1. Writing for Business Analysis: Quick Guide
Step 1 Prewriting Process
STEP 2: DRAFTING THE FRAMEWORK (Building the document blueprint)
Creating an Outline
1) Research your topic- get good understanding.
2) Start a brainstorming session; get answers of questions
from “The Pre-writing Process”. From these answers
organize your thoughts with identified elements, ideas, concepts, and
premises as they occur and inspire you.
3) Begin outlining your document with a “list of bullet points” of all “main
messages”.
4) Review, what you wrote. What you thought to be a main point might
wind up as a sub-point or supporting point and vice versa. If so, move
the sub-point under the appropriate main point.
5) Work through this process for a coherent story to evolve.
 Limit number of key points between three and five!
Storyboarding
Storyboarding is great tool for detailed
and complex subjects. Writer visualizes
the information.
Advertising and Movie industry uses
storyboards to pitch Ideas to convey a scene-
by-scene feeling for the story in a short
amount of time. Gaps are also exposed in the story.
Writer identifies logical steps in their thought processes.
Mostly outline created transition into a storyboard or storyboard
can be an alternative to an outline. This process of going from an
organized concept to a narrative of the concept into detailed
segments; the storyboard brings the story to life.
Rewrite document using simple, direct writing. Don’t try to be sophisticated. Be concrete (Set up and discuss relevant facts and
keep the material centered on the facts (those elements that can't be contradicted; they are proven to be true, have actually
happened, or actually exist) Be specific: Hone in on the crux of the issue and how it applies to your audience. Maintain your core
message throughout the document or presentation. Include glossary of difficult terms. Avoid run-on sentences (fused
sentences) and jargon
‘to be’ Verbs (is, was, and were): Active vs. Passive voice
Use Active Voice is precise. By identifying ‘the actor’ who performs the action, the active voice doesn't leave the reader in doubt. Passive
sentences often leave out the actor, leaving the reader with questions such as, "To whom is the writer referring?" or "Who is doing that?" Most of the
time, these questions arise subconsciously and therefore tend to take the reader away from your point. The flight WAS cancelled by the airline,
is in the passive voice while The airline CANCELLED the flight is in the active voice. The active voice is more direct, concise and engaging. "To
be" verbs, such as "is," "was" and "were" are indicators of the passive voice. Theoretically, a lower amount of "to be" verbs, maybe present in
less than 20% of sentences, indicates better writing.
Exceptions: Use Passive sentences when you don't want to identify the actor, or receiver is more important than the actor or you want
to avoid a first-person pronoun. or rearranging the Subject with Object (actor)
Writer’sGoals
1)“Easytoread”.
2)Reader‘captivatesthecontents’.
3)Readers’thinkingmatcheswithwriting
styleofthewriter.Theylikewriter,
AUDIENCE
Analysis
Understand
Demographics
Interests
Environment
Needs
Customization
Expectation

2. Step 4: Revising (Validating the logical flow )
Stay consistent with your points, don't stray. Remove any superfluous information and content. Avoid being repetitive.
Support your points with coherent and organized arguments that stand on their own, but are persuasive. Instead, support this
assertion with facts. Background and supporting information should only be included as it pertains to clarifying, defining, or
illuminating points. Edit to highlight your points just as you would trim bushes and shrubbery away from a building to expose
architectural detail.
Editing: In-depth review to ensure the content flows logically and answers questions audience might have.
Words are evaluated for their specific meaning and context. Sentences and paragraphs are rearranged.
Stay in tune with your audience's intent. What is their reason for consuming your message? What is their frame of reference?
At this point, don’t worry too much about typos, spelling, and style details. You can catch them in the proofreading stage.
Proofreading : Spelling and Grammar Counts
Proofreading is the last superficial pass through the document to ensure you’ve captured and corrected any errors in spelling,
grammar, punctuation, etc. It’s time to make sure the document is professional, polished, and ready to be delivered.
CHECKLIST
The writer’s goal: Convey thoughts, concepts, ideas, stories,
and material in a manner that the audience understands.
Filter information through the context of the audience so
that it makes sense, not necessarily to every lay reader, but to your
particular audience.
1) Eliminate words that are not common without altering your
intent and meaning.
2) If the terms can't be replaced, define them for the audience
through glossaries, parenthetical statements, and in text
citations.
3) Read your work from the perspective of the audience to ensure
that your language supports your intent. If it doesn't support your
intent, then modify or eliminate the confusing terms and
language.
