What This Agent Does
The Diagram Agent creates customer-branded process maps, architecture diagrams, and data flow diagrams from simple text prompts. Need a workflow visualization? Just describe it. No more struggling with Visio or PowerPoint—create complex technical illustrations in minutes, not hours.
Time Savings: Create professional diagrams in 2-3 minutes instead of 30-60 minutes in Visio/Lucidchart.
Key Capabilities:
✅ Process map generation from natural language prompts
✅ Architecture and data flow diagrams for technical documentation
✅ ABC branding compliance (colors, fonts, logos automatically applied)
✅ Iterative editing with natural language (refine until perfect)
✅ Multiple diagram format exports (PPT, PNG, SVG, PDF)
✅ Professional quality output ready for presentations and documentation
Getting Started
Step 1: Access the Agent
- Login to Cortx portal with ABC credentials
- Navigate to “Core Agents” → “Diagram Agent”
- Chat interface ready for your description
Step 2: Describe What You Need
Simple Starting Prompt:
Create a flowchart for the customer onboarding process:
1. Customer submits application
2. System validates information
3. If valid → Credit check, If invalid → Request corrections
4. Credit check pass → Approve account, Fail → Deny with explanation
5. Send confirmation email
What Happens Next:
Agent processes your request (10-20 seconds)
Generates professional flowchart with proper symbols
Shows preview in the interface
ABC branding automatically applied
You can immediately download or continue refining
ABC-Specific Use Cases
Use Case 1: Technical Architecture Diagrams
Your Scenario: Document system architecture for approval or knowledge sharing
Prompt Template:
Create a technical architecture diagram for ABC’s Digital Banking Platform.
Components:
– Frontend: Web application (React), Mobile app (iOS/Android)
– API Gateway: RESTful API, Authentication layer
– Application Tier: Microservices (User Service, Transaction Service, Notification Service)
– Data Tier: PostgreSQL primary database, Redis cache, MongoDB for documents
– External Integrations: Payment gateway, Credit bureau API, Email service
Show data flow from user request to database and back.
Include security layers (firewall, encryption).
Agent Output:
Multi-tier architecture diagram
Clear component relationships
Data flow arrows
Security boundaries highlighted
ABC branded colors and styling
Best For: Tech team documentation, leadership approvals, vendor discussions
Use Case 2: Business Process Flows
Your Scenario: Document loan approval workflow for compliance/audit
Prompt Template:
Create a detailed loan approval process flowchart.
Process:
1. Customer initiates application (online or branch)
2. Initial data validation (automated)
3. Risk assessment engine evaluates application
4. If low risk → Auto-approve (under $50K)
If medium risk → Manual underwriter review
If high risk → Senior approval required
5. Credit bureau check (all applications)
6. Final approval/denial decision
7. Notification to customer
8. If approved → Account creation workflow
If denied → Reason code and appeal process
Show decision points, approval authorities, and timeframes.
Agent Output:
Complete flowchart with proper symbols
Decision diamonds for branching logic
Process boxes for actions
Clear flow direction
Timeline annotations
Role/authority labels
Best For: Operations documentation, compliance reviews, training materials
Use Case 3: Data Flow Diagrams
Your Scenario: Show how customer data moves through systems for GDPR/privacy compliance
Prompt Template:
Create a data flow diagram showing customer PII movement across ABC systems.
Data Sources:
– Customer portal (data collection)
– CRM system (storage)
– Marketing platform (usage)
– Analytics warehouse (insights)
– Third-party vendors (processing)
Show:
– Where PII is collected
– How it’s transmitted (encrypted channels)
– Where it’s stored (regional requirements)
– Who has access (role-based)
– Retention/deletion points
Highlight security controls at each stage.
Agent Output:
Data flow with clear paths
Security controls highlighted
Storage locations marked
Access points identified
Compliance checkpoints shown
Best For: Privacy impact assessments, compliance documentation, vendor audits
Use Case 4: Organizational Charts
Your Scenario: Visualize team structure for new project or reorganization
Prompt Template:
Create an organizational chart for the Digital Banking Project Team.
Structure:
– Project Sponsor: VP Digital Banking
– Project Manager: Sarah Chen
– Technical Lead: Mike Rodriguez (3 developers, 1 QA)
– Business Analyst: Priya Sharma (2 BAs)
– UX Designer: Alex Kim (1 designer)
– Compliance Lead: Jennifer Wu
– Steering Committee: CFO, CTO, CRO
Show reporting lines and team sizes.
Agent Output:
Hierarchical org chart
Clear reporting relationships
Team size indicators
Role titles and names
ABC professional styling
Best For: Project documentation, team introductions, stakeholder communication
Use Case 5: User Journey Maps
Your Scenario: Map customer experience for UX improvement initiative
Prompt Template:
Create a user journey map for mobile banking app signup.
