​Process Analysis

Process Analysis Prompt

The purpose of writing a process analysis is to tell or explain to others how something is done, how something is made, or how something works. Keeping this in mind, write a process analysis on a subject you know well. Do not select a topic that is too big to handle. You may, for example, want to write about how to assemble a Boeing 747, but it won’t be manageable because there is too much information to include (which is beyond the scope of this assignment).

Your process analysis MUST contain the following elements:

Introductory Paragraph

Your introductory paragraph should introduce the subject. It should tell your readers where and when you learned about the procedure and explain why the procedure you are going to describe matters to you. After reading the opening paragraph, your readers must be able to understand why you wanted to tell them about the procedure and what they are going to learn from reading your process analysis.

Body Paragraph(s)

The body paragraphs of your process analysis should explain each step in detail using action verbs and descriptive language. All the steps involving the procedure should be threaded together into an essayic format using connectives such as “here,” “now,” “next,” “then,” “before that,” “afterward,” “while,” “equally important,” “finally,” etc.

Remember there are two types of process analysis: i) directive and ii) explanatory. Directive process analysis lists all of the steps involved in making, doing, or performing something in a sequential order, whereas explanatory process analysis provides a detailed description of how something is done, made, or performed. For your process analysis, you should use the explanatory format. You will receive zero points for the assignment, if you structure your process analysis thus:

Step I: Bring a piece of lumber from the barn.

Step II: Soak it in gasoline, etc.

Conclusion

The conclusion of your process analysis should leave your readers with a feeling that the time they spent on reading your essay was worth it.

Length: 2 or 2 and half pages, double spaced, Times New Roman (font)

Weightage: 100 point (10% of the course grade)