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This all boils down to the same old "know your user" rule we
often fall back on here. Engineers, factory assemblers and
service techs who are experienced in reading drawings can,
given time, figure out how to assemble something without
*any* written instructions, and in most cases the procedure
is just a time saver; if you just gave them a list of the parts
in the order they're supposed to be assembled and a quick
note to torque bolts to a certain value, that'd be enough.
OTOH, if you're writing procedures for the untrained, for
users who are ESL readers, or just concerned that your
users may be blithering idiots who'll cut off a body part and
sue you over the tiniest and most absurd interpretations of
instructions, that's another matter entirely.
Gene Kim-Eng
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ned Bedinger" <doc -at- edwordsmith -dot- com>
> What this portends for the value of definite articles in
> procedures is simple. You must include them for all users,
> unless they don't want you to do it.
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