In Elements, diagramming is by default 'hierarchical', meaning that for any created diagram, you can select any of its boxes and create a 'child' diagram from that box. There is no limit to how many diagrams can exist in a hierarchy.
The entire hierarchy of diagrams is what we call a 'map'. When you create a new diagram, by default, you are creating a single 'top' level diagram. If you "drill-down" on any of the activities within this top-level diagram, you are starting to create a hierarchy of diagrams - which you will see referred to from time to time as a "process map"
Create new diagram
In the main Elements Home app, select "Diagrams" from the left-hand menu. Click on the New button to create a new diagram, use a template, mine from Salesforce or generate from AI.
Create blank diagram
Selecting this option allows you to create any one of the following diagram types:
Business process map: Map business operations in a hierarchical UPN diagram. Define workflows, analyse steps, and auto-generate stories and requirements from the structure.
Business Capability Map: Visualize business capabilities for strategic alignment and planning. Drill into lower-level diagrams to connect strategy with operations and systems.
Customer Journey Map: Map the customer’s experience across touchpoints. Quickly identify pain points, improvement areas, and generate user stories and requirements — automatically.
System Architecture: Design system-to-system integrations and technical structures. Model data flows, APIs, and dependencies across platforms with a high-level architectural lens.
Data Model: Create and analyse data structures using ERD notation. Model entities, relationships, and attributes to support schema planning and system configuration.
Interaction Flow: Design automations and user flows using Salesforce Flow shapes and logic. Great for prototyping, optimizing, and analysing automation sequences and logic paths.
Whiteboard: Use a blank canvas with sticky notes for freeform ideation, planning, or collaboration. Ideal for early-stage workshops, brainstorming, and unstructured thinking.
Use template
In addition, you can create maps from templates. Select from both default Elements as partner templates, specific for a particular category (e.g., a specific Salesforce cloud) and map type (e.g., Business Process Map):
See more details on using templates in this article.
And see this article when you want to set up internal templates for your own business.
Mine from Salesforce
When you have an org connected to your Space, you can mine the meta-data configuration and this will result in a readable UPN process map or Data Model. Please see this Solution Guide.
Use AI to generate
Thanks to advances in AI, you can now also generate diagrams from text procedures, work instructions, transcripts, notes and even images and sketches. See this article which explains this specific feature in details.
If you have content in Visio format (or Lucidchart), you can also import directly as described here. This also allows you to take a photo of post-it notes on a wall and import them straight into sticky notes within a Diagram