Working with Activity Diagrams
Activity Diagrams show how the child process elements of a process,
activity, phase, or iteration work together.
You can choose to include diagrams created externally by another application
or you can create activity detail diagrams internally by using the
Diagram editor.
To create an Activity Diagram do the following:
- Click the Work Breakdown Structure tab in the process editor
and then open the context menu for the element you want to diagram. This element
can be the capability pattern or delivery process itself, a phase, iteration,
or activity.
- Select Diagrams > Open Activity Diagram. The first time
you open the activity diagram, the activity diagram editor populates the drawing
space with each child process element. Once you save a diagram, the activity
diagram editor displays that diagram for you to edit.
- Use the diagram editor to create your diagram.
Diagram Editor Palette
The diagram editor palette contains several tools which can help you create diagrams.
- Link: Use the link tool to draw directional
arrows from one node on your diagram to another.
This tool is 'sticky', so that once selected you can continue to draw links
until you de-select the tool by pressing ESC or by choosing another
tool from the Palette
- Free Text: Use this tool to add your own text to the diagram. Once
you add the text to the diagram, you can open the context menu for the text
to set the properties of the font used.
- Decision Node: Use this tool to show the control flow coming out
of a decision. Use it again to merge the distinct flows back to a common flow
again.
- Synchronization Bar: Use this tool to depict the beginning and
end of concurrent threads of control. The workflow cannot continue past the
ending synchronization bar until all of the flows that it joins together have
completed.
- Start Node, End Node: Use these tools to identify the start and
end of the workflow.
- Select and Marquee: These tools help you select portions
of your diagram for manipulation using the drawing aids.
- You can also add new process elements to your diagram using:
Activity, Iteration, Phase,
and Task Descriptor.
Drawing Aids
The activity diagram editor provides several aids to manipulate
and improve the appearance of your diagram.
- To move a selected node in one direction, pixel-by-pixel: Select
the node, hold down the control key and press the cursor keys in the direction
you want to move the selected node.
- To move a selected node or nodes in a vertical or horizontal plane,
using the mouse: Select the node or nodes to move, hold down the shift
key and hold down the primary mouse button on the selected node. Drag the
node or nodes with the mouse in the direction you want to move them.
- To align nodes with one another: Select the nodes of interest,
open the context menu and choose Align followed by your choice of alignment.
- To bend a link line: Select the link.
Grab the center dot and drag it with the mouse to the desired point.
- To straighten right-angle links: Select the link and then open
the context menu and choose Align Link.
- To straighten link lines, especially to or from a synchronization bar:
- Grab the end of the link and then drag and drop it on a new connection point.
- Select the node at one end of the arrow and use the CTRL + cursor keys
to move the node by pixels until the link line is straight.
- Select the nodes on both ends of the link line and then open the context
menu and choose Align followed by your choice of alignment.
Activity Diagrams in an Extended Capability Pattern
You can reuse an existing capability pattern or parts of a capability pattern,
such as an activity, in another process.
When you reuse another pattern by either copying or extending it,
any diagrams you have created are also included into your process.
However when you extend a capability pattern, the diagrams
from the base pattern are not updated when the diagram for the base pattern is changed.
To update the diagram in your process do the following:
- Open the activity diagram for the extended capability pattern or activity.
- Open the context menu and select Refresh from Base.
- Close and save the diagram.
Related concepts
Related tasks