Concept Map

Showing Customer Concepts (Key Story)

> Showing Customer Concepts> excerpts:

• > Showing Concepts and Their Relationships

  • Once a purposeful architect understands customer concepts and their relationships, how does s/he show that understanding to the other stakeholders? S/he creates a diagram representing concepts as shapes connected by lines showing their relationships with each other. This diagram is called a > concept map> .

  • The map shows each concept in a box. An arrow between two concept boxes shows their relationship. The direction of an arrow shows how to read the relationship between the concepts it connects. For example, an Account presents an Opportunity. A simple concept map like this works well as an introduction to showing concepts and their relationships. Showing a few concepts and relationships at a time makes it easier for stakeholders to comprehend the concept relationships.

• > Agility Starts Here

  • Creating a concept map incrementally takes the same approach as agile software development. It starts by showing stakeholders a minimal design and collecting feedback. The model development continues in cycles showing incremental changes. The stakeholders focus on digestible changes rather than deciphering a complex map revealed a long time after the last discovery meeting.

• > Concept Map Considerations

  • A concept map works hand in hand with a glossary which defines each concept in the map. The glossary serves a reference for understanding. The concept map illustrates understanding. For example, a new stakeholder reviews the concept map and asks what a concept means. S/he finds the definition of the concept in the glossary.

  • Someone familiar with the Sales Cloud data model may notice a resemblance between it and the concept map. Those very familiar with the data model will notice differences between the two. > A concept map may resemble a data model, but it is not.> It can inform the design of a data model later in the development cycle. A concept map does not require the details nor is subject to the constraints of a data model.

  • To some, a concept map may resemble a process map with its boxes and labeled arrows. It does not show process flow, only relationships between people, places and things shown as concepts on the map. Process mapping happens later in the development cycle.

  • A purposeful architect presents a concept map only to reflect his/her understanding of customer concepts and their relationships. Customer stakeholders have an opportunity to clarify, correct or complete that understanding when reviewing the map. A common understanding of concepts and relationships among all stakeholders clarifies their communications. It can prevent misunderstandings that result in a solution not meeting customer expectations.
    

Mapping Out Complexity

> Mapping Out Complexity> excerpts:

• > Getting Clarity on the Concepts

  • A concept map shows relationships between customer terms. It can help with the complex process breakdown. For example, a concept map relates Lead to Contact through conversion:

• > Follow the Map

  • While a process map resembles a concept map, the two have fundamental differences. In a process map, the boxes show an action and the arrows show the motivation of that action. In a concept map, the boxes show people, places, or things in the scope of the solution. The arrows show the relationship between those items. The concept map acts as an additional reference by showing who and what performs actions in the process map.