Client Map builds structure diagrams of a client group’s companies, trusts and people from the client records in AccountKit. See the client mapping tool and our guide to drawing a family group structure diagram.
Overview
The purpose of the client map is to be able to create a variety of visuals for your office and clients; For example build a business structure diagram of the entities and relationships within a client group’s structure to communicate the flow and purpose of entities to your clients, other stakeholders like their bank and your staff. Alternatively build out a software map, process map or business hierarchy to complement a consulting piece being presented to your client. A picture really is worth a thousand words!
2 Minute in Brief Overview
This video will give you a super quick overview of building a diagram, see the next video for a detailed run-through.
How-to Guide Webinar
Watch this video to get a more detailed run-through of building your first business structure diagram. Perfect if you don't feel like reading through all the text below.
Examples
Looking for inspiration as to how best to layout your diagrams, here are some examples for you to peruse.
Before you start
There are a number of things you should review before making a start to ensure you end up with diagrams that come together quickly, look great and align well with your brand.
Ensure each entity has been assigned a group - without a group, you won’t be able to build a client map. The tool works by first having you select a client group, which then brings in a list of available related entities to build up your map from.
Check your relationships - Where AccountKit isn’t connected to XPM, ensure all applicable relationships and client details have been entered either manually or via import to get the most out of your client maps; Alternatively, these can be added on the fly by selecting the applicable entity and adding the relationship from the applicable group.
Review your settings - Following on from this, review the Client Map settings within Practice Settings -> Tool Settings and set the defaults for all visuals across your practice. You can utilise the supplied themes (Classic or Outline) or create your own theme to get the look you're after.
Points of note:
Pressing reset within a diagram will return all colours and other details back to these practice defaults (including the default theme)
Any colour options that have a large [X] means either no colour
If you want certain colours or a theme to carry across all your diagrams, you can set some practice standard colours from here too.
Practice Settings
General Settings
All can be overwritten on a per map basis
New schedules created by default as - Sets the type of diagram you want all new schedules created as default.
Custom practice colours - By setting some colours here, you can standardise certain colours for use across maps.
Default theme - Sets the default theme you want diagrams created with.
Theme Settings
First, select the theme you want to edit (or utilise the (+) to create a new theme)
Define the Entity Visuals first - this is the shape and colours for each type of entity defined within your business structures under tags and lists.
Then set the other visual settings (line styles, font colours, alignments etc)
See Editing Visual Options for more details on what the options all mean.
Creating a new theme:
Simply press the (+) icon to start the process
Enter a name for the new theme
This will then create a new theme for you to edit. Any changes are saved automatically as you go.
List View
1. Create a new Client Map
Select this to start the process of creating a brand new Client Map.
2. Group by, Filter, View Select, Actions
This area is part of the shared elements used across AccountKit.
Group by
Filter
View Select
Actions
3. The list...
This is a snapshot of all Client Maps within your practice and their current status.
Checkbox - Enables you to select multiple Client Maps to delete, archive or unarchive.
Client Group - Simply identifies the group to that the associated client map belongs.
Map Type - This simply defines the type of map
Business Structure - Used for creating business structure diagrams
Process Map - Used for mapping out processes within a client's business.
Software Map - Used for mapping out the software used by clients and how information flows between systems.
Other - Used for anything else that you want to map in relation to a client or internally.
Client Map Name - This is the map name given at the time of setup. Can be used for anything but forms the main heading for the map.
Description - This shows any other detail that has been entered into the description and gives more context to the diagram. Forms the second line of the heading for the map.
Last Updated - Identifies when the diagram was last updated
Effective Date - Shows when a structure came into effect; So it's useful for tracking when structures change over a client's lifetime;
Status - Shows the current status of a client map (see below for further detail)
Current - This is a diagram that represents what a client group looked at presently; Any changes to a current diagram WILL update your client information.
Historical - This diagram is simply a snapshot of what the client group looked at various points in the past; Any changes to these diagrams DO NOT impact your client data.
Proposed - These diagrams represent potential changes to a client's structure, that have yet to be agreed to; They DO NOT impact your client data until such time that you convert it to a "Current" map.
Sandbox - This diagram doesn't connect at all to the underlying client data; Conceptually it's about building a diagram quickly whilst sitting in front of the client - think of it like you're drawing something up on a piece of paper or whiteboard.
