Activity / Flow Diagram

Earns its place when there are real branches and joins.

• Format.puml
• Length26 lines
• Includesnone

The source

26 lines of PlantUML, and needs nothing beyond the bundled engine. Copy it, or open the template inside Gnomon and render it as it is.

@startuml

title Activity Diagram

start

:Initialize;

if (Condition?) then (yes)
  :Action A;
  :Action B;
else (no)
  :Action C;
endif

fork
  :Parallel Task 1;
fork again
  :Parallel Task 2;
end fork

:Final Step;

stop

@enduml

Others in UML and standard diagrams

• Sequence DiagramThe highest-value diagram in this list. Time runs down; participants across.
• Use Case DiagramActor-to-goal. Dated, but still the clearest way to show scope boundaries.
• Class DiagramBest used for a single bounded context, not a codebase.
• State DiagramForces the awkward questions about duplicate and out-of-order events.
• ER DiagramCardinality is the part people get wrong. Write it explicitly.
• Mind MapFor structuring thinking, not for documenting a system.
• Gantt ChartPlans, not architecture, but it renders from text, so it diffs in review.
• JSON VisualizationVisualises a JSON payload: handy in an API design review.
• Work Breakdown StructureWork breakdown. Useful for scoping a piece of delivery.