Is there a more concise, intuitive, clear diagraming language other than the dreadful UML?

Question

UML seems heavyweight and bloated to be effective. Teams waste time just trying to agree on the meanings of symbols and which flavor to use.

Answer 1

Boxes and arrows and whiteboards - what else do you need?

"Teams waste time just trying to agree on the meanings of symbols and which flavor to use." - this statement makes no sense to me. The UML spec spells out the meanings of symbols, and there's only one flavor to use. That's what the spec is about.

Maybe you mean "Teams waste time because they don't understand UML." If that's true, buy several copies of Fowler's "UML Distilled" and get on with it.

Or maybe you mean "How is UML useful?" That's an excellent question....

Answer 2

Try a free form approach; when I'm working with my group, I find having anything more complex then box with component name and a line connecting components (with a description of the meaning of a line) is prohibitive. If you have to argue about whether or not the diagram is complying to a standard, it has failed its core function.

That said, this also depends on your end use. If this is product documentation, you probably want something better then a snapshot of hand drawings on a white board; if this is just throwing ideas around, go with what works, ignore what doesn't.