Engineering Specification Editing Tools

Abstract

The techniques described are intended to help writers and reviewers of specifications identify weaknesses in their drafts more quickly, thoroughly, and accurately than in the past. There were two parts to the effort that went into their development. The first involved the 'knowledge-engineering' needed in order to learn more about what makes specifications good or bad, so that the computer might be programmed to flag significant sources of potential error. The second part was experimentation with software techniques for automating the examination process. It was centered around the development of a small-scale natural language parser intended for parsing sentences that are typical in training systems specifications and statements of work. Surprisingly, for such an important subject as it is, relatively little organized knowledge was found about how to write and edit specifications. Most of the material used was borrowed from other fields. Specification writing, Professional communication.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA275116

Entities

People

  • John T. Oriel

Organizations

  • Naval Air Warfare Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cognition
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Contract Administration
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Engineering
  • Formal Languages
  • Information Systems
  • Language
  • Linguistics
  • Natural Languages
  • Personnel Management
  • Procurement
  • Word Processors

Readers

  • Database Systems and Applications
  • Instructional Design and Training Evaluation.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.