What is a Flowchart
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Contents
More flowchart tips
What is a flowchart?
History
Flowchart symbols
Flowcharts for computer programming/algorithms
How flowcharts are used in numerous other fields
Types of flowcharts
How to plan and draw a basic flowchart
This comprehensive guide offers everything you need to know
about flowcharts, including definitions, history, use cases, symbols,
tips, and how to use our flowchart maker to get you started.
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9 minute read
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More flowchart tips
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Keep your audience in mind and gear the detail in your chart
to them. Clear communication is a key goal of flowcharts.
If the process you are charting involves different teams or
departments, consider using a Swimlane Diagram to clearly
delineate responsibilities and handoffs.
Use on-page or off-page connectors to “edit” your chart and
make it flow logically. This can allow you to break up a chart
into separate pages and still flow well.
What is a flowchart?
A flowchart is a diagram that depicts a process, system or
computer algorithm. They are widely used in multiple fields to
document, study, plan, improve and communicate often
complex processes in clear, easy-to-understand diagrams.
Flowcharts, sometimes spelled as flow charts, use rectangles,
ovals, diamonds and potentially numerous other shapes to
define the type of step, along with connecting arrows to define
flow and sequence. They can range from simple, hand-drawn
charts to comprehensive computer-drawn diagrams depicting
multiple steps and routes. If we consider all the various forms of
flowcharts, they are one of the most common diagrams on the
planet, used by both technical and non-technical people in
numerous fields. Flowcharts are sometimes called by more
specialized names such as Process Flowchart, Process Map,
Functional Flowchart, Business Process Mapping, Business
Process Modeling and Notation (BPMN), or Process Flow
Diagram (PFD). They are related to other popular diagrams, such
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as Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and Unified Modeling Language
(UML) Activity Diagrams.
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History
Flowcharts to document business processes came into use in
the 1920s and ‘30s. In 1921, industrial engineers Frank and Lillian
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Gilbreth introduced the “Flow Process Chart” to the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). In the early 1930s,
industrial engineer Allan H. Morgensen used Gilbreth’s tools to
present conferences on making work more e$icient to business
people at his company. In the 1940s, two Morgensen students,
Art Spinanger and Ben S. Graham, spread the methods more
widely. Spinanger introduced the work simplification methods
to Procter and Gamble. Graham, a director at Standard Register
Industrial, adapted flow process charts to information
processing. In 1947, ASME adopted a symbol system for Flow
Process Charts, derived from the Gilbreths’ original work.
Also in the late ‘40s, Herman Goldstine and John Van Neumann
used flowcharts to develop computer programs, and
diagramming soon became increasingly popular for computer
programs and algorithms of all kinds. Flowcharts are still used
for programming today, although pseudocode, a combination
of words and coding language meant for human reading, is
often used to depict deeper levels of detail and get closer to
a final product.
In Japan, Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-1989), a key figure in quality
initiatives in manufacturing, named flowcharts as one of the key
tools of quality control, along with complementary tools such as
the Histogram, Check Sheet and Cause-and-Effect Diagram,
now often called the Ishikawa Diagram.
Flowchart symbols
Here are some of the common flowchart symbols. For a more
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comprehensive list, see our full flowchart symbols page.
Terminal/Terminator
Process
Decision
Document
Data, or Input/Output
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Stored Data
Flow Arrow
Comment or Annotation
Predefined process
On-page connector/reference
Off-page connector/reference
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Flowcharts for computer
programming/algorithms
As a visual representation of data flow, flowcharts are useful in
writing a program or algorithm and explaining it to others or
collaborating with them on it. You can use an
algorithm flowchart to spell out the logic behind a program
before ever starting to code the automated process. It can help
to organize big-picture thinking and provide a guide when it
comes time to code. More specifically, flowcharts can:
Demonstrate the way code is organized.
Visualize the execution of code within a program.
Show the structure of a website or application.
Understand how users navigate a website or program.
Often, programmers may write pseudocode, a combination of
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natural language and computer language able to be read by
people. This may allow greater detail than the flowchart and
serve either as a replacement for the flowchart or as a next step
to actual code.
Related diagrams used in computer software include:
Unified Modeling Language (UML): This is a general-purpose
language used in software engineering for modeling.
Nassi-Shneiderman Diagrams: Used for structured computer
programming. Named after Isaac Nassi and Ben Shneiderman,
who developed it in 1972 at SUNY-Stony Brook. Also called
Structograms.
DRAKON charts: DRAKON is an algorithmic visual
programming language used to produce flowcharts.
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How flowcharts are used in numerous
other fields
Beyond computer programming, flowcharts have many uses in
many diverse fields.
In any field:
Document and analyze a process.
Standardize a process for e$iciency and quality.
Communicate a process for training or understanding by
other parts of the organization.
