Diagrams-as-Code with AI

Create diagrams alongside your code that are useable with LLMs
Jacqui Read

Diagrams-as-Code with AI

Diagrams-as-Code with AI

Jacqui Read
🇬🇧 English
Introductory

Online
Total duration: 7h00

Timezone: Europe, Amsterdam
Wednesday April 23 09:30 - 13:00
Wednesday April 30 09:30 - 13:00
 
Timezone: Asia, Singapore
Wednesday April 23 15:30 - 19:00
Wednesday April 30 15:30 - 19:00


Summary

More and more teams are starting to use coding to tackle their diagramming and documentation challenges. Using plain text notations to create diagrams turns a traditionally artistic process into a systematic and data-driven approach. Using diagrams-as-code and models instead of traditional diagrams gives you many benefits, including storing your diagrams alongside your code, automatic consistency, and the ability to engage AI in the process.

Join this workshop to explore the more popular diagrams-as-code notations so that you can create diagrams-as-code as well as understand the diagrams-as-code that an LLM might generate for you. We all know that the output of an LLM cannot be trusted, so you need to understand the code the LLM supplies to you.

We will cover PlantUML, Mermaid, and Structurizr, for use alongside your code and in documentation and build pipelines. We will also delve into the use cases and limitations of using these diagrams-as-code with AI.

Agenda

Introduction

Diagrams-as-code notations

  • Comparing PlantUML, Mermaid, & Structurizr
  • Diagrams vs. diagrams-as-code vs. models

PlantUML

  • Diagrams, syntax, and tools
  • Using PlantUML with LLMs
  • Exercises

Mermaid

  • Diagrams, syntax, and tools
  • Using Mermaid with LLMs
  • Exercises
  • Comparing PlantUML & Mermaid

Structurizr

  • Diagrams, syntax, and tools
  • Using Structurizr with LLMs
  • Exercises
  • Comparing PlantUML, Mermaid, & Structurizr

Wrap Up

Audience

Developers, Architects, Tech Leads, Technical Writers, Business Analysts, anyone wanting to adopt diagrams-as-code.

Learning Outcomes

  • Gain a grounding in PlantUML, Mermaid, and Structurizr;
  • Understand the tradeoffs of diagrams-as-code and models vs. standard diagrams;
  • Recognise the limitations and useful use cases of using diagrams-as-code with LLMs;
  • Learn through hands-on exercises and interactive activities; All the tools we use in this workshop will be free to use.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to be a programmer to attend your workshop?

A: No. Some experience of coding or scripting will help, but the syntax of all three notations we will look at is fairly easy to learn for someone who has never coded, and we will use online tools with no setup required.

Q: Do I need to install anything before the workshop?

A: No, but you may want to optionally sign up for a free account with ChatGPT or another online LLM. All the tools we use will be online and free. Optionally you can use tools such as Structurizr Lite, Structurizr Cloud, or an IDE such as Visual Studio Code with plugins for the notations we will use. I will not be providing support for these or time to set these up in the workshop as the online tools are all that is needed.

Q: What is the schedule for the workshop?

A: The workshop will be run in 2x 3.5 hour sessions on separate days. We will have breaks within these sessions.

Q: Will there be any homework?

A: You will be encouraged to apply your learning in the time between the taught sessions, but it is not mandatory. We will have time in the 2nd session to discuss anything you have done between the sessions.

Q: Will I receive the slides and teaching materials used during the course?

A: Yes, all materials will be made available to you, and you will be able to continue to access the GitHub repository we use in the workshop.

Q: Do you cover diagrams created with tools such as Draw.io or Visio?

A: Not in this course, but Jacqui runs other courses on Design Patterns for Software Diagrams. Please reach out if you are interested via https://jacquiread.com.

What participants say about this workshop

“This training session helped me realize it was time to update my architectural modelling approaches. Jacqui's ability to address all questions, even those slightly off-topic, made the learning experience particularly valuable.”

- Workshop participant

“Jacqui’s teaching offers a transformative perspective on architecture, skillfully integrating critical concepts with actionable tools.”

- Workshop participant

“I learned a lot about communicating architecture effectively. Your teaching style, moving from theory to practice with real examples, was very engaging and helpful in understanding subtle nuances.”

- Workshop participant

Communication Patterns

By Jacqui Read - Published by O'Reilly

book cover

Get the book

Having a great idea or design is not enough to make your software project succeed. If you want stakeholders to buy into your design and teams to collaborate and contribute to the vision, you also need to communicate effectively. In this practical book, author Jacqui Read shows you how to successfully present your architecture and get stakeholders to jump on board. Misunderstanding and lack of buy-in leads to increasing costs, unmet requirements, and an architecture that is not what you intended. Through constructive examples and patterns, this book shows you how to create documentation and diagrams that actually get the message across to the different audiences you'll face.

Jacqui Read

About Jacqui Read

Jacqui Read is an internationally-recognised solution and enterprise architect, and author of Communication Patterns: A Guide for Developers and Architects. She teaches public and private workshops and speaks at international conferences on topics such as architecture practices, technical communication, and systems design. Jacqui specialises in untangling and extracting value from data and knowledge, helping businesses to determine direction in complex environments.

Her professional interests include collaborative modelling, knowledge management, Domain-Driven Design, sociotechnical architecture, and modernising enterprise architecture practices. Outside of work she enjoys gardening and strumming her ukulele while singing at the same time. Her website is https://jacquiread.com.

All workshops by Jacqui Read
@tekiegirl

Diagrams-as-Code with AI

Jacqui Read
🇬🇧 English
Introductory

Online
Total duration: 7h00

Timezone: Europe, Amsterdam
Wednesday April 23 09:30 - 13:00
Wednesday April 30 09:30 - 13:00
 
Timezone: Asia, Singapore
Wednesday April 23 15:30 - 19:00
Wednesday April 30 15:30 - 19:00


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