Journey stages:
1. Awareness (customer learns about app)
2. Consideration (downloads app, reads features)
3. Registration (enters personal info, creates credentials)
4. Verification (identity check, email/phone confirmation)
5. Onboarding (tutorial, initial setup)
6. First transaction (makes payment or transfer)
7. Ongoing usage (regular banking activities)
For each stage show:
– Customer actions
– System responses
– Pain points
– Opportunities for improvement
Agent Output:
Horizontal journey map
Stage-by-stage breakdown
Customer and system interactions
Pain points marked in red
Improvement opportunities in green
Best For: UX design, customer experience initiatives, service design
How to Describe Your Diagram
Flowcharts - Use Step Language
✅ Good:
Create a customer support escalation flowchart:
1. Customer contacts support
2. Tier 1 agent attempts resolution
3. Can agent resolve?
– Yes → Close ticket, send satisfaction survey
– No → Escalate to Tier 2
4. Tier 2 specialist reviews case
5. Can Tier 2 resolve?
– Yes → Implement solution, notify customer, close ticket
– No → Escalate to engineering team
6. Engineering investigates
7. Solution developed → Deploy fix → Notify customer
8. Customer confirms resolution
9. Close ticket
Agent Creates: Standard flowchart with decision diamonds, process boxes, flow arrows
Architecture Diagrams - Use Component Language
✅ Good:
Create a cloud architecture diagram for our customer portal.
Layers (top to bottom):
1. User Layer: Web browsers, Mobile apps
2. CDN Layer: CloudFront for static assets
3. Security Layer: WAF, DDoS protection, SSL termination
4. Load Balancer: Application load balancer
5. Application Layer: Auto-scaling EC2 instances (containerized apps)
6. Service Layer: Lambda functions for background tasks
7. Data Layer: RDS (customer data), S3 (documents), ElastiCache (sessions)
8. Integration Layer: APIs to core banking system
Show connections between layers and data flow direction.
Agent Creates: Layered architecture with clear separation, connection lines, data flow arrows
Process Maps - Use Swimlane Language
✅ Good:
Create a swimlane process diagram for employee onboarding.
Swimlanes (roles):
1. HR Department
2. IT Department
3. Direct Manager
4. New Employee
Process:
– HR: Create offer letter → Get signatures → Schedule start date
– Manager: Prepare workspace → Assign buddy → Plan first week
– IT: Create accounts → Provision laptop → Set up access
– HR: Conduct orientation → Complete paperwork
– New Employee: Training sessions → Meet team → First assignments
– Manager: 30-day check-in
Show handoffs between departments.
Agent Creates: Horizontal swimlanes with process flows within lanes, handoff points marked
Refining Your Diagrams
Common Refinement Requests
Layout Changes:
“Rotate this diagram 90 degrees – make it horizontal instead of vertical” “Rearrange the components so database tier is at the bottom”
“Add more space between the decision point and the process boxes”
Adding Details:
“Add a security component showing firewall between internet and application layer”
“Include timing: show that credit check takes 2-3 seconds”
“Label the connection between API and database as ‘encrypted TLS 1.3′”
Simplifying:
“This is too detailed for executive audience. Remove the technical implementation details and show only major components.”
“Combine steps 3, 4, and 5 into a single ‘Validation’ step”
Styling:
“Make the critical path boxes green and error paths red”
“Use thicker arrows for high-volume data flows”
“Highlight the new components we’re adding in blue”
Iteration Example (Real Workflow):
Initial Prompt:
“Create a flowchart for our loan application process.”
Agent Creates: Basic 5-step flowchart
Your Refinements:
You: “Add a step for document verification after application submission” Agent: [Updates flowchart with new step]
You: “Show different paths for secured vs unsecured loans after credit check”
Agent: [Adds branching logic]
You: “Add timelines – show that auto-approvals take 2 minutes, manual reviews take 24-48 hours”
Agent: [Adds timeline annotations]
You: “Make the approval boxes green and denial boxes red”
Agent: [Applies color coding]
You: “Perfect. Download as PowerPoint.”