Identify bottlenecks, redundancies and unnecessary steps in a
process and improve it.
Education:
Plan coursework and academic requirements.
Create a lesson plan or oral presentation.
Organize a group or individual project.
Show a legal or civil process, like voter registration.
Plan and structure creative writing, like lyrics or poetry.
Demonstrate character development for literature and film.
Represent the flow of algorithms or logic puzzles.
Understand a scientific process, like the Krebs cycle.
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Chart an anatomical process, such as digestion.
Map out symptoms and treatment for diseases/disorders.
Communicate hypotheses and theories, like Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs.
Sales and marketing:
Plot out the flow of a survey.
Chart a sales process.
Plan research strategies.
Show registration flows.
Disseminate communication policies, like an emergency PR
plan.
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Business:
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Understand order and procurement processes.
Represent an employee’s tasks or daily routine.
Understand the paths that users take on a website or in a
store.
Develop a business plan or product realization plan.
Document a process in preparation for an audit, including for
regulatory compliance, such as under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
Document a process in preparation for a sale or consolidation.
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Manufacturing:
Denote the physical or chemical makeup of a product.
Illustrate the manufacturing process from beginning to end.
Discover and solve ine$iciencies in a manufacturing or
procurement process.
Engineering:
Represent process flows or system flows.
Design and update chemical and plant processes.
Assess the life cycle of a structure.
Chart a reverse-engineering flow.
Demonstrate the design and prototype phase of a new
structure or product.
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Types of flowcharts
Different authors describe various types of flowcharts in
different terms. These people include published experts such as
Alan B. Sterneckert, Andrew Veronis, Marilyn Bohl and Mark A.
Fryman.
Sterneckert, in his 2003 book Critical Incident Management,
listed four popular flowchart types, framed around the concept
of flow controls rather than the flow itself:
Document Flowcharts: These “have the purpose of showing
existing controls over document-flow through the
components of a system. … The chart is read from left to right
and documents the flow of documents through the various
business units.”
Data Flowcharts: These show “the controls governing data
flows in a system. … Data flowcharts are used primarily to
show the channels that data is transmitted through the system
rather than how controls flow.”
System Flowcharts: These “show the flow of data to and
through the major components of a system such as data entry,
programs, storage media, processors, and communication
networks.”
Program Flowcharts: These show “the controls placed
internally to a program within a system.”
Veronis , in his 1978 book Microprocessors: Design and
Applications, outlined three flowchart types based on scope
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and level of detail:
System Flowchart: Identifies the devices to be used.
General Flowchart: Overview.
Detailed Flowchart: Increased detail.
Bohl, in her 1978 book A Guide for Programmers, listed only two:
System Flowchart.
Program Flowchart.
But Fryman, in his 2001 book Quality and Process Improvement,
differentiated the types in multiple ways from more of a
business perspective than a computer perspective:
Decision Flowchart.
Logic Flowchart.
Systems Flowchart.
Product Flowchart.
Process Flowchart.
Additional flowchart types defined by others include:
Swimlane Diagram, a.k.a Swimlane Flowchart: To delineate
who does what in cross-team processes.
Workflow Flowchart: To document workflows, often involving
tasks, documents and information in o$ices.
Event-Driven Process Chain (EPC) Flowchart: To document or
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plan a business process.
Specification and Description Language (SDL) Flowchart: To
brainstorm computer algorithms using three basic
components: system definition, block and process.
These related diagrams are also sometimes thought of as types
of flowcharts:
Data Flow Diagram (DFD): To map out the flow of information
for any system or process.
Process Flow Diagram (PFD), a.k.a. Process Flowchart: To
illustrate the relationships between major components at an
industrial plant.
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Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN 2.0): To model
the steps of a planned business process.
How to plan and draw a basic
flowchart
. Define your purpose and scope. What do you hope to
accomplish? Are you studying the right things with
appropriate start and end points to accomplish that purpose?
Be detailed enough in your research but simple enough in
your charting to communicate with your intended audience.
. Identify the tasks in chronological order. This might involve
talking to participants, observing a process and/or reviewing
any existing documentation. You might write out the steps in
note form, or begin a rough chart.
. Organize them by type and corresponding shape, such as
process, decision, data, inputs or outputs.
. Draw your chart, either sketching by hand or using a program
such as Lucidchart.
. Confirm your flowchart, walking through the steps with
people who participate in the process. Observe the process to
make sure you haven’t missed anything important to your
purpose.
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Helpful Resources
Flowchart Template for Word
How to Make a Flowchart in Excel
What is a flowchart and how to create one
Flowchart Symbols and Notation
Product
How to Make a Flowchart
Solutions
How to Make a Flowchart in PowerPoint
Resources
How to Make a Flowchart in Word
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