Process Analysis

When you come in…

• Get out your MC (#23-28) from last week. I will pick them up in a few minutes.

• Work with the people at your table to unscramble the sentences in the bag.

Process Analysis Definitions• Process – an operation that moves through a series of

steps to bring about a desired result– Any procedure (getting out of bed, buying stocks) can be

called a process.• Natural – birth of a baby• Mechanical – starting a car engine• Physical – dancing• Mental – reading

• Analysis – an operation that divides something into its parts in order to understand the whole more clearly– Poetry readers analyze lines of a poem to find meaning– Doctors analyze a patient’s symptoms to prescribe treatment– Politicians analyze the opinions of voters to plan campaigns

To write a process-analysis essay:

1. Divide the process you are going to explain into its individual steps;

2. Show the movement of the process, step by step, from beginning to end; and

3. Explain how each step works, how it ties into other steps in the sequence, and how it brings about the desired result.

Purpose

• To give directions– Help your readers do something (change a tire)

• To provide information– Satisfy readers’ curiosity (pilot a space shuttle)

• Often, you’ll find it hard to separate the two purposes. – Directions on how to hit a baseball, plus– How the whole process works (rules of the game –

strike zone, walks, hits, base running, outs, scoring)

Audience – WHO IS IT?

• Writing to an audience – giving directions– People who are already interested in your subject

• “If you want to plant a successful garden, you must follow these seven steps.”

• Writing for an audience – providing information– Can write from a more detached point of view, but you

have to find a way to catch the interest of more casual readers

• “Although many Americans say they are concerned about nuclear power, few understand how a nuclear power plant works.”

Audience – WHAT DO THEY ALREADY KNOW?

• How wide is the gap between you and your readers?– If they’re experts, you can make certain

assumptions as you write.– If they only have general knowledge, you

can take nothing for granted.• Teaching someone to operate an iPhone who has

no experience, you have to define special terms and explain all procedures

CAUTION

• If you don’t tell enough, you will confuse or annoy your audience.

• If you tell too much, you will bore or antagonize them.

Remember

• To analyze a process effectively, you must either research it carefully or have firsthand knowledge of its operation.

• It’s risky to try to explain something you don’t really understand.

Strategies – Organization

• Five Parts– Overview– Special terms– Sequence of steps– Examples – Results

Help readers understand process

Show process in action

Evaluates worth of completed process

Organization – Overview

1. Define the objective of the process

2. Identify (and number) the steps in the sequence

3. Group some small steps into larger units

4. Call attention to the most important steps or units

Organization – Special Terms

• Used to describe tools, tasks, and methods

• Define them for your readers– At the beginning – aids in understanding– When you use them – easier to remember

when used in context; pause to explain their special meaning

Organization – Sequence of Steps

• Must be clear• Give the reason for each step• If appropriate, provide these reminders

1. Do not omit any steps. A sequence is a sequence because all steps depend on one another.

2. Do not reverse steps. A sequence is a sequence because each step must be performed according to and necessary and logical pattern.

3. Suspend certain steps. Occasionally, a whole series of steps must be suspended and another process completed before the sequence can resume.

4. Do not overlook steps within steps. Each sequence is likely to have a series of smaller steps buried within each step.

5. Avoid certain steps. It is often tempting to insert steps that are not recommended but that appear “logical” (i.e. could be tragic in an operating room).

Organization – Examples

• Pictures – charts, graphs, diagrams

• Anecdotes – clarify your explanation by using examples from your own experience

• Variants – alternative steps to show that the process may not be as rigid or simplistic as it often appears

• Comparisons – a complex process may be similar to a process they already know

Organization – Results

• How do you know it’s done?

• How do you know it’s good?

• Simple answers: the car starts; the trunk opens

• Answers that aren’t so clear: the jury may have difficulty reaching a decision; a successful surgery may still result in death

Process AnalysisPoints to Remember

1. Arrange the steps in your process in an orderly sequence.

2. Identify and explain the purpose of each of the steps in the process.

3. Describe the special tools, terms, and tasks needed to complete the process.

4. Provide warnings, where appropriate, about the consequences of omitting, reversing, or overlooking certain steps.

5. Supply illustrations and personal anecdotes to help clarify aspects of the process.

How many ____ does it take?

• Q: How many Censors does it take to change a light bulb?– A: One to ---- ------- ----- and another to ---- ----- ---- while ---- ----

- - -----with a ------

• Q: How many Magicians does it take to change a light bulb? – A: It depends on what you want it changed in to...

• Q: How many Waiters does it take to change a light bulb? – A: None, even a burned out bulb can't catch a waiters eye

• Q: How many Aggies does it take to change a light bulb?– A: Five, one to hold the light bulb and the other four to turn the

ladder round and round !

In this comic drawing, James Stevenson offers yet another variation on the old joke. Trace the various steps in this overwrought flow chart. Has Stevenson missed a step or placed steps out of sequence?

Construct your own...(time permitting)

• Construct your own flow chart for a simple process such as making an ATM transaction or hitting a golf ball.

• Then write an analysis of your chart demonstrating why this simple process contains hidden steps or must be explained in a larger context.

Read Gretel Ehrlich’s “Rules of the Game: Rodeo”

• Answer the For Study and Discussion questions in COMPLETE SENTENCES. (I should know what the question is asking when I read your answer.)