Bottom Line Up Front, or BLUF, is the practice of beginning a message with its key information (the "bottom line"). This provides the reader with the most important information first. By extension, that information is also called a BLUF. It differs from an abstract or executive summary in that it is simpler and more concise, similar to a thesis statement, and it resembles the inverted pyramid practice in journalism and the so-called “deductive” presentation of information, in which conclusions precede the material that justifies them, in contrast to “inductive” presentation, which lays out arguments before the conclusions drawn from them.
Bottom Line Up Front is a standard in U.S. military communication whose aim is to make military messages precise and lucid. It differs from an older, more-traditional style in which conclusions and recommendations are included at the end, following the arguments and considerations of facts. The BLUF concept is not exclusive to writing since it can also be used in conversations and interviews.
Purpose BLUF is used for effective communication. BLUF aims to enable the receiver of a message to make faster decisions, especially for people who are busy, time-constrained, or overloaded with lots of information. BLUF helps manage a reader's load as most readers' priority is to get through all text or copy quickly and efficiently. This way, the reader can grasp the main idea or the whole thought of a write-up. The BLUF approach can help writers better organize their thoughts by starting with the big idea that they want to convey. For writers, announcing the BLUF convention while the article is in draft form might give the author a sense of clarity because the essay's purpose is stated early on, and having it written out can keep the writer on task.
BLUF communications place the main point of a message at the beginning and then follow it up with the context. In addition, it is used to enforce speed and clarity in delivering reports and emails. It is followed by essential background information that summarizes or enumerates the considerations (events or prior decisions) that led to the bottom line.
For example:
"BLUF: I need you to approve both the design and content of the attached flyer by noon on August 10.
This flyer is for an upcoming conference at which we are exhibiting. I have included information about the upcoming classes we are offering, our contact information, and a list of the services we offer."
By putting the bottom line up front, the example above gives the receiver what is expected of them and the task's level of priority.
Origin
The phrase "bottom line up front" comes from a 100-page long document entitled Army Regulation 25–50: Information Management: Records Management: Preparing and Managing Correspondence. One of the standards for army writing for correspondences includes the use of BLUF, as cited in the following text:
Army writing will be concise, organized, and to the point. Two essential requirements include putting the main point at the beginning of the correspondence (bottom line up front) and using the active voice (for example, "You are entitled to jump pay for the time you spent in training last year").
In a 2017 guidance on how the U.S. Defense Department answers inquiries from Capitol Hill, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis expects the department to improve its communication with Congress "at every level". According to an August 22 memo from Capt. Hallock Mohler, Mattis' executive secretary, responses to congressional inquiries directed to the secretary or deputy secretary "must be completed within five calendar days". If more time is needed, "an interim response or reply will be sent indicating when to expect a final one. Mattis' guidance includes the following two directions: "Answer the question asked. Address the issue raised. Do not avoid the question or answer a different question. If you can't answer the question or address the issue, state why." And "Give members of Congress the Bottom Line Up Front; be direct and to the point using clear, concise, and straightforward language."
Use in the military
The various support units of the military also use the BLUF to convey their study and findings, as shown in the following abstract from a medical journal:
Bottom Line Up Front: In this perspective essay, ENS Ofir Nevo and Dr Laura Lambert briefly discuss the concept of an outward mindset and how they have applied it in the context of medical education. ENS Nevo shares his story of deciding to attend medical school at the Uniformed Services University, as part of his desire and commitment to serve others. Early on, the requirements of medical school created intense demands that began to disconnect him from the commitment and connection that first drew him to a medical career. ENS Nevo describes how an awareness of the choice of mindset helped him address these challenges and stay better connected to his purpose and calling. A case analysis by Lambert further explores how the awareness and practice of an outward mindset may help students, residents, and attendings see how they can improve their own well-being and connection to the people that brought them to medicine in the first place. Their experiences demonstrate how outward mindset principles can be a valuable tool for empowering students and physicians with a perspective that invites new solutions for the challenges of life and work.
Similarly, military lawyers use BLUF to summarize the key points of their reports:
Bottom line up front: no two states have identical national laws; even our understanding and application of the laws of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) (Geneva and Hague being the cornerstones) are not uniform. As judge advocates (JA) and legal advisors (LEGADs), we have a central role in identifying and understanding the relevant national positions within combined forces, the implications for the force, and advising how to minimize the operational or tactical impact, in order to ensure mission accomplishment.
