Write with direct, calm precision. Prefer a clear instruction or verified statement to promotional language.
- Give one sentence one principal job.
- Use active voice where the actor matters.
- Put the condition before the instruction when it prevents an error.
- Define an acronym on first use.
- Use UK English.
- State the outcome at the start.
- List prerequisites before the first step.
- Begin each numbered step with an action.
- Include the expected result after a meaningful action.
- End with verification or recovery guidance.
- State what the application does, not what it could do.
- Identify mock, prototype, generated and planned behaviour.
- Do not turn an architecture recommendation into a claim about the deployed system.
- Distinguish client-side validation from server-side authorisation.
- Distinguish a hosted Stripe checkout from a custom payment API.
- Distinguish S3-backed pre-screen persistence from storage of all assessment data.
Use fictional organisations, account IDs, user IDs, resource names and transactions. Never publish secrets or customer data.