Process Analysis Essay

When you analyze a process, you break it down into separate steps and present those steps to your reader in one of two ways. You can either instruct the reader on how to do something (for example, how to change the oil in a car) or explain how something happens (how coins are minted). Both types of process analysis will present steps chronologically, but otherwise the resulting papers will be quite different because the purposes of the papers different fundamentally. The purpose of instructions is to enable the readers to repeat the process successfully: Having read the paper on changing oil in a car, readers should be able to change the oil in their car correctly. The purpose of an explanation is to inform readers about the process: Having read the paper on the minting of coins, readers should understand the basic procedure, but would certainly not be capable of minting their own money.

To give you practice in process analysis, college composition instructors may ask you to write about a process you know well. In such a case, select and limit your topic carefully. If a topic is too complex ( such as rewiring an old house), you cannot discuss it fully in the space of a typical writing-course paper. On the other hand, if a topic is too simple (making a sandwich), no instructions are required. An appropriate topic would meet all four of these criteria:

- The process should be one you do well and often, such as procedure you do daily in school, on the job, or at home.

The process should be suitable for its intended audience. For example, instructions on tying shoelaces would be inappropriate for children too young to follow written instructions.

- The process should be one whose instructions are not easily found elsewhere. For example, instructions on making Jell-O or baking a cake mix would be useless because readers could follow the instructions on the box more easily than they could read a paper on the process.

-The process should be one that can be discussed fully in the required length of the paper.

When writing instructions, follow these guidelines:

1. Use the second person (you). Since you are speaking directly to the readers telling them what to do, use the imperative verb form (e.g., prepare the surface by sanding it lightly; mix the ingredients thoroughly) and the pronoun you (e.g., you should allow at least two hours for the paint to dry).

2. Divide the process into separate actions. Almost any undertaking, even a relatively complex one, can be followed if the instructions separate the process into clear steps that the reader can follow one at a time.

3. Make the sequence clear. Use plenty of transitions to indicate the chronological sequence of steps: Every step should have expressions like "first," "second," "next," "at the same time," or "fifteen minutes later." The readers should never have to guess when, or in what order, the steps should be followed.

4. Give complete instructions. Remember that your readers do not know how to perform the task; that's why they are reading the instructions. Include all steps, no matter how obvious they seem to you, and include necessary background information. Also consider the error readers might make, and add any appropriate cautions or warnings.

5. Be specific. For example, telling the readers to "remove the old oil filter" is inadequate; they might now know where to locate the oil filter or how to remove it. To be specific, you may want to go through the process ( or better yet, convince a friend to go through it), taking notes on exactly what you do and when you do it.

6. Avoid the telegraphic style. To ensure that readers will be able to understand the instructions, do no omit words like "the" and "a," and do no rely on abbreviations. For example, instead of writing, "Add 1 lb flour to dough," write, "Add one pound of flour to the dough."