How to create a context diagram

- As with any diagram, making complex things simple is the aim of the game. Too much detail, and people won't engage. But not enough detail, people will start to worry you missed something. Finding the right mix is essential. There are a few easy steps to creating a good context diagram, but before you can begin to piece together how the organization fits in the big picture, you first need to do some research. You can research the organization on the intranet, ask colleagues a lot of questions, or run a series of workshops with key people with business knowledge. In my experience, all of the above are great ways to begin building your knowledge and validate your context diagram. The important thing is to remember that this is the start of our business process modeling. We need to keep it simple and high level. As a rule of thumb, you should start with a single page. Why? Well, having a single page forces you to keep your diagram at the highest level. There's a tendency to dive into the detail and try and fit in too much information. If you find your page needs to be really big to fit everything in, then you're probably overcomplicating it and need to pull yourself back out of the detail. Start with the main entity that you wish to provide the context for by drawing a circle in the middle of the page with its name inside the circle. All interactions with the external entities will stem in and out from the circle. Remembering a circle is used to indicate what you have control over, what and how things happen within the organization. From your research and discussions, begin to add all the external stakeholders around the outside of the circle. As they are external to your organization, you will place them in a box. Each box will represent a single entity that interacts with the organization. Throughout the analysis, you'll become aware of more external entities. These can be added as you go. Remember, a box is used to represent entities where your organization only has influence over. An example of influence may be the ability to negotiate an agreement. You may need them to adapt to your needs, for instance, having them use a template supplied by your organization or complying with secure electronic bank standards. Not having control essentially means having to work within the constraints and constrictions imposed by their entity, such as legislation, regulations, industry and international standards. As you identify and place the external entities onto your diagram, begin to connect the relationships that occur between each external entity and your organization by drawing one directional arrow either coming or leaving the organization. Using the right angles for the relationship flows simplifies the diagram and enables greater area to label the flows. Then label the flows with what interactions are taking place and whether they are incoming or outgoing. Incoming relationship flows trigger the start of an internal activity within your organization. Once you have drafted your context diagram, it's essential to validate your analysis. Share the diagrams with others in the organization in seeking their view of who and what is involved. By keeping them in the loop, you give them the comfort of knowing that their processes and relationships are being included for further analysis and ensures you don't miss out on that all important entity, the one you forgot to capture.