Download & Export Options
Once you’re satisfied with the diagram:
PowerPoint (.pptx) - Recommended for Presentations
Diagram appears on a branded ABC slide
Can copy into other presentations
Fully formatted for immediate use
Editable in PowerPoint (with some limitations)
Image Formats - For Documents
PNG (High Resolution):
Best for: Inserting into Word documents, wikis, emails
Transparent background option available
Fixed resolution (not scalable)
SVG (Vector Graphics):
Best for: Professional print materials, large displays
Infinitely scalable (no quality loss at any size)
Smaller file size
Best quality option
PDF – For Archiving
- Best for: Formal documentation, archiving
Preserves exact formatting
Suitable for compliance records
How to Download:
- Review diagram in preview
- Click “Download” button
- Choose format: PowerPoint | PNG | SVG | PDF
- File downloads to your computer
- Use in your target application
ABC Branding in Diagrams
Automatically Applied:
ABC Color Palette: Primary colors for boxes, arrows, backgrounds
ABC Fonts: All text labels use ABC corporate fonts
Professional Styling: Consistent spacing, alignment, and proportions
Logo Placement: ABC logo appears on diagrams (configurable)
Customization:
“Use ABC’s standard architecture diagram colors:
Blue for frontend, green for services, gray for databases”
“Apply the security diagram template we use for compliance reviews”
Integration with Other Agents
With PPT Agent - Add to Presentations
Workflow:
1. Create architecture diagram in Diagram Agent
2. Download as PNG
3. Open PPT Agent
4. Upload diagram:
“Add this architecture diagram to slide 6 of my tech proposal deck. Title: ‘Proposed System Architecture’
Add 3-4 bullet points explaining key design decisions:
– Microservices for scalability
– Cloud-native for flexibility
– API-first for integration”
PPT Agent creates slide with diagram and explanatory text.
With Document Agent - Include in BRDs
Workflow:
1. Create process flow diagram
2. Download as image
3. Open Document Agent
4. Include in BRD:
“I’m creating a BRD for the loan processing system.
Insert this process flow diagram in the ‘Current State Process’ section. Add explanatory text describing each step.
[Upload diagram image]”
Document Agent integrates diagram with surrounding text
Current Limitations & Workarounds
Limitation 1: No Direct Editing of Diagram Elements
Current State: Can’t click and drag boxes/arrows to rearrange
Workaround:
“Move the ‘Database’ box to the left of the ‘API’ box”
“Swap the positions of the ‘Authentication’ and ‘Authorization’ components”
Agent regenerates with requested changes.
Roadmap: ✅ Direct editing coming in Q2 2026 update
Limitation 2: Images Can't Be Inserted Into Diagrams
Current State: Diagrams are vector-based (boxes, shapes, text only)
Workaround:
Option A: Create diagram, then add images manually
- Generate diagram in Diagram Agent
- Download as PNG
- Open in Power Point or image editor
- Manually add photos/logos if needed
Option B: Use placeholders
“Create the diagram with a placeholder box labeled ‘Product Photo Here’
where I’ll insert the image manually”
Roadmap: ✅ Image insertion planned for Q3 2026
Common Diagram Types - Quick Reference
Flowchart
Use For: Decision trees, process flows, approval workflows
Key Elements: Start/end ovals, process rectangles, decision diamonds, arrows
Prompt Keyword: “Create a flowchart…”
Architecture Diagram
Use For: System designs, infrastructure maps, component relationships
Key Elements: Layers, components, connections, data flows
Prompt Keyword: “Create an architecture diagram…”
Swimlane Diagram
Use For: Cross-functional processes, showing handoffs between teams
Key Elements: Horizontal lanes (roles), process steps within lanes, handoffs
Prompt Keyword: “Create a swimlane diagram…”
Data Flow Diagram
Use For: Information movement, system interfaces, data transformations
Key Elements: External entities, processes, data stores, data flows
Prompt Keyword: “Create a data flow diagram…”
Network Diagram
Use For: IT infrastructure, network topology, connectivity
Key Elements: Devices, connections, protocols, security zones
Prompt Keyword: “Create a network diagram…”
Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)
Use For: Database design, data models, table relationships
Key Elements: Entities (tables), attributes, relationships, keys
Prompt Keyword: “Create an ERD…”
Best Practices
DO: Start Simple, Then Add Detail
✅ Iterative Approach:
Step 1: “Create a high-level architecture diagram with frontend, backend, and database layers”
Agent creates: Basic 3-tier diagram
Step 2: “Expand the backend layer to show individual microservices: User Service, Order Service, Payment Service, Notification Service”
Agent refines: More detailed backend
Step 3: “Add the integration layer showing connections to external APIs: Stripe for payments, Twilio for SMS, SendGrid for email”
Agent adds: External integrations
This approach is faster and produces better results than trying to describe everything at once.
DO: Specify Orientation and Layout
✅ Good:
“Create a horizontal flowchart (left to right) for the checkout process” “Create a vertical swimlane diagram (top to bottom) with 4 lanes”
“Arrange components in a hub-and-spoke pattern with database at center”
Prevents need for rework due to wrong orientation.
