Examples

A BPMN leave request on grid paper, in employee, manager and HR system lanes, where an approval decision leads to the leave being recorded or declined with a reason.

BPMN

Show who does each step of a business process, and where it branches.

A UML class diagram on cream graph paper: a customer places orders made of order lines for products, and each order is paid by a payment, either a card payment or a bank transfer.

UML

Sketch the classes in a design and how they relate.

A library database on dotted paper: author, book, member and loan tables with key marks, joined by crow's-foot lines from each key to the field that refers to it.

Database

Draw the tables in a database and the keys that join them.

A flowchart on graph paper, from an alert through triage and a severity decision to mitigation and a post-incident review.

Flowcharts

Walk a team through who does what when an alert fires.

An onboarding process map with separate lanes for HR, the manager, IT and the new hire.

Process maps

Map handoffs between people and teams.