[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":74},["ShallowReactive",2],{"help-article-the-dependency-graph":3},{"data":4},{"title":5,"excerpt":6,"content":7,"help_category":8,"seo":11},"The Dependency Graph (Visual Analysis)","Open the PD graph from the Visual Analysis button and read its five tabs: Galaxy Map, Insights, MVC Blueprint, ERD \u002F UML, and Event Flow, drawn from your tree.","\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What you'll learn\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>How to open the PD graph from the \u003Cstrong>Visual Analysis\u003C\u002Fstrong> button.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>What each of the five graph tabs shows — Galaxy Map, Insights, MVC Blueprint, ERD \u002F UML, Event Flow.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>When to reach for the graph instead of the tables.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>This is the visual counterpart to the \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fthe-product-development-concept\">PD tables\u003C\u002Fa> and \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fstatus-rollups\">status rollups\u003C\u002Fa>. Same data, drawn as a graph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Ch2>Why a graph\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fthe-product-development-concept\">PD tables\u003C\u002Fa> are good for editing one entity type at a time. They're less good for seeing how everything connects — which Models a Feature owns, which Controllers touch a Model, where an Event fires. Relationships that span entity types are hard to hold in your head row by row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dependency graph renders the whole brand's PD tree as nodes and edges, colored by \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fstatus-rollups\">status\u003C\u002Fa>. It's the view you put on a screen when you're talking about architecture — "here's the system, here's what's done, here's what depends on what."\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It reads the same brand-scoped data as the tables, so switch \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fthe-brand-switcher\">brands\u003C\u002Fa> and you're looking at a different graph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Ch2>How to open it\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Col>\n\u003Cli>Open \u003Cstrong>Product Manager\u003C\u002Fstrong> (\u003Ccode>\u002Fstudio\u002Fproduct-development\u003C\u002Fcode>).\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Click \u003Cstrong>Visual Analysis\u003C\u002Fstrong> in the top bar.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>The graph opens on the \u003Cstrong>Galaxy Map\u003C\u002Fstrong> tab. Use the tabs to switch between the five views.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Use the refresh control if you've just edited entities in another tab and want the graph to re-pull.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Fol>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Ch2>The five tabs\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The graph page has five tabs, each a different lens on the same structure:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Galaxy Map\u003C\u002Fstrong> — the default. The full constellation of PD entities and their relationships, laid out so you can see the whole system at once and pan around it.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Insights\u003C\u002Fstrong> — aggregate readings over the tree (counts and status spread across entities) rather than the node layout. The "how is this shaped" summary.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>MVC Blueprint\u003C\u002Fstrong> — the structure grouped along Model \u002F View \u002F Controller lines, so you can see the data layer, the presentation layer, and the handlers separately.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>ERD \u002F UML\u003C\u002Fstrong> — an entity-relationship view of your Models and their Attributes and relations — the database-shaped diagram of the spec.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Event Flow\u003C\u002Fstrong> — how \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fthe-analytics-event-registry\">Events\u003C\u002Fa> connect to the Controllers and Models they fire against, so you can trace what happens when.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>These are reading views. The graph is for understanding and presenting the structure; you still create and edit entities back in the \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fthe-product-development-concept\">tables\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beta note: the graph is honest about gaps. If your PD tree is sparse — a few Solutions with no Models, no Events wired — the graph will look sparse too. The views reflect what you've actually modeled, not a polished idealization of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Ch2>When to use which view\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>Explaining the system to someone → \u003Cstrong>Galaxy Map\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Checking how much is built and where the early-status clusters are → \u003Cstrong>Insights\u003C\u002Fstrong> (and the \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fstatus-rollups\">status rollups\u003C\u002Fa> in the tables).