Comparing the Writing Process to the Engineering Design Process

A production process accomplishes the same purpose regard-less of context: it takes a project from ideas to execution, from planning to finished product. Often, then, different processes overlap, as explained below in a comparison of the writing process to the engineering design process (see Table 2).

The purpose of showing the comparison between the engineering process and the writing process is to illustrate that much of the work writers do—no matter what your field is— goes through a series of steps, even if some of them are unconscious steps.

To be able to write effectively on the job, you need to know your own process so that you can move through writing tasks more efficiently and effectively.

The flowchart below (See Figure 3) describes the writing process as a flowchart. Note that the process is recursive, which means that you may have to go back through a step in the process several times before you are ready to move on to the next step. Your process may emphasize planning, or it may involve a great deal of drafting. There’s no right or wrong way to do it; what’s important is that you know how you work. Knowing how you work is how you get work done.