13 / 54
11
One Model, Many Interests, Many Views
Representing the Journey from Requirements to
Behavior
Spider Diagram
The spider diagramprovides a complete contextual viewof a set of elements and their interrelationships.
Unlike a hierarchy diagram, each entity is represented once and only once. In addition, the free-form
presentation does not artificially imply a hierarchical relationship that may not exist. The result is an
extremely powerful representation – neither traditional nor SysML – for analysis and communication
as you continue the engineering journey through systems design.
As with a hierarchy diagram, a spider diagram is based on the combination of a root element and a
set of relationships. The element defines the starting point for the diagram. The set of relationships
identifies which links to traverse when building the diagram. The relationships (potentially multiple)
between the elements are then shown as connecting lines. The lines of convergence and divergence
help identify critical aspects in the model.
Level of Detail:
Low
Audience:
General
Content:
Names and relationships
Use:
Contextual view of objects of interest with no implied meaning