Flowchart basics: Learning to visualize your process in 5 minutes

A flowchart, also known as a process diagram, is a potent tool that helps you run processes more efficiently. Let’s explore how to draw a flowchart that follows the rules and is easy to understand.

What is a flowchart?

A business process is a sequence of tasks that repeat in a specific order to help the company achieve its business goals. 

A flowchart, also known as a process diagram, is a tool that helps businesses easily visualize complex task sequences. It includes steps, conditions that can alter outcomes, and more. Each step is represented by a specific symbol, connected by lines or arrows to show the flow direction.

With a well-crafted flowchart, anyone can easily understand how a given process is executed. That’s the power of having a “one-pager process.”

An example of a "one-pager" payroll process

When should you use a flowchart?

There are several situations where a business manager should consider using a flowchart:

• When explaining or helping employees understand how a process is executed.
• When identifying bottlenecks and researching how to improve a process.
• When clarifying responsibilities among departments involved in the process.
• When formalizing a process as an official document within the organization.

Compared to verbal explanations, a flowchart is a powerful tool for managers and operators to describe a process quickly, simply, and clearly. It allows all departments involved to understand and consistently apply the process quickly. You can combine flowcharts with process management software to ensure compliance and implement processes effectively in daily operations.

Benefits of using flowcharts

• Simplifies and clarifies complex processes: Flowcharts break down intricate processes into clear, visual steps, making it easier to understand the workflow.  

• Identifies and resolves inefficiencies: By mapping out processes, flowcharts help spot bottlenecks and areas for improvement. Drawing a flowchart is like “dissecting” how your business operates and putting everything back in its proper place.

• Enhances communication and collaboration: Flowcharts enable better communication between teams by providing a visual guide that ensures everyone is aligned.

Rules and symbols in a flowchart

Basic symbols

To ensure that everyone, regardless of language or location, can consistently understand a flowchart, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) introduced a set of standards for drawing flowcharts in the 1960s. The International Standardization Organization (ISO) officially updated and issued these standards globally in 1970. It is crucial to follow these standards when drawing and interpreting a flowchart.

There are dozens of symbols representing different conditions of a process. However, for the simplicity of processes in small and medium-sized businesses, you mainly need to focus on the most common symbols.

Rules and symbols in flowchart

How to read and interpret flowcharts – Key rules

When reading or drawing a flowchart, you must follow these rules:

• Represent the process flow from left to right, top to bottom.
• Draw the return arrows from the bottom for return steps to avoid overlapping lines.
• Maintain consistent spacing and alignment between steps.
• Follow standard symbols (e.g., rectangles for regular steps, diamonds for decision points, ellipses for start/end points) and ensure consistency in design (uniform design, colors, etc.). Colors can highlight important components, but they should not compromise the flowchart's readability or consistency.

One final tip for drawing flowcharts is to keep them confined to one page. We recommend breaking complex processes into smaller flowcharts to make them easier to track and manage.

5 steps to draw a flowchart

At first glance, this task may seem simple—drawing a flowchart with a few shapes and arrows. However, building an accurate and logical flowchart is no easy feat, especially when businesses often have many interconnected processes.

Step 1: Determine the need, purpose, and scope of the process

When defining the need and purpose, ask yourself these questions:

• What challenges arise when there is no defined process?
• What problem is this process intended to solve?
• How does the process help improve or optimize operations?
• What benefits will the process bring once implemented?

When determining the scope, ask:

• Does it apply to one branch or the entire system?
• Is it for one department or the whole company?
• When will it apply? How long will it remain effective?

Understanding the need, purpose, and scope will help you clearly define the flowchart’s outcomes, ensuring that it has practical value.

Step 2: List the inputs, outputs, and required tasks of the process

Every process has a starting and ending point. Defining these steps is crucial for clarifying the scope of the flowchart you want to create. For example, in an order placement process, the input would be the customer’s order request, and the output could be the signing of a contract, payment of a deposit, or pre-payment.

In some cases, one process's output may become another's input. For instance, once a customer signs a contract, the process could move to the design phase, where the input is the customer’s requirements, and the output is the design mockup.

After identifying the start and end steps, you will gradually fill in the steps in between. Ask yourself questions like: What is the next step? Is there any need for approval or checks before proceeding?

A helpful tip is to review all existing documents related to the process or, even better, directly consult with those currently handling it. Ideally, you should participate in evaluating each stage's feasibility. Sometimes, being in a management role for too long can distance us from the actual operations.

While listing the steps, remember to arrange them chronologically. Typically, this step's output is a textual description of the process’s steps.

Step 3: Identify the stakeholders in the process

Typically, there are two groups of participants: those external to the business and those within the business.

External participants could include customers, partners, suppliers, or government agencies.

Since flowcharts are mainly for internal use, it is advisable to skip intermediate steps involving external participants. This keeps the process concise and clarifies internal responsibilities.

For internal participants, you should identify:

• Who is responsible for executing the step?
• Who is only supervising or checking?
• Who provides support?
• Who is accountable for completing the work in this step?

Sometimes, a step in the process may not be assigned to a specific individual but to a department. In such cases, the manager of that department is responsible, and the actual work is carried out by staff in that department.

When defining internal roles, include only the information of the person performing the task and the person accountable for completion. Leave out supervisors and supporters to avoid overcomplicating the flowchart.

Step 4: Categorize steps by standard symbols & start drawing the flowchart

Once you've listed all the process stages, it’s time to categorize them using the appropriate symbols. Remember the standards mentioned earlier to ensure you comply with process rules.

Now that all the preparations are complete, you can create your first draft of the flowchart. This can be done manually with pen and paper, or you can use specialized flowchart applications to make the process even easier.

Step 5: Review and refine the process flowchart

Don’t rush to publish your flowchart without reviewing it first. Go through each step carefully and ask yourself whether you've correctly represented the sequence and decisions based on the information you've gathered.

Next, meet with those involved in the process to get their feedback.

Finally, as highlighted earlier, flowcharts help identify unnecessary or overly complex steps during the review process, allowing you to consider how to address these issues.

Examples of flowcharts

Here are examples of 3 common process flowcharts found in most businesses to help you better understand how to present one.

Advance payment process flowchart

The employee advance payment process involves providing employees with funds before their official payday. It typically starts with an employee request, which is reviewed and approved by the relevant department, such as HR or finance. Proper documentation, approval workflows, and tracking ensure compliance, maintaining financial transparency within the organization.

This process is illustrated through the following flowchart:

Complaint handling process flowchart

The complaint-handling process is essential for any service-based company's customer service or support departments. In this process, the business must meet its service level agreement (SLA) commitments by responding to customers within an acceptable time frame and ensuring that service provider errors don’t disrupt customer operations.

This process is illustrated through the following flowchart:

Flowchart of customer complaint handling process

Flowcharts are just the first step in process management

Flowcharts or process diagrams are undeniably powerful tools for visualizing processes. With clear guidelines for their creation, drawing these diagrams has become simpler and more accessible. 

However, the real challenge lies in accurately and efficiently implementing those processes in real-world settings, where deviations, bottlenecks, and unforeseen obstacles often arise. Simply having a clear visual map of a process is not enough. The real value of a flowchart is realized when it is actively used to guide actions, monitor progress, and drive improvements.