4. Actions Column
Hover over the last column to reveal the ⋮ menu. These are the actions available to you for each client map line. (This may change, while still in the closed beta development stage)
Edit - Selecting this will open the client map for editing.
Archive - Selecting this will archive the highlighted diagram
Delete - Selecting this will delete the highlighted diagram (only available to Practice Administrators)
Print - Selecting this option will bring up the export dialogue where you have the option to output to PDF or PNG and in colour or black and white.
Screen Elements
1. Action Buttons
Provides the ability to carry out the following actions:
Click the copy link icon to copy the link address to this client map.
This can be used to share the client map with others.
Click the ⋯ (more) icon to show
Create a copy – for taking a copy of the current map into a new map without editing the current details.
Change status - this enables you to change a map between Historical , Current and Proposed .
Check for client changes – this brings up a list of changes between the actual client data within AccountKit and the client information within the current map. It's useful if you're in a proposed map for example, and want to bring it up to date with any other changes that may have occurred since the original proposal was created.
Export to PDF - Creates a PDF of the current diagram.
Save - Select this to save any changes back to AccountKit.
Click the expand icon (diagonal arrows) to expand to full screen.
Click the – or × icon to minimise or close the Client Map
2. The Heading
This is where you can see the broader details about the specific map, all of which can be edited in the right edit pane under "Client Details"
Group Name [Status]
Group Name - When setting up the client map for the first time, the Group Name defaults to the name of the client group (Eg. RJ & AJ Bull Family Group); If you would like something different to display, this can be edited to show what you would instead like - for example "Bull Family Group"
[Status] - Simply shows the status of the map, ie. Current, Proposed, Historical, Sandbox. This is set upon creation and can be updated via the action menu.
Client Map Name - This is a secondary heading and can be used in any fashion, such as defining the year and heading for the map. Eg. 2016 Client Map
Description - Used for defining specific details about the map; For example, if it's a proposed structure, it could be detailing the goals of the proposed structure;
3. The Toolbar
Here you've got the option of utilising various tools within the client map
Add Entity
Selecting this will open the "add new entity" dialogue; Within a "current" map, this will add a new entity to your client list along with any integrated add-ons (eg. XPM);
For a "historical" or "proposed" diagram, it will only add the entity to the map and not back to your client data.
This is NOT available within the Sandbox.
Auto-Build
Selecting this will open the "auto-build" menu where you are given these options.
Group Individuals - This option puts all individuals into a single group, rather than having them spread out across the bottom of the diagram.
Reverse order - Select this before building the map, and it will reverse the map order, pushing individuals to the top and companies to the bottom of the diagram.
Add relationship lines - This is where you want to layout the structures how you want first, then we will add lines between entities based on any current relationships.
Layout entities - Use this when you just want the entities laid out initially, so you can tweak them first before adding the relationship lines.
Build diagram - This is where we'll build the whole diagram based on our own patterns including all entities and lines.
NOTE: Utilising auto-build will clear any previously added entities or relationship lines. If you do it by accident, you can recover a prior version from the client map history.
Free Draw
This is a special tool used for presenting to clients; You can draw all over the canvas in a tactile way whilst explaining the detail to your clients;
Press the pencil icon to toggle the draw mode on or off OR press <escape> on the keyboard to turn it off.
You can then set the line thickness, style and colour before drawing on the canvas.
Pressing the bin icon will delete all freedraw lines and turn off the tool
Add Shapes & Icons
Selecting this gives you the option to add the following items to the canvas.
Shape - add the applicable shape to the canvas after which you can add text, change it's colour and connect with lines. Useful for adding context to the diagram - such as flow of cash or rent between structures.
Line - Add a line direct to the canvas without connecting it to any other objects.
Group Outline - used for grouping shapes and entities together enabling grouped items to be moved around together as one.
Icons - here you have a variety of different icons to supplement you client map to give further context and visual cues to your diagram.
Layout Options
Within this option you have a variety of options to align objects and bring order and beauty with ease.
General Options
Toggle grid - Use this to turn the visible grid off and on
Send forward (shortcut <f>) - Use this to send objects to the front of others.
Send backward (shortcut <b>) - Use this to send objects behind others
Group (shortcut <g>) - use this to combine objects into groups for ease of moving together.
Ungroup (shortcut <g>) - simply undoes the grouping.
