error · Section 5: Procedural writing
Rule 5.5: Write notes only to give information, not instructions
A note must give only descriptive information to help the reader during a procedure — never an instruction, requirement, or limit. Do not use the imperative form in a note, and do not use a note to state a result, tolerance, or limit that belongs directly in the related work step; each sentence in a note may have up to 25 words.
What a checker looks for
A clear deviation from the rule.
- Flag a "NOTE:" that contains an imperative-form verb (a command) — this makes it an instruction, which must instead be a numbered work step.
- Flag a "NOTE:" that contains information necessary to prevent damage or injury — this must instead be a WARNING or CAUTION.
- Flag a "NOTE:" that states a limit, tolerance, or result belonging to a specific work step — this content must be placed directly after the related action within the work step itself.
- Flag any sentence within a note that exceeds 25 words.
- Apply the standard's own note-validity test: read the surrounding procedure with all of its notes removed and confirm the reader can still do the procedure correctly. If removing a note leaves the procedure incomplete or incorrect, the note contains information that must instead be a work step, WARNING/CAUTION, or in-step limit — flag it.
What this rule does not cover
- A note that gives only background information, clarification, or an optional alternative — with no command, no safety-critical content, and no work-step limit — is compliant even when it appears among procedural steps.
- In descriptive writing (outside of procedures), a note is compliant only when it is necessary for an illustration or a table that is part of that description; a note used for other purposes in descriptive text is out of place.
How to fix it
If the note contains a command, move it into the procedure as a new numbered work step. If it contains safety-critical information, convert it to a WARNING or CAUTION. If it contains a limit or result tied to a work step, move that content directly into the relevant step, immediately after the action. After moving content out of a note, re-apply the note-validity test (remove all remaining notes and confirm the procedure is still complete and correct) until it passes.
Constraints on the fix
- Relocate the information to the correct place (work step, WARNING/CAUTION, or in-step limit) rather than deleting it.
Examples
Not STE: NOTE: Make sure that the avionics ventilation system continues to operate correctly.
STE: (6) Make sure that the avionics ventilation system continues to operate correctly.
Not STE: NOTE: When you connect the lines, do not bend them too much. If you bend the lines too much, you can cause damage to them.
STE: CAUTION: WHEN YOU CONNECT THE LINES, DO NOT BEND THEM TOO MUCH. IF YOU BEND THE LINES TOO MUCH, YOU CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO THEM.
Related rules
Where this fits in AI governance
A rule a checker can test is a rule a model can be held to. The same discipline, on the governance side of this site.
- Improper output handling
A procedural instruction acted on without a check is the same failure whether the reader is a technician or a downstream system. - Human-in-the-loop review
Procedures are where a generated instruction should not reach a reader without a person having read it first. - Output validation guardrails
A controlled language is a checkable output constraint. This is the control that treats model output as something to be checked rather than trusted.
Source
ASD-STE100 Issue 9, Section 5 - Procedural writing, page 1-5-5.
This page is commentary and does not reproduce the standard. About this rule pack.