: Re: Should one use the legal "shall" in requirements documents and specification documents? At least in the US, "will" has replaced "shall" in most every context, with the notable exception of the

@Caterina108

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Although the ISO may favor keeping "shall," I agree with PlainLanguage for this one: plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/conversational/shall-and-must/

Use “must” not “shall” to impose requirements. “Shall” is ambiguous, and rarely occurs in everyday conversation. The legal community is moving to a strong preference for “must” as the clearest way to express a requirement or obligation.

I favor must for requirements, should for a recommendation, could for an option, and will for statements of fact.

We must set our clocks forward for Daylight Savings. You should plan your sleep schedule to account for this. You could move to a state that stays with one time-scheme all year. Regardless, the earth will orbit the sun just as it always has.

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