I have a question for US based DIYers. Often in dathasheets I find a paragraph called "Engineering specifications". It contains sentences with "shall be". What is the purpose of it?
Those are to be copied into formal requests for quotes etc. for parts or systems. its mostly legal boilerplate.
The "Engineering specification" gives the "Engineer" a sense of how difficult it's going to be to implement.
For example, in a power supply specification, saying the DC output ripple & noise "shall be" < +/- 0.5uV p-p is a lot harder to do than, say < 20mV of p-p noise.
For example, in a power supply specification, saying the DC output ripple & noise "shall be" < +/- 0.5uV p-p is a lot harder to do than, say < 20mV of p-p noise.
In English there are several related wish/command words. How you use them in a specification can make a big difference in the contract. Even good document writers need guidance. Here's a good one.
http://www.acqnotes.com/Attachments/Guide to Specification Writing.doc
"Verb tenses and auxiliary verb usage
"When writing specifications we always state requirements in the future tense using the emphatic form "shall." Hence, the finished product SHALL be, SHALL produce, SHALL consume... Government policy on this is stated in MIL-STD-961D. The weaker auxiliary verbs "will," "should" and "may" do not express a requirement. In the case of "will," the sentence places responsibility on the purchaser. "May" grants permission, and "should" states a preference. "Must" is ambiguous, since it may express a presumption instead of a requirement. For example:
"John must love Deborah; after all, they've been happily married for over twenty years.
"Correct usage of "shall" and "will" in specifications is extremely important, and is a frequent source of errors found in drafts.
"A large number of people think that only sentences containing the word shall can express requirements, and their belief is reinforced by an ANSI/IEEE standard, 830-1984. Some contractors are even using software based on that standard to decompose specifications into a databases of individual requirements. Hence, if your requirement does not contain the word "shall," it will not become an entry in the resulting database of requirements."
http://www.acqnotes.com/Attachments/Guide to Specification Writing.doc
"Verb tenses and auxiliary verb usage
"When writing specifications we always state requirements in the future tense using the emphatic form "shall." Hence, the finished product SHALL be, SHALL produce, SHALL consume... Government policy on this is stated in MIL-STD-961D. The weaker auxiliary verbs "will," "should" and "may" do not express a requirement. In the case of "will," the sentence places responsibility on the purchaser. "May" grants permission, and "should" states a preference. "Must" is ambiguous, since it may express a presumption instead of a requirement. For example:
"John must love Deborah; after all, they've been happily married for over twenty years.
"Correct usage of "shall" and "will" in specifications is extremely important, and is a frequent source of errors found in drafts.
"A large number of people think that only sentences containing the word shall can express requirements, and their belief is reinforced by an ANSI/IEEE standard, 830-1984. Some contractors are even using software based on that standard to decompose specifications into a databases of individual requirements. Hence, if your requirement does not contain the word "shall," it will not become an entry in the resulting database of requirements."
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So if I understand it properly, the received goods shall meet the engineering specifications.
In my country, there are lots of public tenders to deliver goods to the state or municipalities - and if some official preparing the tender would be motivated to order a certain product without mentioning manufacturer or model, he would copy/paste such specifications.
In my country, there are lots of public tenders to deliver goods to the state or municipalities - and if some official preparing the tender would be motivated to order a certain product without mentioning manufacturer or model, he would copy/paste such specifications.