In a bulleted list, each paragraph in the list is preceeded by a bullet, a small symbol such as a circle or a square. In the type of document that business analysts create, much of the information is better presented in a list than in a connected paragraph.

Bulleted lists are very suitable for system documentation for several reasons:

• The individual points are easier to identify.
• The individual points are easier to separate, so that the client can consider each point one at a time.
• The number of items, such as features or requirements or business reasons, are clear, and their importance can be emphasized by putting them in a list.
• It is easier to identify the individual points and later put them in a database.
• It is easier to follow a set of instructions presentated in a list than in a connected paragraph.

Remember that technical documentation describes systems and processes and gives specific information for business purposes. It is not intended as a work of fiction, an interesting story, or an entertainment.

Exercise:

Ø  Create  a document.

Ø  Type the list beginning with the yellow sentence, above.

Ø  Put all the points in bullets.

Ø  If you type one line and make it a bulleted line, all of the following lines will most likely be bulletted, every time you press "enter", until you press "enter" twice.

Ø  Automatic bullets are controlled by a Word Option. Find the option and turn off automatic bulleting.

Ø  Select the list and select different shaped bullets.

Ø  Select the paragraph and make the list a numbered list (1,2,3, ... etc.).

Suggestion: Be careful with automatic numbered lists, one after the other. Sometimes they continue numbering from a previous numbered list.