4) Make sure that your subject matter is supported with clear,
concise, and common language
Step 5: Publishing
You want Interior and exterior design on your work (Fonts,
page size and styles etc.)
Is your content ready for consumption? If yes, Print, email or
send hard copy to your information consumers.
George Orwell’s Six Rules for writing.
1) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech
which you are used to seeing in print.
2) 2. Never use a long word where a short one will do.
3) 3. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
4) 4. Never use the passive where you can use the active.
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon
word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright
barbarous
READABILITY SCORES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
DID YOU PERFORM A READABILITY TEST?
Flesch-KincaidScore School Level
90 to 100 5th
80 to 90 6th
70 to 80 7th
60 to 70 8th and 9th
50 to 60 high school
30 to 50 college
0 to 30 college graduate
Business Communication
Type/Class Theme Objective
Technical paper,
Manual or
Procedures
Linear Thoughts Inform , Educate
Sales Letter
Persuasive Create a Call To
Action
Story Telling
Emotional Narrate, Educate
Report or Inter
Office Memo etc.
Strictly
Informative
Request a decision,
inform
Executive Summary
Strictly
Informative
Inform , Educate,
Update
Article
Strictly
Informative
Inform , Educate,
Update
Blog
Strictly
Informative
Inform , Educate,
Update
News
Informative Inform , Educate,
Update
Business Planning
Linear & Logical
Thinking
Inform , educate,
request a decision,
create a call to
action
READING SCORE - POPULAR PUBLICATIONS
READER'S DIGEST 65
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS 60
TIME 52
NEWSWEEK 50
WALL STREET JOURNAL 43
NEW YORK TIMES 39
NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS 35
HARVARD LAW REVIEW 32

3. Writing Plans
A business analyst will spend a lot of time writing plans such as:
1. Business plans
2. Project plans
3. Action plans
4. Communication plans
5. Change management plans
6. Training plan
STANDARD COMPONENTS OF PLAN
Section
Description
Executive
Summary
1. Two page summary of the entire plan
2. Includes who, what, where, when, why, how and how much
3. The reader should have a good understanding of the plan by just reading the executive summary
4. It should be written in a tone that excites the reader and makes her/him want to get into the details of
the plan
5. Always write the executive summary after you have finished writing the plan
Background
 Provide enough information to orient the reader to the organization’s or department’s current
situation
 Include statistics or market research but be brief, concise and relevant
Statement of the
Problem or
Challenge
Identify what the problem is and what impact it has on the organization
Objectives
 Outline how you are going to solve the problem
 Detail your end goals and expected outcomes
Action Plan
Provide specific activities and milestones to achieve your objectives
Required
Resources
Indicate which personnel need to be involved and the time commitment needed to make this a success
Required
Personnel
Identify which physical resources you are going to need, such as buildings, rooms, equipment, vehicles,
etc.
Time Frame
 Outline the short and long term milestones
 Provide a detailed timeline using a spreadsheet or gaant chart
Evaluation
Include an evaluation process to measure activities
The evaluation should occur during and on conclusion of the plan
it can be formal (professional auditors) or informal (surveys, after action reviews, exit interviews, etc.)
Metrics Develop effective measures to quantify outcomes
Budget and Budget
Justification
Outline all initial and ongoing costs for the plan
Include capital assets and operational costs
Appendices
Include appendices if you want the reader to have access to have additional information
This can help keep your plan to a manageable size
Reports (Big and Small)
After planning next logical step for BA’s work is thru Post Planning
to Implementation.
Communication of regular reports advising managers of the following
reports:
Status of your project, program, activities, and results. Monthly or
quarterly status reports, annual report, email update, newsletter and
performance measurement report.
Always include solutions, if status of the issue as "there are no
possible solutions at this time", this is just a quick status update, not
a report.
The best report format is one that will fit above the fold (message fit
in one screen – without scrolling down screen) in an email
message.
Report format
Steps Contents Extra Information
Frame the issue(s)
Clearly define the
issue, little
background if
required.
The background may
be needed on new
projects.
Present specific
solutions
Always include
possible solutions.
No solution means a
‘quick status report’
only, not a ‘report’
State the specific
decision(s) that need
to be made
End the report with a
specific action.
Management
decision
Technical Documents
Let’s look at the characteristics of a technical document.
Examples of documents containing technical writing:
technical memos , business scoping documents , business requirements specifications , business use case scenarios
user manuals , training material , risk assessments , business impact analysis and vendor selection criteria

4. Framework for Technical Documents
Section Description
Summary
 The purpose of the document
 The scope (or context) of the document
 The contents
Writer's intent
Follow the 5W questions: who, what, why, where, when, and how.
