Understand What Process Analysis Is

Process Analysis

Writing That Explains How Things Happen

Understand What Process Analysis Is

Process analysis either explains how to do something (so that your readers can do it) or explains how something works (so that your readers can understand it).

Four Basics of Good Process Analysis

  1. It tells readers what process the writer wants them to know about and makes a point about it.
  2. It presents the essential steps in the process.
  3. It explains the steps in detail.
  4. It presents the steps in a logical order (usually time order).

In the following paragraph, the numbers and colors correspond to the Four Basics of Good Process Analysis.

4 Time order is used

The poet Dana Gioia once said, “Art delights, instructs, consoles. It educates our emotions.” 1 Closely observing paintings, sculpture, and other forms of visual art is a great way to have the type of experience that Gioia describes, and following a few basic steps will help you get the most from the experience. 2 First, choose an art exhibit that interests you. 3 You can find listings for exhibits on local museums’ Web sites or in the arts section of a newspaper. Links on the Web sites or articles in a newspaper may give you more information about the exhibits, the artists featured in them, and the types of work to be displayed. 2 Second, go to the museum with an open mind and, ideally, with a friend. 3 While moving through the exhibit, take time to examine each work carefully. As you do so, ask yourself questions: What is my eye most drawn to, and why? What questions does this work raise for me, and how does it make me feel? How would I describe it to someone over the phone? Ask your friend the same questions, and consider the responses. You might also consult an exhibit brochure for information about the featured artists and their works. 2 Finally, keep your exploration going after you have left the museum. 3 Go out for coffee or a meal with your friend. Trade more of your thoughts and ideas about the artwork, and discuss your overall impressions. If you are especially interested in any of the artists or their works, you might look for additional information or images on the Internet, or you might consult books at the library. Throughout the whole experience, put aside the common belief that only artists or cultural experts “get” art. The artist Eugène Delacroix described paintings as “a bridge between the soul of the artist and that of the spectator.” Trust your ability to cross that bridge and come to new understandings.

You use process analysis in many situations:

COLLEGE In a science course, you explain photosynthesis.
WORK You write instructions to explain how to operate something (the copier, the fax machine).
EVERYDAY LIFE You write out a recipe for an aunt.

In college, a writing assignment may ask you to describe the process of, but you might be asked to describe the stages of ______ or explain how ______ works. Whenever you need to identify and explain the steps or stages of anything, you will use process analysis.