A Beginner’s Guide to Data Flow Diagrams

Processes are mission-critical for companies, particularly when it’s time to doc and scale a confirmed course of.

In my expertise, whether or not a course of is digital or human-driven, it’s necessary to map it out so it’s simpler to refine, optimize, and finally repeat.

That’s the place knowledge movement diagrams are available in.

They assist me get a visible understanding of the steps concerned, their dependencies, and the way every contributes to the tip objective. Why does all this matter?

Whether or not I’m defining workflows for venture administration or making a venture ticketing system, knowledge movement diagrams (DFDs) provide simple visuals that illustrate the contact factors and alternatives for efficiencies or enchancment.

As visible representations of the system, they make it simpler to know and refine enterprise processes, maintaining them as easy and efficient as potential.

Let’s dig into the small print of what DFDs are, how one can leverage them, and methods to create your personal.

Desk of Contents

Picture Supply

DFDs grew to become well-liked within the Nineteen Seventies and have maintained their widespread use by being straightforward to know.

There are two varieties of DFDs — logical and bodily.

Logical DFD

Logical diagrams show the theoretical technique of shifting data by way of a system, like the place the info comes from, the place it goes, the way it adjustments, and the place it finally ends up.

Bodily DFD

Bodily diagrams present you the sensible technique of shifting data by way of a system. It might probably present how your system’s particular software program, {hardware}, information, workers, and clients affect the movement of knowledge.

You’ll be able to both use logical or bodily diagrams to explain that movement of knowledge. You too can use them in conjunction to know a course of or system on a extra granular degree.

Information Stream Diagram vs. Unified Modeling Language (UML)

Whereas these two varieties of diagrams have some similarities, let me make clear what makes every distinct.

Information movement diagrams are designed to supply a map for the way your knowledge will movement by way of a system. Unified Modeling Language (UML) takes it additional, offering significantly extra element.

DFDs and UML are usually not mutually unique — you may use a DFD for individuals who want a high-level abstract after which flip your DFD into UML diagrams when it comes time to truly create your system, offering ample element for builders who have to know methods to create the specifics.

To proceed the roadmap analogy, DFD may present the top-level overview and probably even turn-by-turn instructions, however UML affords the street-level view with all of the context of constructing colour, tree location, and site visitors patterns.

The Advantages of Information Stream Diagrams

DFDs are visible representations that may assist virtually anybody grasp a system’s or course of’s logic and capabilities. Apart from being accessible, I discover they supply much-needed readability and enhance productiveness. This is how.

Accessibility

As a result of visible data is simpler to digest, DFDs sometimes clarify advanced ideas higher than blocks of textual content can.

Visible shows of how a course of works may maintain folks’s consideration longer — making it simpler to retain the data.

Readability

DFDs make clear the programs and processes mandatory on your crew to do their greatest work. Whether or not implementing a brand new company-wide system or refining a division’s present course of, a DFD will get you and your crew on the identical web page.

Creating DFDs will provide you with readability about enterprise operations, too. I feel a clearer understanding allows you to refine and monitor your small business processes with much less friction.

Productiveness

The accessibility and readability created with DFDs will go away much less room for error. Your crew will higher grasp programs and processes as a result of they perceive them.

Higher understanding — paired with a repeatable course of — will doubtless increase crew effectiveness and productiveness.

On a broader degree, DFDs can assist you streamline your small business operations. When mapping out your processes, you’ll acquire insights into what does and doesn’t work.

These insights assist increase you and your crew’s productiveness. As a bonus, you’ll be able to share any greatest practices throughout departments.

Information Stream Diagram Symbols

Earlier than utilizing a DFD, let me share the symbols that you must describe it.

Information movement diagram symbols are standardized notations, like rectangles, circles, arrows, and short-text labels. These symbols characterize a system’s knowledge movement course, inputs, outputs, storage factors, and sub-processes.

4 widespread strategies of notation are utilized in DFDs: Yourdon & De Marco, Gene & Sarson, SSADM, and Unified.

All use the identical labels and comparable shapes to characterize the 4 essential components of a DFD — exterior entity, course of, knowledge retailer, and knowledge movement — so I’ll deal with explaining these, no matter which notation technique you select.

1. Exterior Entity

Exterior entities — that are also referred to as terminators, sources, sinks, or actors — are exterior programs that ship or obtain knowledge to and from the diagrammed system.

They’re both the sources or locations of knowledge, so that they’re often positioned on the diagram’s edges.

Exterior entity symbols are comparable throughout fashions apart from Unified, which makes use of a stick-figure drawing as an alternative of a rectangle, circle, or sq..

