1. Check consistency of specifications

More and more frequently, specifications are reaching volumes that render them virtually illegible. This is usually the result of inappropriate use of the "copy and paste" function, which can be so abused by computers. Although there's no need to suspect any trickery or malicious intent, this sometimes, indeed often, leads to inappropriate, incorrect or contradictory definitions.

This means rereading the specifications, despite their sometimes daunting thickness! If possible, we should get into the habit of reading quickly, learning to detect key words and then stopping to reread the relevant chapter more carefully. Some will ask why a search using a series of keywords wouldn't save us time; this is of course one way of proceeding, but with the risk that the writer's vocabulary will differ markedly from that of the reader. Depending on time constraints and prior...