DON'T: Assume Technical Knowledge
❌ Too Vague:
“Create an architecture diagram for our microservices setup”
✅ Better:
“Create a microservices architecture diagram showing:
– 5 independent services (each with own database)
– API Gateway routing requests
– Service mesh for inter-service communication
– Message queue for async operations
– Shared cache layer
Label key technologies: Docker containers, Kubernetes orchestration, Kafka message queue, Redis cache”
DON'T: Create Overly Complex Diagrams
❌ Too Much in One Diagram:
“Create a diagram showing our entire enterprise IT landscape with all 50 applications, databases, networks, security controls, integrations, and data flows”
✅ Better Approach:
Create multiple focused diagrams:
– Diagram 1: High-level enterprise landscape (major systems only)
– Diagram 2: Detailed view of customer-facing applications
– Diagram 3: Backend integration architecture
– Diagram 4: Security control layers
Rule of Thumb: If you can’t clearly see all text when printed on a single page, it’s too complex. Break it down.
Troubleshooting
Issue: "Diagram is cluttered/hard to read"
Solutions:
“Simplify this diagram – show only the major components, remove implementation details”
“Increase spacing between all components”
“Use a hierarchical layout instead of linear”
Issue: "Wrong diagram type was created"
Solution: Be explicit:
“Create a FLOWCHART (not architecture diagram) for this process”
“This needs to be a SWIMLANE diagram showing different departments”
Issue: "Missing a critical component"
Solution:
“Add a ‘Load Balancer’ component between the CDN and Application servers” “Include the approval step after validation”
Issue: "Need different colors for different types"
Solution:
“Color code the diagram:
– Green boxes for automated processes
– Yellow boxes for manual steps
– Red boxes for exception handling
– Blue boxes for integrations”
Example Prompts Library
Loan Approval Workflow
Create a loan application approval flowchart for ABC Bank.
Process:
1. Customer submits application (online/branch/phone)
2. Automated data validation
3. If incomplete → Request additional info from customer
4. If complete → Proceed to risk assessment
5. Risk scoring system evaluates:
– Credit score
– Income verification
– Debt-to-income ratio
– Employment history
6. Risk tier assignment:
– Low risk (score >720): Auto-approve up to $100K
– Medium risk (score 650-720): Underwriter review required
– High risk (score <650): Senior credit officer approval + additional collateral
7. Approved applications → Account setup and funding
8. Denied applications → Send explanation with improvement suggestions
Show decision points clearly. Indicate approval authorities at each tier. Use green for approvals, red for denials, yellow for pending review.
Cloud Migration Architecture
Create a before-and-after architecture diagram for our cloud migration project.
BEFORE (Current On-Premises):
– User access through corporate VPN
– Physical data center servers
– Monolithic application on Windows Server
– Oracle database on dedicated hardware
– Manual backups to tape
– Fixed capacity
AFTER (Target AWS Cloud):
– User access through CloudFront CDN
– Auto-scaling EC2 instances
– Microservices architecture (containerized with ECS)
– RDS PostgreSQL with read replicas
– Automated backups to S3 (cross-region replication)
– Elastic capacity based on demand
Show components side-by-side for comparison.
Highlight improvements: scalability, reliability, cost optimization.
Customer Support Process (Swimlane)
Create a swimlane process diagram for customer support ticket resolution.
Swimlanes (actors):
1. Customer
2. Tier 1 Support Agent
3. Tier 2 Specialist
4. Engineering Team
5. QA Team
Process flow:
– Customer: Submits ticket via phone/email/chat
– Tier 1: Logs ticket, attempts first-level troubleshooting
– If resolved: Close ticket, send survey
– If not resolved: Escalate to Tier 2
– Tier 2: Reviews ticket, performs advanced troubleshooting
– If resolved: Implement fix, notify customer, close ticket
– If bug found: Create Jira ticket, escalate to Engineering
– Engineering: Investigates, develops fix, submits to QA
– QA: Tests fix in staging environment
– If passes: Deploy to production
– If fails: Return to Engineering
– Tier 2: Verifies fix with customer, closes original ticket
– Customer: Confirms resolution, completes satisfaction survey
Show handoffs and feedback loops clearly.
Add approximate timeframes for each stage (SLA targets).
Getting Help
In-Platform:
Help icon (bottom right corner)
In-app AI assistant for questions
Resources:
- Video tutorial: Diagram Agent Demo
- Full documentation: docs.xnode.ai
- Sample diagrams library for inspiration
Common Questions
“Can I edit the diagram after download?” → Limited editing in PowerPoint; for major changes, regenerate with new prompt
“What’s the size limit?” → Recommended max 20-25 components per diagram for readability
“Can I use custom shapes?” → Currently uses standard shapes; custom shapes coming in future update
End of Document Generation Agent User Guide