Effective Software Project Management

Context Diagrams

One way to describe your process at a very high level is the context diagram. It is a good starting point. A context diagram describes a rough process or a set of processes. It generally has only a few components:

• A stick figure representing the external entity that is triggering the process

• A large circle representing the organization responding to the request

• A text block showing each organization or process acting to fulfill the request

• Arrows showing the rough flow between text blocks

The context diagramming process (Figure K-7) requires that the group identify one or more candidate processes. For example, a process might start with a customer request/action and end with a fulfillment. The modeling activity starts by identifying those two points. You show the process start by using an arrow from the customer to the organization. You show the process end by using an arrow from the organization to the customer. That gives an initial bounding of the process, and the group can decide whether that particular process has enough issues to spend more time diagramming. If the process merits more discussion, the diagramming process continues by identifying the first group to receive the request and the action sequence that the organization goes thru to fulfill the request. Simply put, the group uses Post-it notes and arrows to show what goes on in the organization to fulfill the request. This should be done at a high level and the constrained area of the circle helps keep ...