Operating Procedures: Minimalist Writing
In this post we continue our thoughts on the topic of Operating Procedures. Previous posts in this series are:
The following quotation is attributed to Winston Churchill.
I’m sorry this letter is so long; I did not have time to make it short.
In this post we consider the importance of minimalist writing.
Strunk and White
In our first post in this series we referred to the classic book Elements of Style ― often referred to simply as ‘Strunk and White’ ― the names of the authors. One of their catch phrases is, ‘Make every word tell’.
Based on this insight we suggest that an operating manual should be written using a minimalist style of writing. Minimalist writing eliminates all extraneous material. In the context of operating procedures every effort should be made to remove ‘soft’ or generic information. Every word should tell; every word should help the person following that procedure conduct the work safety and efficiently.
Minimalist writing is not quite the same as writing with just a few words. If many words are needed then many words should be used. But every word must help the operator run his or her unit. Every word must tell.
Unfortunately, this is not what always happens. Many operating manuals are cocooned in a cloud of ‘soft’ materials such as introductions, summaries, technical information, generic safety instructions and company mission statements. None of these materials help the operator or maintenance worker do his or her work more efficiently or more safely; instead they pad the manual with words that get in the way, thereby increasing the time it takes find the useful and relevant instructions. The minimalist approach eliminates these soft materials. An operating manual should tell the operator how do the task — no more, no less. This guideline does not mean that the other materials should not be used. But their place is not in the operating procedures.
For example, if it is policy that persons working outside must always wear a hard hat, no matter where they are or what they are doing, then there is no point in inserting that requirement in every operating procedure. The requirement to wear a hard hat is a condition of employment — not an operating instruction. However, if a particular task requires that the operator wear hearing protection then instructions to do so whould be included in the procedure itself.
Short, Pithy Instructions
A minimalist approach condenses the style of writing. When describing the execution of a particular task verbally, an operator may say,
Next, you need to go over to Pump P-100 and get it started.
The corresponding minimalist instruction would read:
Start Pump P-100.
All redundant words and phrases have been removed.
Procedures written by engineers are sometimes verbose and are often written in the passive tense. They have a tendency to write ‘instructions’ such as,
Having started P-100, flow 1,000 kg/h of condensate into V-100 using FCV-121, first making sure that the pressure in V-100 is not greater than 20 barg.
The above sentence can be collapsed into the following five separate instructions:
Start Pump, P-100.
Measure the pressure in V-100.
If the pressure in V-100 is greater than 20 barg, transfer control to Procedure ABC.
Start the flow of condensate from P-100 to V-100.
Adjust the flow rate to 1000 kg/h as measured by FCV-121.
Avoid Repetition of Instructions
Generally there should be no need to repeat an instruction. If a task is so critical or so confusing that the writer feels a need to repeat an instruction, then it is likely that too much reliance is being put on the procedures and the operators (see our post Operating Procedures: Don’t Ask Too Much). Rather than repeat the instruction, it would be better to redesign the operation itself, or to modify the equipment being used.
There is one important exception to general rule about repeating instructions — particularly with respect to maintenance procedures. Pictures and sketches often provide a useful supplement and alternative to the written text.
Omit Needless Words
The phrase ‘Omit Needless Words’ (which is also taken from Professor Strunk’s book) is one of the keys to minimalist writing.
The Table illustrates how needless words can be removed; the phrases in the first column are all unnecessarily lengthy; they can be shortened to the phrase in the second column.
Omit Adverbs
The fourth example in the Table — ‘Close the valve carefully’ — is worth additional discussion. The word ‘carefully’ is adding no value to the instruction. This can be seen by considering the opposite instruction: ‘Close the valve recklessly’. Obviously no one would write such an instruction. Therefore it can be seen that words such as ‘carefully’ are not adding value. Like all adverbs when used in procedures, it should either be dropped, or replaced with quantified statements.
In the case of the instruction in the Table, the writer probably used the word ‘carefully’ to warn of some hazardous condition that might arise from the closing of the valve. For example, the valve may be on a feed line to Tank, T-100. If the valve is closed too quickly, the level in the tank may fall below a safe limit. Therefore, the instruction ‘Close the valve carefully’ becomes:
Close valve, V-1001.
Ensure that the level of liquid in Tank, T 100, does not fall below 3 meters.
Or,
Close valve, V-1001.
Do not let the flow of liquid, as measured by FIC-120, fall below 100 kg/h.
