First, the CRM system automatically notifies the legal team that the agreement is ready. Then the system loops into Accounts Teams. Then the account team receives notifications regarding client onboarding and account setup.
But what to do so that each step is performed in perfect order?
This is where sequence diagrams come in. They break down every interaction of the system, visualizing the role of each team and component, creating a fluid workflow .
In this article, we will share some sequence diagram examples and provide a sequence diagram tutorial.
What is a sequence diagram?
A sequence diagram is a visual tool why choose japan cell phone list used in software design to illustrate the interactions of different parts of a system over time. It captures the order of messages exchanged between participants, helping to understand the flow of processes from one end to the other.
A sequence diagram can be thought of as a blueprint of a software system or process.
Example: Process Sequence Diagram for eCommerce Business
A customer visits a website and adds an item to the shopping cart
The system processes the request and triggers the payment gateway
Payment gateway processes the payment
The seller receives the order details on his dashboard
The participants in this system are the client, the system, the payment gateway and the seller.
Here is an example sequence diagram of a taxi booking system.
Sequence Diagram Examples: Taxi Reservation SystemSoftware Ideas But what are these lines, arrows, and rectangles? Let's find out.
**Sequence diagrams are part of the Unified Modeling Language (UML), a standardized modeling language developed in the mid-1990s by three experts - Grady Booch, Ivar Jacobson, and James Rumbaugh, known as the "Three Amigos"
Sequence Diagram Notations
The different shapes seen in the diagram above are UML sequence diagram notations.
Each symbol represents a specific type of interaction or element within a process flow or system design, making it easier to understand and communicate the sequence of events in the system. They make diagrams clear, consistent, and easy for Teams to interpret.
1. Lifelines and Activations
Lifelines are vertical dashed lines running down from each object. They represent how long participants (objects or actors) have been engaged in the interaction.
example: **In a customer service interaction, lifelines can represent the customer, the support system, and the agent. Each lifeline shows when they are active during the conversation
Activations are rectangles or vertical bars on the lifeline that indicate a participant performing an action. They indicate a step in which an object is active or controls the process.
Example: When a customer requests support, the agent's lifeline shows activation as he or she responds to the query2. Messages
*The solid arrows represent synchronous messages . They show how one object sends a message and waits for a response before continuing. The process pauses until a response is received.
example: **The user sends a login request to the server, and the server processes the credentials and sends back an authentication response. The user cannot continue until they receive the response
The dashed arrows represent asynchronous messages . They represent independent actions that are triggered on specific scenes
Example: A user posts a comment on a social networking site and the system sends a reply as an email notification to the user confirming the post. The system continues without waiting for the email delivery confirmation