Military officers also use short BLUF to convey a positive review, such as "Bottom line up front, you should read this book. That said, while I do recommend it, it is not without some serious issues." As well as a negative review, as follows:
Here's the bottom line up front: As physicist Wolfgang Pauli famously quipped, "This is not right. It isn't even wrong." Lt Col Robert Spalding's article "America's Two Air Forces" (Summer 2009) is deeply flawed in both premise and argument. Meaningful analysis of our aircraft requirements demands sound methodology and critical assessments that minimize internal biases. Unfortunately, the author falls far short on both counts. He describes a requirement for a bifurcated US Air Force equipped to meet the demands of peer-competitor threats and irregular warfare, and then asserts that current aircraft procurement plans will fail to meet either requirement. While there is some merit in his general assessment of roles and missions for his "Two Air Forces" (kudos to his discussion of irregular warfare), the analysis offered – which is inadequate and often specious – fails to support his conclusions. I will address his assertion that our Air Force should focus on a peer-competitor force structure.
Effective writing
Among its many rules, the now-rescinded DA pamphlet mandated structuring written staff products with the main point, or bottom line, at the beginning. The pamphlet said Army writers should give the bottom line up front, or BLUF, because "the greatest weakness in ineffective writing is that it doesn't quickly transmit a focused message." This is applicable not only in the military letters but also in writing emails, conversations, digital media, and many more.
In writing When writing a document for business and academic purposes, BLUF helps in writing the message and argumentation because it features prominently a main "what" and "so what". Stating the key judgment and significance up front sets up the argument, ensures the message is clear, and highlights why the reader should care about the document. In order to create reader-friendly prose, writers structure their paragraphs using BLUF format to better aid the reader's ability to recall the paragraph's main idea or content. BLUF-structured topic sentences are applicable when writing literature review, experimental results, and argumentative essays.
The BLUF style can also be routinely seen in executive summaries, reports, subject lines in e-mails, and abstracts in scholarly articles. The intention to place the bottom line at the onset is done because executives tend to focus on problem solving. It may be applied directly to the format of a résumé to prevent it being too long or wordy. In certain technical writing, BLUF may be considered desirable. It has also been advocated for scholarly articles. BLUF gives brevity in communication. This conciseness in communication comes from placing at the start the conclusion the summarized vital information and actions.
In journalistic writing, BLUF resembles the inverted pyramid structure for the latter also aims to serve the readers well by arranging the story elements in descending order of importance. Like the inverted pyramid structure in which the story's conclusion is already contained in its lead, writing in BLUF structure adheres to brevity and clarity so that readers can understand the message right away without sacrificing essential facts and without having to reread the message.
Army writing is effective when it is functional and satisfies the writer's and the intended readers' purposes effectively (adequate to accomplish a purpose; producing the intended or expected result). The BLUF model is designed to state upfront the purpose of the message and the required action to be taken. It is intended to respond quickly to the five Ws: who, what, where, when, and why. This kind of writing requires precision and direct statements that enforce fast and clear communications. Their subject lines use keywords in all caps to note the email's purpose, such as info (for informational purposes only), request (seeks permission or approval by the recipient), and action (the recipient must take some action.) The following example is an example of a BLUF message from the Air Force Handbook: "BLUF: Effective 29 October 2013, all Air Force Doctrine Documents (AFDDs) have been rescinded and replaced by core doctrine volumes and doctrine annexes." Another example comes from the U.S. offensive in Iraq in 2007: "The battle against al-Qa'eda in Diyala, Operation Arrowhead Ripper, is expected to last for weeks. The end state is to destroy the al-Qa'eda influences in this province and eliminate their threat against the people."Damien McElroy, "US offensive in Iraq uses Vietnam tactics," The Daily Telegraph; London (UK) June 20, 2007:O18
Along with the military professionals, analysts from the intelligence community also use the BLUF. Intelligence analysts often start an assessment with their bottom line up front. Their analytic reports are often drafted for busy policymakers possessing limited time for consumption of information and who therefore prefer the main points and judgments plainly presented at the beginning. For example, CIA Reports and Estimate 34-39's bottom-line-up-front judgment assessed Soviet intentions in Latin America, especially on what the Soviets would attempt:
This assessment suggests that potential Soviet actions in Latin America may increase and do so nefariously. These types of BLUF judgments were discussed often at the U.S. National Security Council meetings after WWII up to the early 1950s.