Equally Acceptable Alternative Action Steps

DOE-STD-1029-92

4.4

Equally Acceptable Alternative Action Steps

Equally acceptable alternative action steps are used when it is beneficial for users to be

provided with more than one option. It is important to ensure that only one alternative is

performed.

[1]

Present alternative actions as items in a list within a single action step.

[2]

Use the word one in lower case underlined to introduce the list of alternatives (for

example, "Perform one of the following actions").

[3]

Provide a checkoff line for every action as a series of alternative action steps to

ensure that action steps are not omitted and that redundant actions are not

performed.

[4]

Specify that users only check off those action steps actually performed.

EXAMPLE 4-10. Two equally acceptable action steps.

[1] Perform one of the following actions:

Check action taken

C Set Switch S-7 to "ON"

C Set Switch S-9 to "ON"

4.5

Time-dependent Action Steps

Some action steps contain actions that impose time requirements on the user by

specifying the duration of actions or actions that must be completed within a specific

period of time.

[1]

Place a note before the action steps to be timed in order to alert the user.

[2]

Begin the action steps with instructions for the user to record critical time

information and provide the user with a place to record this information. Typically

this information will be the time that "starts the clock," and the time by which

some action step or action must be completed.

[3]

Include guidance to identify the actions to take in the event that the time-

dependent action step cannot be performed within the specified time.