Fit Lock and Key
Do not imagine that your completed analysis is a series of separate “things” such as a
subject line, a problem statement, the comparison of some alternatives of which one
is recommended, and an implementation plan for that recommendation outlined. All
of these elements should fit together like lock and key. The problem statement, for
example, poses a question that the recommended alternative answers. The
implementation sequence clarifies what would have to be done (and by whom and
when) to make that recommendation real. The subject line of the memo is a statement
of the recommended alternative.
This lock-and-key test may suggest ways of understanding a problem differently at
the end of an analysis (once you have figured out how to make progress in handling
it). When you have a final implementation sequence, review the paper or memo to
ensure that the implementation plan gives form to your recommendation, that the
recommendation fits the problem you define, and that the subject line accurately
describes the recommendation.