Diagramming - How to

We aim for effective communication. The following questions and pointers assist to provoke reflection on ensuring the proposed outcomes from undertaking this work are met:

• A target audience.
  Who is the diagram for? Executives, developers, or just other architects?
• A defined purpose.
  Should this provide an overview or is it meant to show how components interact? (for example)
• A cohesive narrative.
  Even technical diagrams and documents should tell a story. How do the components of the diagram interact to fulfil the overall system's purpose?
• A broad perspective.
  The goal is to convey fundamental structure and behaviour, not every detail
• A consistent visual.
  Group related technologies together or use the same icons and colours to show similar elements.
  If one line represents data flow it is likely that every line should represent data flow, etc …