid mixed tenses, especially future and past.
Recommended, “Each part number shall represent only one item.”
Not recommended, “Each part number will be used by only one item.” When will that happen?
Despite what Microsoft Word may suggest in its grammar check, the use of the passive voice is acceptable and sometimes necessary. However, using imperative statements reduces the need for the passive voice.
Acceptable, “Grease may be applied to reduce friction.”
Alternative, “Application of grease is acceptable to reduce friction.”
Imperative, “Apply grease as necessary to reduce friction.”
Avoid jargon. In particular, avoid slashed terms and legal terms, such as “he/she,” “and/or,” and “per se.”
Avoid conversational terms and personal opinions. The following are examples of inappropriate terms that I found in technical documents: “heaven forbid,” “totally,” and “roundabout.”
Lists within instructions
When you need to list several items within one instruction, you may be faced with the dilemma of how to apply commas. If your list is short enough and each item within your list is distinct, you can simply list the items within a sentence and separate them with commas. While the serial comma is now preferred for such lists, the extra comma is traditionally considered unnecessary. That said, if you have a list so long or complex that the serial comma seems necessary for clarity, use bullet points instead.
For this, “Affected departments are Engineering, Quality Control, Research and Development and Manufacturing.”
Use this:
“The following departments are affected:
- Engineering
- Quality Control
- Research and Development
- Manufacturing”
Lists that are organized into bullet points are easier to read. They also remove many grammatical issues.
CAD specific considerations
The next article in this series will discuss CAD-specific considerations you may wish to address within your standard operating procedures. This includes the following:
- Engineering Roles
- CAD environment
- Network environment
- Software in use
- Lifecycle
- Modelling methodologies
- …and more.
Other resources
As noted in the previous article in this series, this information is an update to my presentation at SOLIDWORKS World 2011. That presentation is not currently available. However, I do have the PowerPoints for a couple of other previous presentations. These are available in the Files area of this blog. Please check them out.