Snap-to Options
Grid - Use this to toggle having objects snap to the grid.
Objects - Use this to snap to the edge or centre of other objects.
Spacing - Use this to snap to an equal distance between objects.
Alignment Options - Use these options to align and space out selections perfectly
Align to top
Align to centre
Align to bottom
Space out selection horizontally
Align to left
Align to middle
Align to right
Space out selection vertically
Copy / Paste
Select these options to copy and paste shapes and icons; Note it does NOT work for entities. Pressing <Ctrl C> and <Ctrl V> has the same effect also.
Copy Format
This enables you to copy the visual look of one object to another saving you having to edit every line and shape individually. Pressing <Alt C> also activates this tool.
Zoom
Move the slider bar up and down to zoom in and out; Then use the 1:1 option to reset the view. An alternative to using these is holding the shift key down and scrolling your mouse wheel whilst over the canvas.
Show / Hide Toolbars
Select this to show and hide the client list and client detail toolbars on either side of the canvas thereby giving you more room to build your diagram.
Full Screen Mode
Press this button to expand the client map to take up the full browser page. Easier to work with and also demo to clients. You can also get rid of the browser tool bar by pressing "F11" on your keyboard.
Undo / Redo
Use these buttons to undo / redo most actions; Alternatively you can use <ctrl z> and <ctrl v> respectively as well.
Selecting this will bring up the print options pop-up.
Save <ctrl s>
Selecting this will save the current client map; Saving is automatic after the first save, but manual saves create different versions that you can go back to.
History
Select this to see the autosaves and manual saves for the current diagram. From here you can elect to restore or copy a prior version as required.
4. Available Entities
The left toolbar gives you quick access to editing options depending on the type of diagram you are doing, but otherwise is accessible to all map types.
Client Entities
They are coloured according to the entity type which is defined within practice settings .
Selecting an entity will add it to the canvas. If an entity is grey, it means it's already on the canvas.
If you see a × icon in the right corner of an entity:
Current Map: Represents clients that have been added to the map that are outside of the client group.
Historical & Proposed Maps: it means it's only been added to this specific map and doesn't actually exist in your client list; Upon converting a map to a "current" diagram, the cross will be removed as the client will have been added to your client list. Selecting the cross will delete the entity from this map.
If you are missing clients from a group, you'll need to head to the people list and select and add the applicable entities to the group OR go to the entity itself and add them to the applicable group from there.
Shapes & Lines
This is the same list of shapes, lines and icons as provided in the top menu bar;
Used primarily when preparing a process map
Logos
Used for when creating software maps;
Contains a list of available logos
Contact us for the potential to add more logos
5. Visual Options
The top menu bar is where you do all of your editing of the visual aspects of the client map; It's broken into 3 key areas:
General Options - Client Entities - You can edit the basic visuals for all client entities across the entire diagram from here. Alternatively, you can elect just to edit the Header, the Body or the Footer. Note that this impacts ALL entities on the canvas.
Line Options - This enables you to set the visuals of all the lines on the canvas that haven't specifically been customised.
Selected Options - This is a context sensitive menu, in that it will bring up the specific edit options for the object selected, whether it be a client, a line, a shape or icon.
6. Client Map & Entity Details
This is where you’re able to edit the basic Client Map details + Client Specificdetails for selected entities.
Client Map Details covers general details about the current client map.
Client Group - This is the client group name as identified within the client group list; This is NOT editable.
Group Name - enables you to modify the visual name for the Client group if you want it to differ from the standard; Eg. perhaps instead of "RJ & AJ Bull Family Group", you may choose to have "Bull Family Group" instead.
Name - Defines the first heading of the client map under the group name
Description - This identifies further detail about the map and is the 3rd line in the heading of the map.
Effective Date - Simply identifies the date that this map is relevant as at; Useful for sorting diagrams in the order of changes over time.
Client Entity covers the specifics relating to an entity selected on the client map.
Name - Non-editable legal entity name.
Display Name - Here you have an option to edit the way the client name is displayed; Eg. "Bull Investments Pty Ltd" may become "Bull Inv" without updating the client data.
Description - Enter a short description as to the entities role within the group; Eg. Operating company running a software company; Investment Trust etc. Changes here update the client in AccountKit, but does not flow back in Xero Practice Manager.
Group - This enables you to either create a new individual group or assign a client to a pre-existing group, rather than every individual having their own entity each.