\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Reasoning about layers — data vs. UI vs. handlers → \u003Cstrong>MVC Blueprint\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Designing or reviewing the data model → \u003Cstrong>ERD \u002F UML\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Tracing what an action triggers → \u003Cstrong>Event Flow\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Ch2>FAQ\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Where is the graph?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nBehind the \u003Cstrong>Visual Analysis\u003C\u002Fstrong> button on the Product Manager page (\u003Ccode>\u002Fstudio\u002Fproduct-development\u003C\u002Fcode>). It opens on the Galaxy Map tab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>My graph looks empty or thin — why?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nThe graph only shows what you've modeled. A brand with few Models or no Events will produce a thin graph. Add structure in the \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fyour-first-solution\">tables\u003C\u002Fa> and refresh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Can I edit entities from the graph?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nThe graph is a reading and presentation view. Create and edit entities in the PD tables; come back to the graph to see the result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Why is the graph different when I switch brands?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nPD is brand-scoped, so each brand has its own graph. See \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fthe-brand-switcher\">The Brand Switcher\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What's the difference between ERD \u002F UML and MVC Blueprint?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\nERD \u002F UML focuses on the data model — Models, Attributes, relations. MVC Blueprint groups the whole spec along Model \u002F View \u002F Controller lines, including the presentation and handler sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Chr>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>What's next\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fstatus-rollups\">Status Rollups\u003C\u002Fa> — the same status colors, read as table distributions.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fthe-product-development-concept\">The Product Development Concept\u003C\u002Fa> — the structure the graph draws.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fthe-analytics-event-registry\">The Analytics Event Registry\u003C\u002Fa> — where Events (the Event Flow tab) come from.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>\u003Ca href=\"\u002Fhelp\u002Fevent-storming\">Event Storming on a Whiteboard\u003C\u002Fa> — sketch flows freely before formalizing them in PD.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n",{"slug":9,"title":10},"product-manager","Product Manager (PD)",{"meta_title":12,"meta_description":6,"keywords":13,"canonical_url":14,"og_title":12,"og_description":6,"og_image":15,"robots":16,"json_ld":17},"The Dependency Graph (Visual Analysis) | m18t Help","dependency graph, visual analysis, galaxy map, insights, MVC blueprint, ERD UML, event flow, PD graph, m18t","https:\u002F\u002Fm18t.com\u002Fhelp\u002Fthe-dependency-graph","https:\u002F\u002Fm18t.com\u002Fog-default.png","index, follow",{"@context":18,"@graph":19},"https:\u002F\u002Fschema.org",[20,33,58],{"@type":21,"headline":5,"description":6,"articleSection":10,"inLanguage":22,"datePublished":23,"dateModified":23,"image":15,"author":24,"publisher":28,"mainEntityOfPage":31},"Article","en","2026-06-25",{"@type":25,"name":26,"url":27},"Organization","m18t","https:\u002F\u002Fm18t.com",{"@type":25,"name":26,"url":27,"logo":29},{"@type":30,"url":15},"ImageObject",{"@type":32,"@id":14},"WebPage",{"@type":34,"mainEntity":35},"FAQPage",[36,42,46,50,54],{"@type":37,"name":38,"acceptedAnswer":39},"Question","Where is the graph?",{"@type":40,"text":41},"Answer","Behind the Visual Analysis button on the Product Manager page (\u002Fstudio\u002Fproduct-development). It opens on the Galaxy Map tab.",{"@type":37,"name":43,"acceptedAnswer":44},"My graph looks empty or thin — why?",{"@type":40,"text":45},"The graph only shows what you've modeled. A brand with few Models or no Events will produce a thin graph. Add structure in the tables and refresh.",{"@type":37,"name":47,"acceptedAnswer":48},"Can I edit entities from the graph?",{"@type":40,"text":49},"The graph is a reading and presentation view. Create and edit entities in the PD tables; come back to the graph to see the result.",{"@type":37,"name":51,"acceptedAnswer":52},"Why is the graph different when I switch brands?",{"@type":40,"text":53},"PD is brand-scoped, so each brand has its own graph.",{"@type":37,"name":55,"acceptedAnswer":56},"What's the difference between ERD \u002F UML and MVC Blueprint?",{"@type":40,"text":57},"ERD \u002F UML focuses on the data model — Models, Attributes, relations. MVC Blueprint groups the whole spec along Model \u002F View \u002F Controller lines, including the presentation and handler sides.",{"@type":59,"itemListElement":60},"BreadcrumbList",[61,65,69,72],{"@type":62,"position":63,"name":64,"item":27},"ListItem",1,"Home",{"@type":62,"position":66,"name":67,"item":68},2,"Help","https:\u002F\u002Fm18t.com\u002Fhelp",{"@type":62,"position":70,"name":10,"item":71},3,"https:\u002F\u002Fm18t.com\u002Fhelp\u002Fcategories\u002Fproduct-manager",{"@type":62,"position":73,"name":5,"item":14},4,1786312171747]