Architecture Diagrams, Data Flow Diagrams, Process Flow Diagrams and Program Flow Diagrams
What is the difference between Architecture Diagrams, Data Flow Diagrams, Process Flow Diagrams and Program Flow Diagrams?
I have seen many times at several companies, when we whiteboard, we tend to mix them all up.
Below are the definitions and examples. It goes from high level to progressively more detail level.
What is an Architecture Diagram?
An architectural diagram is a visual representation that maps out the physical implementation for components of a software system.
It shows the general structure of the software system and the associations, limitations, and boundaries between each element.
What is a Data Flow Diagram?
A data flow diagram (DFD) maps out the flow of information for any process or system.
What is a Process Flow Diagram?
Process Flow Diagrams are a graphical way of describing a process, its constituent tasks, and their sequence.
What is a Program Flowchart?
A program flowchart is a visualization tool programmers use when creating new applications to understand a process, workflow or algorithm.
Have you used them appropriately in your documentation?
Please let me know your thoughts and thanks for reading.