diff --git a/taskflow/engines/action_engine/engine.py b/taskflow/engines/action_engine/engine.py
index 12f5feac..3dda9125 100644
--- a/taskflow/engines/action_engine/engine.py
+++ b/taskflow/engines/action_engine/engine.py
@@ -82,10 +82,18 @@ class ActionEngine(base.Engine):
         self._state_lock = threading.RLock()
         self._storage_ensured = False
 
+    def _check(self, name, check_compiled, check_storage_ensured):
+        """Check (and raise) if the engine has not reached a certain stage."""
+        if check_compiled and not self._compiled:
+            raise exc.InvalidState("Can not %s an engine which"
+                                   " has not been compiled" % name)
+        if check_storage_ensured and not self._storage_ensured:
+            raise exc.InvalidState("Can not %s an engine"
+                                   " which has not has its storage"
+                                   " populated" % name)
+
     def suspend(self):
-        if not self._compiled:
-            raise exc.InvalidState("Can not suspend an engine"
-                                   " which has not been compiled")
+        self._check('suspend', True, False)
         self._change_state(states.SUSPENDING)
 
     @property
@@ -216,10 +224,7 @@ class ActionEngine(base.Engine):
 
     @lock_utils.locked
     def validate(self):
-        if not self._storage_ensured:
-            raise exc.InvalidState("Can not validate an engine"
-                                   " which has not has its storage"
-                                   " populated")
+        self._check('validate', True, True)
         # At this point we can check to ensure all dependencies are either
         # flow/task provided or storage provided, if there are still missing
         # dependencies then this flow will fail at runtime (which we can avoid
@@ -263,9 +268,7 @@ class ActionEngine(base.Engine):
 
     @lock_utils.locked
     def prepare(self):
-        if not self._compiled:
-            raise exc.InvalidState("Can not prepare an engine"
-                                   " which has not been compiled")
+        self._check('prepare', True, False)
         if not self._storage_ensured:
             # Set our own state to resuming -> (ensure atoms exist
             # in storage) -> suspended in the storage unit and notify any