Flow Chart Vs Activity Diagram
The only difference between these words is that process mapping refers to the actual process of creating a diagram.
Flow chart vs activity diagram. An activity diagram is basically a flowchart unified modelling language diagram which is used to describe the dynamic aspect of the system. The ability to show parallel processing. Thus this is the main difference between activity diagram and flowchart. The two are pretty much the same except that the uml activity diagram adds at least a couple of additional features.
The flowchart represents the flow of activities from one activity to another activity. An activity diagram is a graphical representation of workflows of stepwise activities and actions with support for choice iteration and concurrency. In contrast a flowchart is a diagrammatic representation that illustrates a solution model to a given problem. Decision points that show branching points in the program flow based on guard conditions.
The activities can be described as the operation of a system. Process mapping and flow charts are words used interchangeably and refer to creating a diagram that illustrates a business process. A flow chart is limited to sequential process with condition checking points. The ability to divide the steps of the process activity into concerns or context.
Activity diagram is to visualize and exploit the opportunity of parallel and concurrent processing. The diagram itself is called a flow chart.