Hint Words are guide phrases that help you identify loss scenarios and hazard causal factors in STPA. You can open a Hint Word set from Control Loop Diagrams and Loss Scenario Tables in Astah System Safety.

Control Loop Diagram with the Hint Word set open
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Pre-installed Hint Word Sets

Astah System Safety comes with two pre-installed Hint Word sets: [An STPA Primer] and [STPA Handbook].
Preview of a pre-installed Hint Word set

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Customize Hint Words

You can customize the Hint Words to fit your analysis. To do so, go to [Tools] – [STAMP/STPA] – [Customize Hintword] from the main menu.
Customize Hintword menu

A window opens, where you can add, delete, and edit Hint Words as needed.
Dialog for customizing Hint Words

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Set a Default Hint Word Set

To choose which Hint Word set is used by default in your STPA analysis:

  1. Go to [Tools] – [STAMP/STPA] – [Customize Hintword] from the main menu.
  2. Select the set you want to use as the default and click [Set as Default].
    Setting a Hint Word set as the default
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Share a Customized Hint Word Set Within a Team

To share a customized Hint Word set with other team members, export it as an .xml file and have them import it:

  1. Go to [Tools] – [STAMP/STPA] – [Customize Hintword] from the main menu.
  2. Select the Hint Word set you want to share.
  3. Click [Export].
    Exporting a Hint Word set
  4. The Hint Word set is exported as an .xml file to the location you specify. Send this file to the team members you want to share it with.
  5. They can load the Hint Word set by clicking the [Import] button in the same window.
    Importing a Hint Word set