What event storming is and why it works
Event storming is a collaborative workshop technique, invented by Alberto Brandolini, for rapidly exploring and modeling complex business domains. The output is a visual map of domain events (orange sticky notes), commands that trigger them (blue), aggregates that process them (yellow), bounded contexts (pink), and policies or reactions (purple). Event storming is used at the beginning of a software project to discover the domain model before writing any code, to identify bounded context boundaries before designing microservices, and to surface business process misunderstandings before they become system bugs.
How to create a event storming diagram with AI
flow-chart.io generates event storming diagrams from plain language in four steps. No notation knowledge required — describe what you need and the AI handles the symbols, layout, and relationships.
Describe what you need
Open flow-chart.io and type a plain-language description of the event storming diagram you want. Name the key actors, systems, steps, or relationships. The more specific your description, the more accurate the generated diagram — but even a rough outline produces a solid first draft. You do not need to know any syntax or notation rules.
Review the generated diagram
The AI generates a fully editable diagram in seconds, using the correct notation for your domain. Review the nodes, connectors, and labels. Check that the relationships are accurate and the layout is readable. The diagram is a scene graph — every element is an independent object, not a flat image.
Edit any element directly
Click any node to rename it, change its type, or update its style. Drag nodes to reposition them. Add new nodes by describing what to add in the refinement panel. Remove elements you do not need. The AI can also refine the diagram for you: "add an error handling path," "split this step into two," "change the data store to a cloud icon."
Export in the format you need
Export the finished diagram as SVG for web and design tools, PNG at 2× or 4× resolution for presentations and documentation, PDF for print and client deliverables, JSON to version-control the editable scene graph alongside your code, or Mermaid (.mmd) to embed the diagram as text in GitHub or Notion.
What you can create
When to use event storming diagrams
The following situations are the highest-value applications for event storming diagrams in professional environments. Each represents a context where a well-constructed diagram reduces miscommunication, speeds decision-making, or produces a deliverable that would otherwise take hours to create manually.
- Domain discovery at the start of a new product or major feature
- Microservices boundary definition — use bounded contexts as service candidates
- Legacy system modernization — map the existing domain before designing the replacement
- Onboarding domain experts and developers in the same session
- Remote or async event storming with a shared digital canvas
In each case, the diagram is not decoration — it is the primary artifact that the team or stakeholder actually uses to make a decision, approve a design, or onboard a new member.
Best practices for event storming diagrams
Experienced practitioners consistently apply a small set of principles that separate diagrams people actually use from ones that get ignored after the meeting. Apply these to every event storming diagram you create.
- Start with the happy path — the primary successful flow through the event storming — before adding error handling, edge cases, and alternative routes. A diagram that shows the happy path clearly is immediately useful; one that tries to show every edge case first becomes unreadable.
- Name every element specifically. "Process order" is more useful than "Process" and "Validate payment with Stripe" is more useful than "Payment validation." Specific names let readers understand the diagram without needing a separate explanation.
- Use the right level of detail for your audience. A event storming diagram for a business stakeholder should show roles and outcomes, not implementation details. A diagram for engineers should show system boundaries, technologies, and data flows. When in doubt, create two versions.
- Export a JSON copy of every diagram you want to maintain over time. The JSON export contains the complete typed scene graph — you can re-import it to continue editing after weeks or months. This is your version-controllable source of truth.
AI event storming generation vs. manual diagramming
Both approaches produce editable diagrams, but they differ significantly in where time is spent and what expertise is required. Use this comparison to decide which approach fits your team's workflow.
| Aspect | flow-chart.io (AI) | Manual diagramming |
|---|---|---|
| Time to first draft | Under 60 seconds from a plain-language description | 20–60 minutes drawing and connecting shapes |
| Notation accuracy | Standards enforced automatically (gateway rules, C4 zoom levels, ERD cardinality) | Depends on practitioner knowledge; violations are common |
| Editability | Every element is a live object — click to edit any node or connector | All elements are already individually editable by design |
| Iteration speed | Describe the change in plain language; AI updates the diagram in seconds | Manual drag, delete, and reconnect for each change |
| Export formats | SVG, PNG 2×/4×, PDF, JSON, Mermaid — all from one click | Depends on the tool; some require additional steps per format |
| Learning curve | None — describe in English, AI handles notation | Notation-specific for each diagram type (BPMN, UML, C4) |
Related guides
These guides cover diagram types that are commonly used alongside event storming diagrams, or that share similar audiences and use cases.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between event storming and a process flow diagram?
- A process flow diagram shows how a process executes step-by-step from the system's perspective. Event storming maps domain events — things that happened in the business domain — from the business perspective. Event storming is a discovery technique, not a documentation technique. It is used to find the right domain model before building, while a process flow diagram documents how the process works after it is built.
- What is a domain event in event storming?
- A domain event is something that happened in the past that is relevant to the business domain. It is always named in the past tense: 'OrderPlaced', 'PaymentFailed', 'UserRegistered', 'InventoryLow'. The past tense is deliberate — it forces participants to think about facts that the business cares about, not about technical implementation or system states.
- Can I do event storming remotely?
- Yes. Remote event storming works with digital sticky note tools or diagramming tools. The AI generation approach in flow-chart.io is particularly useful for async event storming: a domain expert describes the business process in plain language, the AI generates an event storming diagram with domain events, commands, and aggregates, and the team reviews and adjusts it asynchronously.
- What comes after an event storming session?
- The bounded contexts identified in event storming become service or module candidates. Commands become API endpoints or command handlers. Aggregates become the core domain objects with their business invariants. Policies become event handlers or process managers. The event storming output feeds directly into C4 Level 2 diagrams (for architecture) and UML class diagrams (for domain model design).
- How long does an event storming session take?
- A Big Picture event storming session for a medium-complexity domain takes 4–8 hours. A Design Level session for one bounded context takes 2–4 hours. For asynchronous event storming distributed over a week, teams typically schedule 2-hour sessions per bounded context. The AI-assisted approach can reduce the setup time significantly by generating a first-draft event map from a verbal description.