Can AI Auto-Generate System Architecture Diagrams?

2025-03-20
Can AI Auto-Generate System Architecture Diagrams?

This article explores three use cases for AI-generated system architecture diagrams: generic technology diagrams, whiteboard diagrams, and diagrams of real-world systems. Experiments show AI excels at generating generic technology diagrams and whiteboard diagrams, producing basic architecture diagrams from simple descriptions and readily accepting refinements. However, AI struggles with generating diagrams of real-world systems, failing to accurately extract information from source code to produce detailed, accurate architecture diagrams. This is mainly due to challenges including a lack of sufficient training data, the complexity of code analysis, and the AI's difficulty in understanding system design intent. In short, AI-assisted whiteboarding is feasible, but auto-generating diagrams of real-world systems remains a challenge, requiring essential human involvement.

Read more
Development System Architecture

Seven Deadly Sins of Technical Architecture Diagrams

2025-02-10
Seven Deadly Sins of Technical Architecture Diagrams

This article outlines seven common mistakes to avoid when creating technical architecture diagrams, offering solutions for each. These mistakes include: creating theoretical instead of concrete diagrams; mixing levels of abstraction; including too many overlapping concerns; unlabeled arrows; misleading composition; missing context; and missing accompanying explanatory text. The article stresses the importance of clearly and accurately conveying system information, suggesting the use of multiple diagrams to address information overload, and adding labels and explanatory text to improve the understandability and effectiveness of architecture diagrams.

Read more