Introduction to Flowcharts
Last Updated : 03 Nov, 2024
The flowcharts are simple visual tools that help us understand and represent processes very
easily. They use shapes like arrows, rectangles, and diamonds to show steps and decisions
clearly. If someone is making a project or explaining a complex task, flowcharts can make
complex ideas easier to understand.
Introduction to Flowcharts
For a detailed understanding of how to create and utilize flowcharts effectively, the System
Design Course provides an introduction to the use of flowcharts in software design and
process modeling
Table of Content
What are Flowcharts?
Why use Flowcharts?
Types of Flowcharts
Symbols used in Flowchart Designs
Terminal/Terminator
Input/Output
Action/Process
Decision
On-Page Connector/Reference
Off-Page Connector/Reference
Flow lines
Rules For Creating a Flowchart
Example of a Flowchart
Advantages of using a Flowchart
Disadvantages of using a Flowchart
What are Flowcharts?
Flowcharts are the visual representations of an algorithm or a process. Flowcharts use
symbols/shapes like arrows, rectangles, and diamonds to properly explain the sequence of
steps involved in the algorithm or process. Flowcharts have their use cases in various fields
such as software development, business process modeling, and engineering.
Why use Flowcharts?
Flowcharts are used due to the numerous amount of benefits they provide. Below are some
of the important reasons to use flowcharts:
They provide clarity and simplification to the complex processes and algorithms, which in
turn helps other people to understand them easily.
Flowcharts provide a universal visual language that can be understood by anyone across
different teams and helps reduce miscommunications.
They are an optimal solution for documenting standard operating procedures, workflows,
or business processes. This makes it easier to train new employees.
Flowcharts help in increasing the visualization of the problem being solved which enables
more informed and data-driven choices.
Types of Flowcharts
There are many types of flowcharts, each is designed to represent different kinds of
processes and information. Some common types of flowcharts are:
Process Flowchart: It represents the sequence of steps in a process. They are
frequently used in business process modeling, manufacturing, and project management
Swimlane Flowchart
: It organizes the process into different lanes, each representing a different person or
department and is used for illustrating how different teams or departments collaborate
within a process
Workflow Diagram: It represents how tasks, documents, or information move through a
system and is commonly used in office processes or software development
Data Flow Diagram (DFD)
: It focuses on detailing the inputs, processes, and outputs. Used in
system design
and analysis to model the flow of data within a system
Decision Flowchart: It focuses on mapping out decision points within a process and the
possible outcomes of each decision. It is used in decision-making scenarios
Symbols used in Flowchart Designs
1. Terminal/Terminator
The oval symbol indicates Start, Stop and Halt in a program’s logic flow. A pause/halt is
generally used in a program logic under some error conditions. Terminal is the first and last
symbols in the flowchart.
Terminal/Terminator
2. Input/Output
A parallelogram denotes any function of input/output type. Program instructions that take
input from input devices and display output on output devices are indicated with
parallelogram in a flowchart.
Input/Output
3. Action/Process
A box represents arithmetic instructions, specific action or operation that occurs as a part of
the process. All arithmetic processes such as adding, subtracting, multiplication and division
are indicated by action/process symbol.
Action/Process
4. Decision
Diamond symbol represents a decision point. Decision based operations such as yes/no
question or true/false are indicated by diamond in flowchart.
Decision
5. On-Page Connector/Reference
Whenever flowchart becomes complex or it spreads over more than one page, it is useful to
use connectors to avoid any confusions. connectors are used to indicate a jump from one
part of the flowchart to another without drawing long or complicated lines. On-Page
Connector is represented by a small circle
On-Page Connector/Reference