 What are you trying to convey?
 Why is it important?
 Who are you writing to?
 How are you planning to get your point across?
Audience
intent
Assess the intent and reason for needing the conveyed information.
 Are there disconnects between your intent and the audience's intent?
 What is the common ground?
 What is the common thread of disconnect?
 How can you rectify that disconnect without losing your intent?
Key points and
concepts
 Create an outline and plan for your key points and concepts.
 Use a flowchart (or storyboard) to help you visualize the flow of information. Aim for three
optimal key points, but no more than five.
Sub or
supporting
points
 Consider your audience can retain three to five key points easily.
 Build upon those key points with sub or supporting points.
 Keep your focus. Generally, there is no limit to the number of sub points; however, if you
find yourself using too many, you may have been too broad in your characterization of the
parent key point.
Background
and supporting
information
 Include background information only as it pertains to clarifying, defining, or illuminating
points.
 Keep it specific and germane to the subject matter.
 Background information can help to tell a story, but as in all storytelling, too much can lose
the audience by camouflaging your intent.
Superfluous
information
Remove superfluous information and content. We have a tendency to want to show an audience
how much we know, or we may be a little insecure in our presentation. You need to trust that the
information you have gathered and verified will:
 Carry its own veracity,
 Tell the story effectively without unnecessary detail
The Canadian Press Stylebook (13
th
edition) “the bible” uses Oxford English Dictionary as its authoritative guide for spelling.
Stylebook is standard for universities, colleges, and journalists in the country.
Titles (short titles and long titles)
Do not use titles rarely after the first use., Do not use the courtesy titles Mr., Mrs., Ms or Miss. Refer to a married couple by
their [first names] [last name] when they do not share the same last name, an explanation is necessary
Jane Smith and Erin Michaels, a married couple, do not share a surname.
Title Dr. is only used for ‘licensed health care professionals’ (dentists, veterinarians, and chiropractors etc). For PHD use
doctorate e.g. Jack Turner, a doctor of philosophy
Short Titles
[Short Title] [Given name] [Last Name] on first reference
Director John Edwards was consulted.
Long Titles
Long titles should be offset in apposition (title is placed with name as an explanatory equivalent) as [Given name] [Last
Name] [ , ] [long Title] on the first reference
Jane Rutherford, Acting Dean of Pharmacy, attended the meeting
Dr. David Malloy, Acting Vice-President (Research)
Capitalize the names of universities but not their departments
Numbers
Spell out the numbers one through nine; for 10 and above. Spell out numerals that start a sentence. For ages and
percentages, always use numerals, even for numbers less than 10.
Spell out casual expressions: A thousand times no!
Proper names: use words or numerals according to an organization’s practice: 3M, Twentieth Century Fund, Big Ten
Exception: If the sentence that begins with a calendar year: 1938 was a turbulent year for Leon.

5. Use Arabic numerals (0123456789), use Roman numerals (I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X) only for sequences of people or
animals, wars, monarchs and Popes such as in a lineage: World War II, King George VI, and Pope John XXIII
Do not use commas between other separate words that are part of one number: One thousand one hundred fifty-five
Do not list decades or centuries in the possessive form (i.e.: 1920s not 1920’s)
Large numbers: use a hyphen to connect a word ending in to another word: Twenty-one, one hundred forty-three, seventy-
six thousand five hundred eighty-seven
Cardinal numbers
Cardinal numbers (or cardinals) are numbers that answers the question "How Many?” such as 1, 2, 10, 101, and so on
and the corresponding words — one, two, ten and one hundred one.
Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers tells the position of something in a list: 1
st
, 2
nd
, 10
th
, and 101
st
(first, second, tenth, one hundred first and
so on)
Possessives
Use an apostrophe s for all words not ending in s. For those that end in an s, plural words are followed by an apostrophe
alone while singular words are followed by an apostrophe s, unless it would be distracting to speak it aloud with the extra
syllable, in which case use only an apostrophe:
Instructors’ salary. (Plural possessive)
Professor Jones’s class was unruly. (Singular possessive)
Jones and Frank’s proposal was accepted. (Joint possessive)
Abbreviations
Use abbreviations alone if the term is very familiar to most readers. Examples: CBC, RCMP and NDP. When using an
abbreviation that is not well known, write the full name in the first reference with the abbreviation in parentheses. Use the
abbreviation in all subsequent references. It is a good idea to limit
Omit periods in all-caps abbreviations or acronyms, e.g.: COU, MAPS, NSERC, BA, MA and LLD.
