Overview

Illustrate and document the Chain of Responsibility behavioral design pattern with this engineering reference template. This pattern passes a request along a chain of handlers — each deciding to process or pass it along — decoupling senders from receivers. This template maps the handler chain, request flow, and decision logic on a shared Zoom Whiteboard canvas.

Key Features

• Linear handler chain diagram with request flow arrows
• Handler class structure with handleRequest() and next handler pointer
• Decision logic annotation zones (handle vs. pass) per handler
• Concrete handler examples with condition labels
• Sequence flow showing a request traversing the full chain

How to Use

1. Draw handler boxes in a horizontal chain using the Shapes tool — connect each to the next using the Connector tool with a directional arrow
2. Add a request entry point on the left side and label it using the Text tool
3. Annotate each handler with its handling condition — what triggers this handler to process vs. pass? Use sticky notes for brief condition notes
4. Show the terminal handler (the one that finally processes the request) with a distinct color using the shape fill options
5. Add a parallel sequence diagram below the chain to show the same flow over time

Benefits

Chain of Responsibility architectures are hard to debug without a map. This diagram makes the handler sequence and decision logic visible to every engineer — reducing the "why didn't this handler fire?" questions during code review and incident response.