Working with diagrams

By |2022-11-07T09:39:35+01:00January 26th, 2022|draw.io, productivity, security|
Reading Time: 13 min

$134 million to zero in 3 seconds

The sweet smell of burnt kerosene hung in the air. It was one of those warm and pleasant days in the Mediterranean. The Royal Navy’s new supercarrier, Queen Elizabeth, powered across a stunningly blue clear and calm sea.
Salutes were exchanged as another of the carrier’s new F35 VTOL fighter aircraft began its take-off run.

Instead of soaring gracefully to the heavens, it hesitated, stumbled, and then fell awkwardly off the bow of the carrier into the Med.

$134 million of bleeding-edge technology now saltwater scrap, and to make matters worse other navies observing the carrier on exercise looked on in disbelief.

The Lockheed Martin F35 is an incredibly complex machine. Was it a software bug, perhaps mechanical failure, fuel contamination?

No.

Someone forgot to remove the cheap plastic protective covers (blanks) from the aircraft’s engine intakes.

Tea and biscuits

The British Royal Navy runs on pomp and tradition. Accordingly, it has a well-established process for such accidents. These investigations are known as an “Interview without tea or biscuits.”

And that’s the thing, anyone can make a mistake, and that’s why systems or techniques that help remind or inform team members are invaluable. Of course, the most powerful method for quickly communicating information is visualization.

Especially in a fast-moving, pressured environment, that’s when simple errors can creep in. Although the more complex stuff is taken care of, the most basic things can get overlooked that can cause the most damage.

Why diagrams work

Our ancestors relied heavily on visual cues for survival, and our brains are still wired this way today. Diagrams work because they catch the eye and flag a sort of biological interrupt, saying, ” Hey, cerebral cortex, you better look at this.

We are becoming more visual

Why is this? Drawings always did work, but it was the expense back in the day when tenders, plans, and proposals were all submitted in printed form. To include a diagram was a significant commitment as it meant a trip to the drawing office and a charge code for the work to be done. Enter the widespread use of electronic communications, email, etc. The information flowed more freely, if not chaotically. Still, the drawing tools were primitive and time-consuming, so text still dominated.
Not until dedicated drawing apps such as draw.io appeared only then could professional graphics be created easily and quickly.

Complex processes need clarification

The use of visualization has exploded in recent years. As processes and software development became of age, new agile working methods were introduced, and working hand in hand with agility was visualization.

Ease of use

This is where draw.io excels. It’s effortless and intuitive to use. Anyone can produce a professional graphic or diagram in minutes. Its power and ease of use enable an individual’s productivity to soar.

The ability to quickly create a diagram in Confluence and throw your ideas down in minutes is invaluable. In fact, it is so fast that you can create a diagram or whiteboard in a live meeting and start to draw.
This seamless integration in Confluence ensures order and stability in fast-moving projects as revision changes and modifications are all time-stamped and documented.

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Problem-solving

Because of how our brains are wired, visualization wins every time. When problems or processes are presented in diagram form instead of text, connections are more easily made. From emergency reminders to eureka moments, draw.io is your fast, agile drawing app of choice.

Focus not distraction

Projects can go off track, regardless of how dedicated or conscientious a team are. In the example above, the Royal Navy flight crew are arguably among the most highly trained personnel on the planet. Motivation and job satisfaction are high. Who would not want to stand on the deck of an aircraft carrier watching these machines take off and land? Yet this incident happened. You can bet there will be a lot more visualization, diagrams, and graphical checklists in hanger decks on her Majesty’s aircraft carriers from now on.
Diagramming helps bring focus to tasks.

Universal language

In this connected world, as we communicate, different languages and cultures can sometimes lead to confusion, but not with diagrams. It’s a universal language. From circuit diagrams to BPMN, VMware to Cloud and Enterprise visuals clearly and quickly explain concepts eliminating misunderstandings and preventing expensive mistakes.

draw.io offers many dedicated libraries, here we can see the BPMN use case.

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The future is visual

Industry is now leaning more and more towards visualization. It helps teams communicate and spread ideas, eliminating misunderstandings and mistakes.

After all, no one wants an interview without tea and biscuits.

To learn more, read our whitepaper on working with diagrams.

Keen to learn more, visit our YouTube Channel for a constantly updated playlist of how-to videos.
Visit our one-stop tutorial shop to pick up all the ins and outs of draw.io diagramming.
Or book a free demo to learn more about the limitless ways in which draw.io can make life easier and more productive for you and everyone in (and outside) your company!

Happy diagramming!

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About the Author:

Engineer, Broadcaster, Newshound, and Corporate Media Consultant. Encompassing a wide and varied career in broadcast media, starting as an installation project engineer with the BBC, working with everything from RF engineering to coding. Then moving to a live news operational position in Newsgathering, BBC N Ireland, before transitioning into journalism. A career path that encompasses both pure engineering and broadcast journalism gives Peter the ability to write engaging articles about complex technical issues with simplicity, clarity, and elegance. Peter is now a content creator for draw.io.