OpenCharts diagramming glossary
Definitions of the diagramming and process-mapping concepts OpenCharts supports — flowcharts, BPMN, swimlanes, decision trees, mind maps, UML, ER diagrams, and more. Each entry has a one-sentence answer and a longer explanation suitable for citation.
30 terms · updated 2026-04-27
B
C
D
Data flow diagram
A data flow diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of how data moves through a system, showing data sources, processes, data stores, and external entities.
Decision tree
A decision tree is a tree-shaped diagram that maps a sequence of choices and their possible outcomes, used for decision support, classification, and policy documentation.
E
F
Fishbone diagram
A fishbone diagram (also called Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram) is a tool for root-cause analysis that organizes potential causes of a problem into categories radiating from a central spine.
Flowchart
A flowchart is a diagram that represents a process, workflow, or algorithm using shapes (nodes) connected by arrows (edges) to show the order of steps.
G
I
K
M
Mind map
A mind map is a radial diagram that organizes information around a central idea, with primary branches for major themes and sub-branches for supporting details.
MoSCoW prioritization
MoSCoW prioritization is a project-management framework that classifies requirements into four buckets — Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won't have — to align scope on what's truly essential.
N
O
OKRs
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) is a goal-setting framework where each high-level Objective is paired with 2–5 measurable Key Results, used by Google, Intel, and many modern companies to align focus across teams.
Org chart
An organizational chart (org chart) is a tree-shaped diagram that shows a company's reporting structure, with employees as nodes and reporting relationships as edges.
P
Persona
A persona is a fictional but research-grounded archetype of a target user, used in product design and marketing to align teams on who they're building for and why.
Process map
A process map is a visual representation of a workflow that documents the sequence of steps, decision points, and handoffs needed to complete a business outcome.
R
RACI matrix
A RACI matrix is a responsibility-assignment table that maps tasks to roles using four labels — Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed — to clarify who does what.
Retrospective
A retrospective (or retro) is a structured team meeting at the end of an iteration where the team reflects on what went well, what didn't, and what to change next time.
S
Sequence diagram
A sequence diagram is a UML interaction diagram that shows how objects or actors exchange messages over time, with vertical lifelines and horizontal arrows.
Sitemap
A sitemap is a hierarchical diagram of a website's pages and the navigation between them, used in information architecture, content audits, and SEO planning.
State machine
A state machine (or state diagram) is a diagram that shows the discrete states an object can be in and the transitions that move it between states, often with conditions or events on each transition.
Swimlane diagram
A swimlane diagram is a flowchart that organizes activities into horizontal or vertical lanes, with each lane representing a different actor, role, or department responsible for those activities.
SWOT analysis
A SWOT analysis is a strategic-planning framework that maps Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats into a 2×2 matrix to support decision-making.
System context diagram
A system context diagram is a high-level architecture diagram that shows a system as a single box at the center, surrounded by the people and external systems it interacts with.
U
UML
UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a standardized family of diagrams used in software engineering to model systems, including class, sequence, activity, state, and use-case diagrams.
User flow
A user flow is a diagram that maps the steps a user takes through a product or service to accomplish a specific goal, including screens, actions, and decision points.
User story map
A user story map is a 2D arrangement of user stories where the X-axis is the user's journey and the Y-axis is priority, used to plan releases and surface feature gaps.