19.15 Avoid the Future Tense - Stay with the Present Tense


19.15 Avoid the Future Tense—Stay with the Present Tense

Avoid the future tense. Either it is happening or it is not. The use of SHALL and will leaves the issue hanging and cannot be readily audited. SHALL is used in the Standard because it is a future requirement of the organization (you). Once the organization has responded to the SHALL, it is now in the present.

As an example, instead of "Every department manager shall hold a monthly quality review session with their staff," we prefer "Each department manager holds monthly quality review sessions with his or her staff."

Of course, if you do want to include a future event, the future tense is appropriate (e.g., "In 2003, the present tracking system will be replaced with an MRP system").




ISO 9001(c) 2000 Quality Management System Design
ISO 9001: 2000 Quality Management System Design
ISBN: 1580535267
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 155

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net