Graph

Draw the items as dots and the relationships between them as lines. Use it when what matters is who connects to whom: who the hubs are, which single link bridges two clusters, and what indirect path runs from A to D. Bad at exact quantities.

Draw the items as dots and the relationships between them as lines. Use it when what matters is who connects to whom: who the hubs are, which single link bridges two clusters, and what indirect path runs from A to D. Bad at exact quantities.

Example

Instead of a vendor table, map the 30-message thread as people and influence: two engineers both defer to the same architect, and only one person talks to both the security reviewer and finance. That bridge, invisible in the table, tells you whose objection actually stalls the decision.