Tools are easier to replace when the handoff between them is clear.
Describe each connection
For every step, name the information it receives, the result it returns, the identity allowed to use it, and what counts as completion.
| Connection | Example agreement |
|---|---|
| Intake to extraction | A request ID, an approved source reference and the required fields. |
| Extraction to review | Proposed values, confidence or uncertainty information, and the source reference. |
| Review to destination | The approved values, reviewer decision and destination record. |
| Completed work to billing | A validated usage event under the agreed charging rule. |
The business meaning matters more than a particular diagram format. “Approved intake record” is clearer than an arrow with no explanation.
Make failures visible
Decide how an operator sees failed work, which failures can be retried, and how duplicate requests are recognized. A retry should not silently create a second business record or a second charge.
Keep a clear owner
Your existing customer account system should keep owning customer access. Your approved commercial process should keep owning prices and entitlements. Connecting a chat or another tool should not create an unrelated second account or billing record.
Use a diagram as a draft
A conversation can describe steps in text, a table, JSON or Mermaid. Those are useful planning artifacts. A synchronized visual editor is a separate product feature; a code block in chat is not a working canvas.
Use the brief template to capture the decisions that a diagram alone cannot show.