Relationships - this shows all of the current relationships associated with the client enabling you to carry out various associated tasks:
Add new relationships by pressing the + icon; A pop-up will appear enabling you to define the type, number (where relevant) and direction of the relationship.
Toggle the visibility of any specific relationships.
Edit the current relationship - a pop-up will appear enabling you to update any details about the selected relationship.
Delete the current relationship
NOTE: Any changes made here when in a "Current Diagram" will be reflected back in your live client data, whereas in Historical or Proposed diagrams the changes will NOT flow back.
7. The Canvas
This is simply where you add and manipulate your client map to get the look you're trying to achieve.
Editing Visual Options
There is a plethora of options to customise to get the client map looking just how you like. See below for the detail.
General entity colours are set within Practice Settings -> List and Tags -> Business Types.
General Options
The general options set the visuals for all entities across the entire diagram
↺ Resets all entities back to practice defaults according to the default theme.
Theme: Choose the theme / visual style you would like.
Font: Edit the Font Name & Size
Edit the Entity Height, Width, Corner Radius, Border Thickness and Border Colour.
Visibility options - turns on / off client information.
↺ Resets all entities back to practice defaults for the header alone.
Set the alignment for the Header.
Edit the Font Name, Size & Colour
Set the Header Height and Colour;
Note: Editing the Header font colour and background colour will supercede the entity specific colours. This is not recommended.
↺ Resets all entities back to practice defaults for the Body alone.
Select whether to show or hide the body section (eye icon).
Set the alignment for the Body.
Edit the Font Name, Size & Colour
Set the Body Height, text positioning, whether the text wraps and background colour;
↺ Resets all entities back to practice defaults for the Footer alone.
Select whether to show or hide the footer section (eye icon).
Set the alignment for the Footer.
Edit the Font Name, Size & Colour
Set the Footer Height and Colour;
Line Options
↺ Resets all entities back to practice defaults.
Set the thickness, style and colour of the lines
Set the line start and end appearance + colour.
Set the line type - flexible v's elbow
See below for some examples as to what each of these settings all mean.
Specific Options
The specific options are context sensitive, with the applicable options appearing based on the object selected.
The options here are identical to those within the general options.
The only difference is that changes made only impact the current entity selected;
The reset option returns the entity back to this particular diagrams defaults.
Selected Shape Options
The bring-forward icon brings the current shape to the front or back if a shape it behind or in front of other options.
Set the transparency, border thickness, corner radius, border style and line / background colours.
Set the font type, size and colour and optionally add some text into the shape.
NOTE: If you set the transparency to 0, the border and background will disappear leaving just the text; Useful if you want to have text by itself or in the middle of a line.
Selected Icon Options
The bring-forward icon brings the current icon to the front if it's behind other objects.
Set the font type, size and colour.
Set the transparency, border thickness, border colour and background colour.
Optionally add some text next to the icon and define its orientation.
Selected Logo Options
The bring-forward icon brings the current logo to the front if it's behind other objects.
Set the font type, size and colour.
Optionally add some text next to the icon and define its orientation.
Selected Line Options
These are identical to the above General Line Options, but specific to the selected line.
Pressing the reset option returns the line to that diagrams default line appearance.
See below for more details.
Selected Group Outline Options
Much like the other areas, here you can set the transparency, border thickness, corner radius (how round the corners are), border style, border colour and background colour.
What do we mean by...
We refer to specific visual elements above, this is what they mean
Corner Radius
Where you want an entity or one of the shapes to have rounded edges, increase the corner radius until you achieve the look you're after.
Transparency
Here you can set the transparency of a shape or icon (but not the text). 0% has the shape entirely transparent except for the text (useful if you want the text to be floating by itself) whereas 100% has the shape entirely opaque.
Line Thickness
With this option you can change the thickness of lines or borders on entities or shapes. The higher the number the thicker the line.
Line Styles
This enables you to set the visual style of the line and the associated start and end decorations.
Line Types
There are a couple other settings for both standard lines and free lines.
Line Type
Elbow Line
This line has a two joints that can be moved.
Set the radius to make it curved
Flexible Line
Insert joints anywhere by selecting the blue dot on the line.
Drag them wherever you like;
To DELETE a joint, simply double click the joints
Set the radius to make them curved and format to your liking.
