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#Simple diagrams in architecture how to
#Simple diagrams in architecture software

It might be associated with either a piece of data, a bunch of code, or a process. Using any kind of box or shape which is not properly documented might cause multiple interpretations.Let’s now iterate through a list of pitfalls which might hinder the process of properly creating architectural diagrams.

It suffers most of the issues described below Do not let an architectural diagram require thousand of words or clarifications!Įxample of an improper architectural diagram. The same concept applies for an architectural diagram: if it raises more questions than answers, the diagram is not well created. As per this wiki explanation, "it refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image or that an image of a subject conveys its meaning or essence more effectively than a description does". Current pitfalls when designing architectural diagramsīefore going deeper into possible issues, I would like to have an analogy to an English idiom which says "a picture is worth a thousand words". structure, elements, relationships, properties, principles) and across different stakeholders having various technical backgrounds and concerns.

#Simple diagrams in architecture software

That’s why it is important that every architect or software engineer rely on several guidelines when creating architectural diagrams, since they are the common ground of communicating the application’s architecture over time (e.g. Nevertheless, diagrams must be self descriptive, consistent, accurate enough and connected to the code. Adopt the right emerging trends at QCon San Francisco (Oct 2-6, 2023)! Get actionable advice for your engineering challenges. In comparison to an architectural model which must be formal and standardized, the diagrams might not necessarily be formalized or follow a specific standard. I saw a lot of issues regarding inconsistency, fragmentation, and granularity of the rendered information and the look of the diagrams. In software architecture, such diagrams are created in compliance with views which are related to a specific viewpoint that could be part of a model, but in the current article I prefer to stick to the term architectural diagram and not be very formal all the other aspects are not intended to be covered here.īased on my experience as a software architect and technical trainer, there are a lot of discrepancies between projects and inside the project team from developer to developer in the way architectural diagrams are created. Kruchten 4+1, Rozanski & Woods, etc) or not, there is a need to document some parts of the application by creating diagrams. Whether we are following a formal architectural model (e.g. Additional concerns might emerge and could easilyĪt some point in time, in every software project we are involved in, there might be a need to create architectural diagrams.

Modern architectures bring extra complexities which are reflected in the diagrams.

#Simple diagrams in architecture how to

We need to know how to efficiently proceed in such cases by still keeping consistency and robustness across architectural diagrams.

As the system is evolving, maintaining diagrams up-to-date requires extra effort.

In the process of creating diagrams, try to blend automatically generated with manually created ones in order to minimize the work, to illustrate different set of concerns and to cover multiple abstraction levels of the system.

UML), but the misunderstanding of diagrams importance, relying on improper or inconsistent guidelines or even the lack of architectural education.

In most cases, the real issues are not strictly related to using a less efficient Architectural Description Language (e.g.

Creating consistent and meaningful diagrams brings clarity and consensus across different stakeholders.

Designing architectural diagrams might not be an easy task it can be tricky or error prone, even for the simplest ones.