Micro-diagram language specification
Canonical shapes, line styles, and axes for explaining accountable-system diagrams.
State
Rounded rectangle
A discrete system state, status, or lifecycle stage.
Agent
Circle
A human, team, or automated agent with agency.
Boundary
Dashed frame
A scope boundary for policy, jurisdiction, or system limits.
Authority
Shield
The binding authority that can enforce or reverse outcomes.
Line styles
Line semantics denote force, authority, and contingency.
Keep weights consistent and use grayscale-friendly contrast.
Causal
Solid arrow
Shows direct causality or irreversible action.
Authority
Double stroke
Marks decisions that bind policy or governance.
Contingent
Dashed arrow
Shows a possible, conditional, or reversible path.
- Time: left-to-right (start → completion) with clock markers.
- Authority: bottom-to-top (user → system → binding authority).
- Burden: thickness or shaded bands show cumulative time tax.
State variables
One glyph per state variable, everywhere.
The six coordinates a delegation has at any moment, each drawn from the shapes above: reach, the shield, the card, the linked rings, the portal with a voice, the loop. Anything on the site that names a variable draws it with this mark, so a reader who has seen it once recognises it in a table, a matrix, a readout, or a figure.
Capability
What could the assembled system do?
Authority
Which actions was it permitted to take, for whom, until when?
Evidence
What propositions justified that authority?
Dependency
How hard had withdrawal or substitution become?
Standing
Who could challenge a decision, with what procedural force?
Correction
Which interventions stayed feasible, and on what clock?
A judgement about one variable is a verdict, drawn the same way whether it scores a public case or a team's own workflow: held explicit and coupled, drifted present but detached from the variable it should track, failed absent. The three marks read in grayscale; colour is secondary.
<rect class="state" /> <line class="causal" /> <rect class="boundary" /> <line class="contingent" />
Example
Stoppability vs reversibility.
Use a solid stop for immediate halt and a dashed return for reversal windows.
<circle class="agent" /> <rect class="state" /> <line class="causal" /> <line class="contingent" />
Citations
Cite this diagram language.
Reuse the spec verbatim so new diagrams match the existing ones.
Copy citation (APA/BibTeX)
Cite this diagram language Formats: APA, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, RIS
APA
Ethotechnics Diagram Council. (2026). Micro-diagram language specification. Ethotechnics Institute. https://ethotechnics.org/standards/micro-diagram-language
MLA
Ethotechnics Diagram Council. "Micro-diagram language specification." Ethotechnics Institute, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/standards/micro-diagram-language.
Chicago
Ethotechnics Diagram Council. "Micro-diagram language specification." Ethotechnics Institute. Sep 17, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/standards/micro-diagram-language.
BibTeX
@misc{micro_diagram_language,
title={Micro-diagram language specification},
author={Ethotechnics Diagram Council},
year={2026},
howpublished={Ethotechnics Institute},
url={https://ethotechnics.org/standards/micro-diagram-language},
version={v1.1.0}
}
RIS
TY - WEB TI - Micro-diagram language specification AU - Ethotechnics Diagram Council PY - 2026 UR - https://ethotechnics.org/standards/micro-diagram-language ER -
See also: Standards · Mechanisms