Line Radius
Radius
Select a line, then set the radius to smooth out the corners.
General Use
How to add or delete an entity, shape, icon or group to or from the canvas
Client Entity
For a pre-existing entity
Select the entity from the available entities list on the left for it to appear on the canvas
Add a new entity not already within the client group either as a proposed or historical entity (in a proposed or historical diagram) or a new current entity (which will flow back to XPM)
Select the + icon from the toolbar
Enter a name for the new entity
If it already exists in your client list, you can select a pre-existing client to add to the diagram that is outside the family group.
If it does NOT exist in the family group, you just need to identify the applicable entity type before adding it to the canvas.
Shapes, Lines, Icons and Groups
Start by selecting the appropriate menu item (the shapes icon) and select the applicable shape, group outline, line or icon
Adding an icon
Choose the icon you want and drop it on the canvas.
Optionally Add any text you want and position it where you would like it relative to the icon
Choose the visual appearance of the icon, text and text box
Adding a shape
Select the desired shape from the toolbar.
Edit its appearance by selecting the shape and editing its details in the above menu.
You can also add text to the shape from the same menu as well.
Connect lines between other shapes or entities by dragging between connectors.
Adding a line
Select the line icon from the toolbar - this will put you into line draw mode with a cross cursor
Drag out where you want the line to be and press the icon again OR press the <escape> key to disable the line draw mode.
Edit its appearance by selecting the line and editing its details in the context-sensitive menu.
To insert a corner joint, click on the blue dots in the middle of the line and drag the white corner dots to desired location. To remove a corner joint, double click the white corner dot.
Adding a group
A group enables you to drop icons, entities and shapes into it, such that when you move it around, all of the objects move with the group. This could be a set of icons representing people; or perhaps a corporate trustee grouped with a trust or superfund.
Select grouping icon from the Shapes toolbar after which it'll appear in the left top corner. Select and drag it to where you want it to be.
Edit its appearance by selecting the group and editing the details in the top menu that will have appeared.
Move entities, shapes or icons into the group outline;
Connect lines between other shapes or entities by dragging between connectors.
Deleting objects - To remove an entity, shape or line, simply select them and press the delete key or the bin icon.
Creating an individual group
First, add an individual to the canvas.
Once on the canvas, select the individual
Expand the selected individual's menu item in the right options menu
Select the + icon to the right of the group heading, or choose a pre-existing group name.
Enter the group name (Eg. Individuals) and a brief description and press save.
You can now select each individual in turn and assign them to the newly created group.
How to add individuals to a group
Select an individual on the canvas already
Expand the individual's menu item in the right options menu
Select the drop-down list under the group heading and select the desired group.
How to remove an individual from a group
Select the group on the canvas.
Select the individual group options that have now appeared in the top toolbar
You'll see a section called "Individuals Included" where you can press the × icon to remove them from the group. They’ll now appear back in the left client list.
Copy Visuals
How to copy the visuals from one object to another It's time consuming to copy the visual formatting from one object to another, so the idea of the copy format tool is to streamline this action. It's only required where you're making changes beyond the general visual options.
Start by selecting the object that you would like to copy the visuals from (eg. shape, line, entity, icon)
Then select the paintbrush icon in the top right menu OR utilise the keyboard shortcut <alt-c> ; This toggles the copy function on and off.
Now select the object that you would like to apply the visuals to.
Once done, press the paintbrush icon again OR press <alt-c> again OR press the <escape> key to turn it off once again.
NOTE that you can only copy from like object to like object; Eg.
Line -> Line
Shape -> Shape
Icon -> Icon
Group Outline -> Group Outline
Entity -> Entity
How to build your first client map (Historical, Current & Proposed)
Building your first diagram can be daunting, as there are so many options and variables to play with. Just work your way through the steps below and you'll be a pro in no time.
Create a new diagram
Head to the Client Map list and select “Create new Client Map”
Options upon setup include
Client Group - Identify which client group you're building the diagram for;
Template - (Sandbox Only) Select which template you would like to start with. Select blank if you want a blank canvas.
Name - Give a name to the map such as "Business Structure Diagram" or "Client Map"; This will appear at the top of the printed diagram under the group name. But can be hidden.
Description - This can be any description you like; Some good examples include "As at 30 June 2016" or "Proposal for new SMSF".
