Check and Double Check Test Procedures

February 12th, 2006

I came across the article, Mind Your Language, quite by accident. The lesson, however, is certainly worth heeding.

The article gives an example of a poorly-worded test procedure. In the example, the procedure reads,

“Tighten head gasket, replace oil seal and deliver to Lab 3.”

The technicians read this instruction as,

“Tighten head gasket, replace oil, seal and deliver to Lab 3.”

What the test engineer meant to write, however, was,

“Tighten head gasket, replace oil seal, and deliver to Lab 3.”

As a consequence, the oil seals were never changed, and the tests data was useless.

If you’re the engineer responsible for a particular test, make sure that you have someone review the test procedures to avoid mistakes like these. And if you’re a test lab manager, don’t just blindly pass along a test procedure handed to you. Have an engineer or senior technician review the procedure before any testing starts. Doing so, could save both you or your customer a lot of money.

Entry Filed under: Opinion