2. Course of

Course of is a process that manipulates the info and its movement by taking incoming knowledge, altering it, and producing an output. A course of can do that by performing computations and utilizing logic to type the info or change its movement of course.

Processes often begin from the highest left of the DFD and end on the underside proper of the diagram.

3. Information Retailer

Information shops maintain data for later use, like a file of paperwork ready to be processed. Information inputs movement by way of a course of after which by way of an information retailer, whereas knowledge outputs movement out of an information retailer after which by way of a course of.

4. Information Stream

Information movement is the trail the system’s data takes from exterior entities by way of processes and knowledge shops. With arrows and succinct labels, the DFD can present you the course of the info movement.

DFD Ranges

DFDs can vary from easy overviews to advanced, granular representations of a system or course of with a number of ranges, beginning with degree 0.

The commonest and intuitive DFDs are degree 0 DFDs, additionally known as context diagrams. They’re digestible, high-level overviews of the movement of knowledge by way of a system or course of, so virtually anybody can perceive it.

On the opposite excessive, degree 3+ diagrams comprise a lot of element and complexity.

Degree 0: Context Diagram

This DFD degree focuses on high-level system processes or capabilities and the info sources that movement to or from them. Degree 0 diagrams are designed to be easy, simple overviews of a course of or system.

Degree 1: Course of Decomposition

Whereas degree 1 DFDs are nonetheless broad overviews of a system or course of, they’re additionally extra detailed — they break down the system’s single course of node into subprocesses.

Degree 2: Deeper Dives

The following degree of DFDs dives even deeper into element by breaking down every degree 1 course of into granular subprocesses.

Degree 3: Rising Complexity

Degree 3 and higher-numbered DFDs are unusual. That is largely because of the quantity of element required, which defeats its authentic objective of being straightforward to know.

Information Stream Diagram Examples

Professionals in varied industries, like software program engineering, IT, ecommerce, and product administration & design, can use DFDs to higher perceive, refine, or implement a brand new system or course of.

However what does an information movement diagram appear to be in apply — and the way does it assist your small business? I’ll share three examples that can assist you contextualize DFDs’ impression.

1. Degree 0 DFD

This Degree 0 DFD supplies a contextual map of a securities buying and selling platform.

Information flows in a single course from the customer support assistant and the dealer to the platform. It additionally flows in two instructions from clients to the platform and again once more.

As you’ll be able to see, it’s exceedingly easy and easy.

2. Degree 1 DFD

This Degree 1 DFD breaks down the shopper course of in additional element, increasing it to incorporate account creation, money withdrawals, and eventual securities transactions.

As you’ll be able to see, it breaks down the shopper interactions into extra particular actions, permitting viewers to understand what the entire course of seems to be like.

3. Degree 2 DFD

This Degree 2 DFD decomposes the “Place Order” course of to contextualize the steps required to position an order — both by a buyer or by a dealer.

It even accounts for a third-party inventory change middle the place transaction particulars are forwarded after an order is positioned. This supplies a extra granular depiction of a selected course of.

1. Know the fundamentals.

Earlier than you begin mapping out knowledge movement diagrams, that you must observe 4 greatest practices to create a legitimate DFD.

1. Every course of ought to have no less than one enter and one output.
2. Every knowledge retailer ought to have no less than one knowledge movement in, and knowledge movement out.
3. A system’s saved knowledge should undergo a course of.
4. All processes in a DFD should hyperlink to a different course of or knowledge retailer.

2. Choose a system or course of.

Start by choosing a selected system or course of you wish to analyze. Whereas any system or course of might be was a DFD, the bigger the method, the extra sophisticated the diagram and the harder it will likely be to contextualize.

Wherever potential, I like to recommend beginning with a small operate or course of you’re trying to enhance.

3. Categorize associated enterprise actions.

Subsequent, categorize all actions associated to this course of into exterior entities, knowledge flows, processes, and knowledge shops.

Think about a restaurant meals ordering system. Clients are exterior entities, the meals ordering system is a course of, and the interplay between clients and the system (which fits in each instructions) is the movement.

Additionally value noting? The ordering system doubles as an information retailer, so for an SSADA mannequin, this implies drawing it as a rectangle with rounded corners and two horizontal traces inside to characterize its twin operate.

4. Draw a context DFD.

Now, it’s time to start out drawing. DFDs might be created by hand, utilizing free templates out there on-line, or by way of browser extensions.

I like beginning with a easy, Degree 0 DFD. Start along with your course of or system, then map all primary connections and flows.