Effective Date - Set the date the diagram is to be effective as of; This is useful for sorting to see the history that a family groups structure has changed over time.
Select Save
Start with Auto-build (the lightning bolt icon)
This is an excellent place to start, as it will put all the entities on the canvas and join up all the relationship lines. Then it's just a matter of tidying up.
Alternatively, keep making your way down the steps. [referred to below in orange]
Get a rough layout in place:
From the Available entities on the left, select each entity you would like to add to the canvas OR use Autobuild to do an initial layout of the entities. If you want to group individuals, now is the time to do this too.
Drag them to approximately the desired position
Edit the default options for each entity.
Then move them to their exact position.
At this point consider whether you want to change visual themes under General Options
Add extra detail to the canvas (Shapes, Icons and Groups)
Use these to provide further useful information and context
They could be used as follows:
Show a list of properties and visual icon of those owned by a family group.
Show the movement of rent between organisations with connectors between them + ($) icon.
Add lines to the canvas
These can show the flow of ownership, distributions, money etc.
Drag between the connector points located in the middle of each entity edge to create a line between entities OR use Auto-build to add the lines for you.
Change the line appearance to an individual line or all lines within a diagram. To change an individual line click on the line and click line detail in top menu. Use the General Line Options to update the appearance across the diagram.
Output to the required format
PDF output can then be added to a proposal or set of financials.
PNG output excludes company branding, so can be embedded into a powerpoint presentation or proposal document
Hints, Tips & Shortcuts
There's a lot of ways to go about building a diagram, so here's a few tidbits that will help you become super efficient in no time
Utilise shortcuts - get proficient at these.
Arrow
<shift> + Arrow
Nudges / moves objects by 1 pixel at a time.
Hold shift to then move 10 pixels at a time.
<Ctrl> + c
<Ctrl> + v
Standard copy and paste shortcuts
(Doesn't work for entities though)
<Alt> + c
Copy format tool - ie. copy the visuals from one object or line to another object.
<Shift> + scroll
Use this shortcut with your mouse to zoom in and out of the map wherever your cursor is sitting.
<Ctrl> + s
Save the diagram
(Note we do save every couple of minutes automatically)
<f> and <b>
If you find objects are behind or in front of other objects, use these shortcuts to bring the objects to the front or send them to the back.
<g>
Use this shortcut to group or ungroup objects. This enables you to keep specific objects together and move them around as required as one.
Given the volume of information on the screen at any given moment within the client map, utilise the “zoom out” slider by pushing the magnifying glass icon
Use the eye icon to hide the toolbar and the full screen icon to maximise your view over the whole monitor.
Double click any object to open their options pop-up with any text fields immediately in focus.
Utilise the arrow keys on your keyboard to "Nudge" objects. Handy for tweaking the visuals to make the alignment of objects picture perfect.
Make sure to save the diagram along the way to ensure any changes are saved and client information pushed back to the client data (if a "Current" map).
This will also ensure you capture a new "version" in the history of the map.
You can utilise the standard <ctrl-s> to trigger the save action
If you’re wanting to keep a copy of a current map so you can play with a new map without impacting the original, select Actions -> Create a copy to create a copy to work within.
If you make a change to anything within practice settings or within a client entity, refresh the page to force the client information and settings to be re-loaded. Eg. The default header colour for one of the entities.
If you want some text to appear without any surrounding shape, add a shape to the canvas, add some text to it and decrease the transparency to 0.
Create custom colours to standardise the look of your diagrams.
Your practice administrator can set them across the entire practice within practice settings.
If you want some standard colours just for a particular diagram, anyone can update the custom colours per diagram.
Using the Sandbox
Editing the entity details
Once you've added some entities to the canvas, select each entity to show the client detail in the right pane.
Customise the entity name, body content and footer as required;
Set the alignment per area and press ok once complete.
Saving a new template
Build up the diagram to a point that you're happy and ready to save as a template.
Go to the action menu and select "Save as template"
Give the template a meaningful name such as "Company, Trust & Superfund with Corporate Trustee" with a detailed description identifying the purpose of the structure.
Press Save.
Editing or Selecting a template
Go to the action menu and select "Select or edit templates"
In the new pop-up you have a number of options:
Select a template and press apply - this will clear the current canvas and apply the template structure instead.
Selecting the edit (pencil) icon will enable you to update the name or description for a template.
The × icon enables you to delete a template;
Note that you can't delete a system template.
