How to prepare an architecture diagram for a stakeholder discussion
Turn a diagram into a walkthrough, so the audience is shown the system one idea at a time instead of confronted with all of it.
When this is useful
- A design review where the audience includes people who will not read a diagram unaided.
- A recorded walkthrough for a team joining the project.
- Any presentation where the whole architecture on one slide would lose the room.
Before you start
- A finished diagram, and a decision about what order the story goes in.
Step 1: Decide between Flow and Designer
Flow walks the diagram in a defined order and is the faster option. Designer follows a script you write, which is worth the effort when the sequence matters or the walkthrough will be reused.
Page ▸ PresentPage ▸ Flow (default)Page ▸ Designer (script)
Step 2: Order the story around the questions, not the layers
Audiences follow a request through the system more easily than they follow a tour of tiers. Start where the user is and move along the path.
Step 3: Have the supporting material to hand
Risks displayed as an overlay let you answer "what worries you about this?" on the diagram rather than from memory.
Arch ▸ Overlays
What happens next
For an audience that needs to take the material away, export the diagram or assemble a document set afterwards.
Example
A platform proposal presented as a Designer script following a single order from checkout to fulfilment — eleven components introduced in the order they participate, rather than as a wall of boxes.
Tips
- Rehearse against the diagram, not the notes. The moment you have to say "ignore that part" is a sign the diagram needs a viewpoint, not the talk needs a caveat.
- Keep a second page with the detail. Cutting a diagram down for an audience is better than apologising for its density.
Limitations
- Presentation mode is separately enabled.