Chapter 2: Planning your document
2.1 Introduction
Once you know your role, audience, purpose and subject matter, you need to plan your document. Planning involves identifying the key tasks your document will perform in order to achieve its overall purpose and working out a suitable structure for your document. These are really two sides of the same coin: the different parts of the document should be identifiable mainly through the distinct tasks they perform. This means that when you plan your document, you should first work out your document’s purpose, and then work out what are the most appropriate steps to take to achieve the purpose. Those steps can then form the main sections or parts of your document.
TIP: PLAN TO PLAN
Always start with a plan.
A plan helps you to ensure that all important topics are covered and that they are covered in a logical order. It can also help you to avoid repetition and to avoid writing too many words or too few. Good planning also shortens the time you will need later to revise and edit your document.
This chapter will cover:
