Headings

The highest level is Heading 1

It is OK to have a singleton Heading at any level

Do not use a Heading (n+1) unless it is under a Heading n

Capitalization

• First word on each line of a bulleted list (except for definitions in the Glossary)
• The following are proper nouns that in many cases have a specific meaning in OpenECOMP and should be capitalized:
  • Application Controller
  • Infrastructure Controller
  • Network Controller
  • Offer
  • Product
  • Resource
  • Service (note: use "service" in generic contexts; use "Service" for a Service Design & Creation tool object)
• Letters in words that are part of acronyms. See Acronyms treatment, below. Examples:
  • Business Support System (BSS)
  • REpresentational State Transfer (REST)
  • Open Platform for NFV (OPNFV)

Usage

APP-C vs APPC: both are allowed in Release 1 (consistent with SDN-C/SDNC)

ingredients: avoid

life cycle vs lifecycle or life-cycle: prefer two words "life cycle", as recommended here, and because OpenECOMP contains a Life Cycle Management (LCM) functionality. Note that Reference documents, such as <<DocRef: "Common Requirements for Virtual Network Functions">> show both forms. 

onboarding:

1. taking a Virtual Network Function (VNF) from a source or supplier and integrating it into the OpenECOMP platform
2. (avoid this usage) telling a potential developer/contributor what they need to know about tools, policies, processes, etc. to start using or contributing to Open ECOMP. Instead, use a title such as "Developer Starting Guide" rather than "Developer Onboarding Guide".

open source (adjective): capitalize only in titles; avoid "open-source". (Based on prevalence on the web.)

orchestration: The coordination of facilities and lower-level services in a software-defined networking context to define and provide higher-level services

recipe: use alternatives like "workflow and configuration information", when related to a Resource, Service, Product, or Offer. However, within the context of the server configuration system Chef, a recipe is the most fundamental configuration element.

run-time vs. execution-time (adjective): prefer run-time. Example: "run-time logging of events"

run time:(noun) Example: "logging of events at run time"

SDN-C vs SDNC: both are allowed in Release 1 (consistent with APPC/APP-C)

"secret sauce": replace with a phrase like "value-added functionality" or "vendor-specific algorithms".

subsystem: a large component; avoid "module" when referring to OpenECOMP subsystems such as MSO

"Must", "Should", and "May"

The following usages apply to specifications for third party software (such as Virtual Network Functions) designed to operate with OpenECOMP. (These definitions are taken from the "Common Requirements for Virtual Network Functions" document.)

must: This word, or the terms required or shall, mean that the definition is an absolute requirement of the specification.

must not: This phrase, or the phrase shall not, means that the definition is an absolute prohibition of the specification.

should: This word, or the adjective recommended, means that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances to ignore a particular item, but the full implications must be understood and carefully weighed before choosing a different course.

should not: This phrase, or the phrase not recommended, means that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances when the particular behavior is acceptable or even useful, but the full implications should be understood and the case carefully weighed before implementing any behavior described with this label.

may: This word, or the adjective optional, means that an item is truly optional. One vendor may choose to include the item because a particular marketplace requires it or because the vendor feels that it enhances the product while another vendor may omit the same item. An implementation which does not include a particular option must be prepared to interoperate with another implementation which does include the option, though perhaps with reduced functionality. In the same vein an implementation which does include a particular option must be prepared to interoperate with another implementation which does not include the option (except, of course, for the feature the option provides.)

Other

Acronyms: Write out in first instance on a page, immediately followed by the acronym in parenthesis. Then use the acronym on the rest of the page.  In diagrams, if space allows, use full name.  Example: Operational Support System (OSS). For plurals, add an "s" but do not use "es", such as OSSs.  (This is how it's done in OpenECOMP.pdf.) 

Use of "&" in acronyms:  In general, avoid. Exceptions: "AT&T" and "A&AI". The latter appears often as "AAI" but both forms are still in use.

Incomplete items: Denote text that requires additional work using "<<TODO:" (easily searchable) and preferably italics:

<<TODO: explain what needs to be done>>

References to documents not yet available: use the word "DocRef:", followed by the document title, within << >>:

<<DocRef: OpenECOMP User Guide>>

Replace "&" with "and" in text

Special text formatting:

contact": { “contactType”: “USER”,

             “source”: “app1”,

          }

Figure numbering and labeling - start with Figure 1 on each page.  In the Figure caption itself, use bold for the entire caption; only capitalize the first word:

Figure 1. OpenECOMP architecture

Don't use bold in the text's references to Figure n.

Foreign phrases and abbreviations  (avoid, and what to substitute)
     -e.g.  ->  "for example", "such as"
     - i.e. ->  "that is" (or rephrase)
    - via  → "through", or sometimes "by"

if you DO use "e.g." and "i.e.", use commas after these

Try to keep sentences 25* words or less.  If very lengthy, consider rephrasing and breaking into a bulleted list.

     * Sometimes impossible but worth shooting for.