Gantt Diagrams

You can use PlantUML instead of applications like Microsoft Project to make basic Gantt diagrams, with deadline and task dependencies. If you feed the code in Listing 2 to PlantUML, you will get a Gantt diagram like the one shown in Figure 2. While PlantUML diagrams are not as polished as Microsoft Project diagrams, the source code can be quickly written (even on your smartphone) in human-readable text. Gantt diagrams use their own beginning (line 1) and end (line 12) keywords. In addition, using scale (line 2) makes the diagram four times bigger than PlantUML's default minimum size (note: this syntax does not work the same for all diagrams).

01 @startgantt
02 scale 4
03 Project starts the 2020/03/02
04 [Prestudy] lasts 10 days and is colored in Lavender/LightBlue
05 [Milestone 1] happens at [Prestudy]'s end
06 [System simulation] lasts 9 days and is colored in Coral/Green and starts 1 day after [Prestudy]'s end
07 [Use cases def.] lasts 7 days and ends at [Prestudy]'s end
08 [Compliance\nspecs] lasts 3 days and ends at [Use cases def.]'s start
09 [Select testers] is colored in Coral/Green
10 [Select testers] lasts 5 days and starts at [Use cases def.]'s start
11 [Train testers] starts 1 days after [Milestone 1]'s end and lasts 7 days
12 @endgantt

Figure 2: PlantUML's Gantt diagrams may not be as fancy as those done in Microsoft Project, but they are much easier to create.

Mind Maps

Mind maps are an excellent way to represent the relationship between concepts or objects. To draw mind maps in PlantUML, you need to enclose all the mind map's elements between the keywords @startmindmap and @endmindmap, starting with the main element and indenting the following elements with asterisks or dashes. Figures 3 and 4 show two mind map layouts, with their respective source code in Listings 3 and 4. Functionally speaking, Figures 3 and 4 are identical, with the only differences being orientation and boxing. In Figure 4, the root element (Carnivores) is in the center, because using dashes (lines 6 to 9, Listing 4) instead of asterisks (lines 6 to 9, Listing 3) forces the whole Canides section to the left. The underscores in lines 7 to 9 in Listing 4 tell PlantUML to not draw boxes around those elements. In mind maps, you can also use basic HTML tags for formatting, such as the underline tag (line 6 in Listings 3 and 4) and the bold face tag (lines 10 and 13 in Listings 3 and 4).

01 @startmindmap
02 * Carnivores
03 ** Felines
04 *** Felis
05 *** Panthera
06 ** <u>Canides</u>
07 *** Canis
08 **** Familiaris
09 **** Lupus
10 ** <b>Ursides</b>
11 *** Ursus
12 **** Arctos
13 **** <b>Horribilus</b>
14 @endmindmap

01 @startmindmap
02 * Carnivores
03 ** Felines
04 *** Felis
05 *** Panthera
06 -- <u>Canides</u>
07 ---_ Canis
08 ----_ Familiaris
09 ----_ Lupus
10 ** <b>Ursides</b>
11 *** Ursus
12 **** Arctos
13 **** <b>Horribilus</b>
14 @endmindmap

Figure 3: A taxonomy mind map diagram that uses asterisks for indentation.

Figure 4: This mind map has the same information as shown in Figure 3, but it uses dashes and underscores for additional formatting.

WBS Charts

PlantUML uses the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) format for organizational charts. Figure 5 (source code shown in Listing 5) shows a company org chart, but you can use this type of diagram for other things, like a manufacturing process or a school syllabus.

01 @startwbs
02 + Board of Directors
03 ++ <u>Legal/Finance</u>
04 ++ <b>R&D</b>
05 +++ Software
06 ++++ Design
07 ++++ Testing
08 ++- Hardware
09 ++++ Digital Circuits
10 +++- PCB Boards
11 ++++ Analog Circuits
12 +++ System design
13 +++- Modeling
14 ++++ Simulation
15 ++ <b>Production</b>
16 ++- Procurement
17 +++ Manufacturing
18 ++++ Mechanics
19 ---- Electronics
20 @endwbs

Figure 5: PlantUML's WBS diagrams are the best choice for org charts or any other hierarchical structure.

The biggest challenge with WBS diagrams in UML is balancing the diagram visually (avoiding empty areas alongside crowded areas). In general, you assign hierarchy with indentation. Visual balancing is achieved by changing the section order (when possible) and by using dashes instead of plus characters to change each box's orientation (Listing 5, lines 10, 13, 16, and 19). This syntax is compatible with Emacs' Org Mode. However, WBS diagrams are still a beta feature in PlantUML, so their look and feel, if not their syntax, may change in future versions.