3.4. The Actor and the Action

Actor

The actor is an individual or object that directly participates or assists in the procedure. The actor initiates a change by performing or NOT performing a particular action in a step.

Action

An action is “the something” that is done by an actor. Actions may or may not be observable. An action may describe a behavior that

is accomplished or not accomplished. NOT performing an action should be thought of as just as important as performing an action when developing a step.

Active Tense

“Maintenance team leader: Attach the lockout device to the hasp.”

Passive Tense

“The lockout device is to be placed on the hasp by the maintenance team leader.”