5. Verify your work.

Earlier than diving into extra advanced DFDs, verify the work you’ve already completed to verify it’s correct and full.

If you happen to’ve missed (or added) a course of, entity, or movement, your next-level DFDs might not make sense, and you might be compelled to start out over. Belief me, it’s value double-checking your work after every step.

6. Create baby diagrams.

For every course of or system described in your Degree 0 DFD, create a brand new baby diagram with its personal entities and flows. Ultimately, you should utilize these baby diagrams to attach processes collectively.

7. Broaden processes into Degree 1 DFDs.

Utilizing your baby diagrams, you’ll be able to map extra in-depth connections between every course of. I discover beginning with the large image, then systematically digging into the small print ensures I don’t have any lacking gaps.

Within the case of our restaurant instance, this might imply digging deeper into the meals ordering system and its connection to suppliers, managers, clients, and kitchen employees.

8. Repeat as wanted.

Every course of — irrespective of how giant or small — might be reimagined as a Degree 0 context diagram, and the cycle can start once more.

Repeat these steps as wanted to create as many DFDs as required, or break processes down additional to develop Degree 2, 3, and so forth. DFDs.

Information Stream Diagram Ideas

After I created a brand new retainer service for shoppers that blended advertising technique with copywriting and tactical help, I wanted a option to create a system that may assist me handle all of the tasks whereas additionally automating the time-consuming facets.

Since it isn’t a typical large-scale copywriting side with outlined deliverables, I knew there can be extra shifting elements to handle and that I wouldn’t wish to do it manually. So, I created a DFD to assist me get clear on how the method would work. Right here’s what I realized alongside the way in which.

1. Select a platform you want.

Positive, you’ll be able to draw a diagram out by hand (and you might wish to begin there), however my greatest recommendation is to decide on software program you’re considerably conversant in.

My go-to selections are Canva and Miro as a result of their whiteboards develop in any course and make it straightforward to edit or replace.

Miro has a bit extra performance with various kinds of fields and back-end notes, however my consolation degree is highest in Canva.

2. Begin firstly.

As a result of it’s necessary to know each side of the method you’re defining.

In my case, the gross sales would already be full, so my first motion is to get shoppers into the system for onboarding.

3. Outline your present course of.

Begin with the fundamentals. How do issues presently work? Or, if you happen to’re defining a brand new course of like I used to be, begin with the minimal viable actions.

Why? I’ve discovered there’s nothing worse than an overcomplicated course of that requires an excessive amount of work or too many guide actions.

My preliminary DFD began with how I outline and arrange tasks, how I handle the preliminary work, and methods to do revisions — aka the fundamentals.

4. Establish next-level updates or adjustments.

When you outline your present course of, you should utilize your DFD to indicate alternatives for enchancment.

Personally, guide emails and updates might be overwhelming. These components are the place I’m most probably to drop the occasional ball, so I recognized alternatives for automation, particularly round notifications.

You’ll be able to see within the purple objects above the place I famous alternatives for enchancment and arrange some preliminary automation in my venture administration software program (ClickUp).

5. Take a look at and replace.

Now that you just’ve dialed in your course of and adjustments (and hopefully, put it into motion), it’s time to see the way it all works. The place are there holes? What’s lacking? What might be working higher?

I discovered creating and organising paperwork to be extremely time-consuming, so I added in an automation to create them for me utilizing a mix of ClickUp, Google Docs, and Zapier.

Remember as your small business, know-how, and market adjustments, there will likely be new updates to your course of. Your DFD is rarely 100% full.

6. Establish ancillary processes.

Along with the processes you define in your DFD, you might uncover areas the place that you must go deeper. For instance, within the DFD I shared above, there are extra processes that I can outline and probably streamline:

• Gross sales
• Contracting
• Onboarding

And whereas my DFD covers that after a venture is full, the method begins over. There are extra consumer touchpoints that aren’t associated to the precise venture administration.

Perfecting Your Course of

Whereas there’s no such factor as a “good” knowledge movement diagram, continued apply can assist streamline the method and provide important perception into what’s working, what isn’t, and the place your small business could make impactful enhancements.

My instance is significantly easy in contrast with DFDs I’ve created for a lot bigger shoppers as we outline their advertising and reporting processes to create programs the place issues don’t fall by way of the cracks.

In spite of everything, the extra shifting elements, the extra necessary it’s to dial in your processes so nothing will get dropped or missed.

Your greatest guess? Keep in mind the rule: Maintain it easy. Begin with context, construct out linked processes, and repeat as wanted to map key connections, flows, and entities throughout your group.

Editor’s word: This publish was initially printed in September 2018 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.