Metric symbols are not abbreviations and are followed by a period only when they are at the end of a sentence, e.g., km—
singular and plural.
Use periods in
 Geographical: such as U.S., P.E.I., B.C., or a single letter, such as E. or p.
 Lower-case or mixed abbreviations such as e.g., i.e., B. Comm., etc.
 Periods go at the end of abbreviations like B. Comm., B.Sc., Dr., Aug., Wed., but not abbreviations that begin and
end with a cap, e.g., PhD, PoW, MiG, U of T, etc.
“Ms” as a title of address is not abbreviation for anything so do not use a period. [Note: CP uses a period.]
Do not abbreviate “professor” even as a title of address, “department”, “ March”,” April”, “ May”, “ June” and “July” (CP).
Dates and times
Write out months and days of the week in full. Abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. (i.e. don’t
abbreviate “March”,” April”, “ May”, “ June” and “July”; they are already short!).
Dates not abbreviated, but months may be abbreviated when they follow a specific date:
January 2005 was cold, but on Mar. 5, 2005 all changed.
For time, use periods between “a.m.” and “p.m.” When referring to the time at the top of the clock (i.e. whole hours 12, 11,
10 etc.), do not include the zeroes: 7 a.m., 7:30 p.m., midnight, and noon.
Money
Use numerals if preceded by a symbol representing a currency, write it out if not. Use numerals for fractions under 10.
Show U.S., Canadian and other dollars using abbreviations without periods:
$5, five francs, $2 million, a $7-million house, $6.7 million, 2.5 cents, $500 million US, $2 Cdn, 6 cents.
Per cent
Spell out the word "per cent". Do not use the symbol % except in tables, graphics and charts:
Fewer than five per cent of the students attended the lecture.
Student participation increased by 20 per cent.
Telephone numbers
Preferred: 604-555-1212
Acceptable: (604) 555-1212, 604.555.1212
Unacceptable: 604/555/1212, 604/555-1212
References
The Web (Email and Web addresses)
Include the “www” when referencing web address (older browsers will not recognize the address without it) If possible, omit the “http://” or
“https://” from Web addresses that include the www. When deciding whether to include “http://,” “https://” and/or “www.” in web addresses,
test the URLs to make sure they work without these prefixes. Keep email or Web address URL hyperlinks in one piece. Don't insert
hyphens to reflect a line break, as the link will not work.
When a Web address comes at the end of a sentence, finish it with a period. If it is online, make sure the period is not part
of the hyperlink and URLs should be lowercase if they are not case sensitive.
Do not underline or italicize email or Web addresses.

6. Do not use phrases such as "click here" to indicate a hyperlink. The text should make sense without the hyperlinks.
For a passing reference to a website in text, the URL is sufficient; no reference list entry is needed.
Gussie Fink-Nottle has set up a discussion forum for newt fanciers (http://gfnnfg.livejournal.com/).
However, citing a particular document or piece of information from a website, include both a reference list entry and an in-text citation:
Author, A. (date). Title of document [Format description]. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx
E-Books
Whole e-book:
Author, A. (date). TITLE OF BOOK. Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx
Author, A. (date). TITLE OF BOOK. doi:xxxxxxxxxxxx
Chapter in an e-book:
Author, A. (date). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), TITLE OF BOOK (pp. xx–xx). Retrieved from http://xxxxxxxxx
Author, A. (date). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), TITLE OF BOOK (pp. xx–xx). doi:xxxxxxxxxx
DOIs
A digital object identifier (DOI) typically located on the first page of an electronic document near the copyright notice and on the database
landing page for the document. Place the DOI at the end of the reference, and don’t add a period , example:
Author, A. (year). Title of article. JOURNAL TITLE, X, xxx–xxx. doi:xxxxxx
Book with one author
Adair, J. (1988) Effective time management: How to save time and spend it wisely, London: Pan Books.
Book with two authors
McCarthy, P. and Hatcher, C. (1996) Title of the book, Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Book with three or more authors second or later edition
Fisher, R., Ury, W. and Patton, B. (1991) Title of the book, 2nd
edition, London: Century Business.
Books with an anonymous or unknown author
The University Encyclopedia (1985) London: Roydon.
Journal article
Muller, V. (Year) ‘Title of the Article ’, Name of The Journal, vol. 3, August, pp. 103-107