How to change the diagram type
A diagram can have different statuses that determine how the contents of the map interact with your client information. For example, say you are preparing a proposed change in business structure - you could take a copy of a "current" diagram and change it's type to "Proposed". Make all the changes you want for any upcoming potential changes and include in your proposal. If you get the go ahead for the changes, change the diagram to a current diagram at that point to push the changes through to the client detail page (and XPM where connected).
Current
A current diagram represents how the client's current group presently looks.
Generally speaking, you would only ever have one of these, but there is nothing stopping you from having multiple versions that just appear visually different - perhaps for different audiences.
Map Changes - Any time you make a change and save it, the change will roll through the underlying client data including any connected software (eg. XPM). The sorts of changes that will roll through includes:
Entity Name
Entity Description
Relationships
Upon Opening the map - Upon opening the client map will check for any changes to the client within the map since last updated. You then have the option to apply the changes to the current map or carry them into a new map.
Change Type - Upon the change of map, the client information within the map will disconnect from the underlying client information, so any changes don't impact your client data.
Historical Represents a time stamp of how a client group looked at some point in the past.
Map Changes - Any changes to the map will NOT change any underlying client information unless you change type.
Upon Opening - The system will NOT check for changes, as the assumption is that historical maps won't need to be updated with current client info; BUT this can be forced to check from the Action menu.
Change Type - If you elect to change type, the following will happen.
Change to Current - Any differences between the historical data and current data will be highlighted and you have the option to roll those changes back through your client information;
Entity names and descriptions will be updated.
New entities will be set up;
New relationships will be added
Deleted relationships will be removed
Change to Proposed - Nothing happens, since a proposed diagram is already disconnected from your client info.
Proposed Represents a proposed set of changes to the structure of a client group.
Map Changes - Any changes to the map will NOT change any underlying client information unless you change type.
Upon Opening - The system will NOT check for changes, as the assumption is that proposed maps won't need to be updated with current client info; BUT this can be forced to check from the Action menu.
Change Type - If you elect to change type, the following will happen.
Change to Current - Any differences between the historical data and current data will be highlighted and you have the option to roll those changes back through your client information; Eg.
Entity names and descriptions will be updated.
New entities will be set up;
New relationships will be added
Deleted relationships will be removed
Change to Historical - Nothing happens, since a historical diagram is already disconnected from your client info.
Sandbox
This type of diagram is significantly different to the above types in that it's not connected to the underlying client data at all. Conceptually it's about being to create a diagram as fast as possible without having to fill in all of the data; Think of it like drawing a diagram on a whiteboard or paper.
Map Changes - Any changes to the map will NOT change any underlying client information.
Upon Opening - The system will NOT check for changes, as the entities are not connected to the client information.
Change Type - You have no option to change the map type. If a client is happy conceptually, you will need to go and build the client map as a proposed or current diagram.
What to do with changed client information?
When opening a current client map or changing map types, you will be presented with a list of the changes and what you would like to do with those changes.
Current Diagram - Selecting this option will apply the change to the current diagram
New Diagram - Selecting this option will apply the change to a copy of the current diagram.
Do Nothing - As the name suggests, it will do nothing but will come up as an option to apply when opened in the future.
If there's a combination of changes to apply, such as some changes to the current map with some applied to a new map, the following will happen:
Current changes will be applied to the current open diagram;
This diagram will then be changed to a historical diagram.
This diagram will then be copied to a new current diagram with the remaining "new diagram" changes applied.
Other uses for the client map
With the variety of shapes and icons available to you, you can use the business structure diagram editor for doing other cool diagrams that will be useful to your team and clients. The sky is the limit, but here are some examples of what you can create.
Organisational Structure
While it's great to have a broader structure diagram, sometimes it's just as useful to map out the internal structure of a business as well.
Software Map
Seeing what software you have and what you may implement is great to get an overall feel for what a business is using and how data flows between systems.
Process Map
Mapping out any processes within an organisation can help you visualise the flow, responsibilities and enablement refinement at a high level before diving into the details.
Related Links
This support article covers all the menus and shared elements used throughout AccountKit
Follow this link for the specifics about setting up the defaults for your business types.
Learn how to connect and manage your DMS.
Not using AccountKit yet? Draw your next structure diagram from the client record. You can start a 14-day free trial or book a demo.