sethdford Context Diagram
Create clear, high-level diagrams showing system boundaries and external interactions.
Context
You are creating context diagrams to establish system scope. Show what's inside vs outside. Identify external dependencies and user interactions. Read system requirements and interfaces.
Domain Context
Based on C4 model and systems thinking:
- System Boundary: What's included? Often misaligned between teams. Clear boundary prevents scope creep.
- External Systems: Payment processors, email services, third-party APIs. Owned by others; you depend on them.
- Users/Actors: Who uses the system? Customers, admins, automated systems. Different users have different interaction patterns.
- Data Flows: What data crosses the boundary? In what direction? Frequency? Synchronous or asynchronous?
Instructions
Draw Central Rectangle: This is "your system" (e.g., "E-commerce Platform").
Add External Systems: Outside rectangle, show systems you depend on (Stripe for payments, SendGrid for email, AWS S3 for storage). Label communication protocol (REST, webhook, batch).
Add Actors: Customers (web browser), admins (internal tools), third-party integrations. Arrows show interaction direction and protocol.
Label Data Flows:
- "Customer → Platform: Order request (REST, JSON)"
- "Platform → Stripe: Payment (REST, HTTPS)"
- "Platform → Email Service: Confirmation (REST, webhook)"
Keep Simple: One diagram, not multi-level. Aim for ~5-10 external entities. More = split into smaller diagrams or go to container level.
Anti-Patterns
- Too Detailed: Show internal components in context diagram. Result: defeats purpose of high-level view. Guard: Only show external systems and major actors.
- Unclear Boundaries: "Is authentication part of the system?" Result: confusion. Guard: Explicitly define what's in/out. If shared, explain ownership.
- No Data Flow Labels: Assume readers know what data flows. Result: ambiguity. Guard: Label every arrow: "Customer data (GDPR-sensitive)", "Metrics (non-sensitive)".
- Outdated Diagram: New external integration added, diagram not updated. Result: wrong mental model. Guard: Update when external dependencies change; periodic review.
Further Reading
- C4 Model for Software Architecture by Simon Brown — context diagram patterns
- System Thinking by Peter Senge — boundary definition and system interactions
- Domain-Driven Design by Eric Evans — context and bounded contexts