Process analysis is usually organized by time order because it explains the steps of the process in the order in which they occur, starting with the first step. (For more on time order, see “Use Time Order to Write About Events” in Chapter 3.) This is the strategy used in the paragraph and essay models in “Paragraphs vs. Essays in Process Analysis.”
Transitions move readers smoothly from one step to the next.
Common Transitions in Process Analysis
| after | eventually | meanwhile | since |
| as | finally | next | soon |
| at last | first | now | then |
| before | last | once | when |
| during | later | second | while |