Synthis - Process Modeling Software » Process Mapping Tips & Tricks

Right Angles Look Better than Diagonal Lines

Synthis Staff — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:59:19 +0000

Diagonal lines can become visually distracting to readers. Try to stick to horizontal lines with 90 degree bends. In small examples this may not appear to make a big difference, but as your Process Map grows the effect will be significant. Combine right angles with consistent grid spacing for great results.

Figure 1 - Using Right Angles Creates Neater Process Maps

How to Use the Grid

Synthis Staff — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:18:19 +0000

The default diagram background grid is made up of light colored lines placed 16 pixels apart and darker lines spaced 64 pixels apart. Almost all Elements in the Modeler will highlight with a 64×64px box. That makes it pretty darned easy to space Elements consistently the same horizontal and vertical distances apart. Even better, when you space Elements in a vertical or horizontal row, the Modeler automatically keeps straight Edges aligned to the centers of the Elements. So pick a default spacing for your map and stick with it! Consistent spacing does wonders for the visual appeal of your map. Many people find that a spacing of 1.5 Element width as shown in the second row of the illustration below strikes a good balance and leaves the right amount of space between Elements with long names.

Figure 1: Illustration of Consistent Grid Spacing

Simple Element Naming Conventions

Synthis Staff — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:17:36 +0000

All Elements – Use consistent capitalization in Element names. We recommend using title case. This basically means capitalizing the first and last word as well as all other important words in the name.

All Elements – Avoid qualifiers, descriptions, and metrics in Element names. These are all vital parts of a process but nine times out of ten they don’t belong in Element names. The Process Modeler gives you a description and comment field for each Element that is provided specifically for you to capture this type of rich detail about any step in your flow. You also can associate Requirements and other Elements with your Element to help capture this detail. As an example, instead of naming a Decision “Customer is on version 1.2 of XYZ product,” name it “Customer On Latest Version?”. As another example, instead of naming an activity “Assign the next account rep based on a round robin schedule,” name it “Assign Account Rep.” Again, use the comments area or associated requirements to capture details like “version 1.2 of XYZ product” and round robin schedule.”

Activities – Limit Activity names to “Verb + Noun” phrases. Instead of naming an activity “hand off inquiry department administrative assistant,” name it “Hand Off Inquiry.” More on Activities >>

Decisions – Use concisely phrased yes/no questions for decisions. Instead of naming a Decision “Is the inquiry from a customer with an assigned account rep?”, name it “Account Rep Assigned?”. More on Decisions >>