> **DRAFT** — under teacher review. # Excalidraw Diagram Starters — C02 The Hamilton and Alexandra College · Year 12 · 2026 Drawing from scratch each session costs 10–15 minutes of setup time and often produces inconsistent notation across the three diagrams. These Excalidraw starters give you pre-framed skeletons — correct shapes, correct labels — so you can focus on the content, not the canvas. > [!TIP] > Start in Excalidraw, **then** practise hand-drawing from your finished version. The Excalidraw skeleton is the *plan*; your hand-drawn version under timed conditions is the *performance*. --- ## Watch first (≈3 min) {{Video|src=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU83LfTIWn8}} *Lvl 99 TechSkillz — beginner Excalidraw tour. Watch for: navigation and shape drawing (0:23), styling (0:38), and library/sharing basics. You only need the first 90 seconds for C02 — the rest is optional polish.* --- ## Why consistent notation matters All three C02 diagrams use the same cast of external entities. If the entity is named "Student" on your context diagram, it must be named "Student" (not "User" or "Person") on your DFD. Starting from a shared canvas makes this consistency automatic. ::: info **The 9–10 rule.** The rubric requires *"no errors, inconsistencies or omissions"* across **all three** diagrams. Inconsistent entity names between diagrams is a named inconsistency — even if both diagrams are otherwise correct. ::: --- ## Getting started in Excalidraw Excalidraw is available free at [excalidraw.com](https://excalidraw.com). No account required. Your teacher may share a `.excalidraw` file directly — open it with File → Open. --- ## Skeleton: Context Diagram The context diagram has **exactly one system circle**. Everything else is an external entity (rectangle) or a data flow (labelled arrow). ```mermaid flowchart LR A[Entity A] B[Entity B] C[Entity C] S(("Your System<br/>Name")) A -->|labelled flow| S S -->|labelled flow| B C -->|labelled flow| S S -->|labelled flow| C ``` **Shape key** | Shape | What it represents | |---|---| | Rectangle | External entity (a person, organisation, or external system) | | Circle / oval | The entire system — one only | | Labelled arrow | Data flow — must carry a specific name (not "data" or "info") | ::: warning **Common setup errors to avoid before you start drawing** - Do not add a second circle — multiple circles make it a DFD, not a context diagram. - Do not add data stores (double-line rectangles) — they do not exist at context level. - Label every arrow with the specific data exchanged, not a direction. Wrong: *"sends data"*. Right: *"assignment submission form"*. ::: --- ## Skeleton: Level-1 Data Flow Diagram The Level-1 DFD **decomposes** the single system circle into 3–6 numbered processes. Use the same external entities as your context diagram. ```mermaid flowchart LR A[Entity A] B[Entity B] P1((1. Process<br/>Name)) P2((2. Process<br/>Name)) P3((3. Process<br/>Name)) DS[("Data Store")] A -->|input| P1 P1 -->|store| DS DS -->|retrieve| P2 P2 -->|output| B P2 --> P3 P3 -->|update| DS ``` **Shape key** | Shape | What it represents | |---|---| | Rectangle | External entity — same names as context diagram | | Circle / oval | A numbered process (verb–noun phrase, e.g. *"1. Verify Login"*) | | Cylinder / double-rectangle | Data store (named collection of stored data) | | Labelled arrow | Data flow | ::: success **Minimum check before you submit your DFD** - Each process has at least one input AND one output arrow. - At least one data store is present. - Every entity name matches your context diagram **exactly**. - No entity ↔ entity arrows (all flows route through a process). - No entity ↔ data store arrows (data stores only connect to processes). ::: --- ## Skeleton: Use Case Diagram The use case diagram shows **who** can do **what** with your system. Actors (stick figures) sit outside the system boundary; use cases (ovals) sit inside. ```mermaid flowchart LR A1(["👤 Actor A"]) A2(["👤 Actor B"]) subgraph SB["The System"] UC1((Use Case 1)) UC2((Use Case 2)) UC3((Use Case 3)) UC4((Use Case 4)) end A1 --- UC1 A1 --- UC3 A2 --- UC2 UC1 -.->|«include»| UC2 UC4 -.->|«extend»| UC3 ``` **Shape key** | Shape | What it represents | |---|---| | Stick figure (outside box) | Actor (a person or external system that uses the system) | | Oval (inside box) | Use case (a function the system performs) | | Rectangle | System boundary | | Solid line | Association (actor participates in use case) | | Dashed arrow «include» | Use case A *always* triggers use case B | | Dashed arrow «extend» | Use case B *sometimes* triggers optional use case C | ::: danger **Arrow direction rules (the most common exam mistake)** - **«include»:** arrow points FROM the base use case TO the included use case. *(Login includes Verify Credentials → arrow: Login → Verify Credentials.)* - **«extend»:** arrow points FROM the extending use case TO the base use case. *(Display Error Message extends Login → arrow: Display Error Message → Login.)* **Rule of thumb:** the arrow always points *towards* the use case that is being **used** or **extended into**. ::: --- ## Practice check — before the hand-drawn validation ::: success **Run through this list with your Excalidraw diagrams before the timed hand-drawing session** - [ ] Context diagram: exactly one system circle, no data stores, every arrow labelled. - [ ] DFD: 3–6 numbered processes, at least one data store, entity names match context diagram. - [ ] Use case diagram: all actors outside the boundary, all use cases inside, «include»/«extend» arrows pointing the correct direction. - [ ] All three diagrams use identical names for the same entities and data stores. If you can redraw all three from memory using only these skeletons as a prompt, you are ready for the hand-drawn validation. ::: --- ## See also - [Context Diagram vs Data Flow Diagram](/sd/C02/Context%20Diagram%20vs%20Data%20Flow%20Diagram) — what can appear on each diagram; the most common notation errors - [What Is an Entity?](/sd/C02/What%20Is%20an%20Entity) — human and non-human entities; how to find all entities from your user stories - C02 Resources: [external reading and videos](/sd/Resources/C02-Resources) --- ← Back to [VCE Software Development Hub](/sd/VCE%20Software%20Development%20Hub)