SmartDraw Flowchart Tutorial

HOW TO DRAW FLOWCHARTS (cont'd)

7 Tips for Effective Flowcharts

1) Label each flowchart with a title identifying the process that it illustrates. (For example: "Order Entry Process").

2) Clearly indicate the starting and ending points of the process, using the standard terminator symbols.

3) Keep the direction of flow consistent. Avoid confusion by keeping your flow lines moving from top to bottom and left to right. Don't reverse the direction in the chart unless the flow reverses itself in reality.

4) Break the steps down to a consistent level of detail. Don't include trivial sub-steps of one task while treating another equivalent task as a whole. If one step or task needs to be analyzed in detail, make a separate chart illustrating that sub-process. (In SmartDraw, you can hyperlink the shape representing a sub-process to the chart that illustrates it, allowing users to "drill down" for more detail.)

5) Avoid crossing flow lines. In a well-designed chart, flow lines will not cross each other. By rearranging a chart you can usually get rid of crossed lines. If two lines must cross, use a "bridge" (also known as a "line hop") to show that the lines do not intersect.

6) Make sure there are at least two outcomes from every decision diamond.

7) Label your flowchart components. Use active verbs to label activity steps and questions to label decisions. Clearly label the outcomes from a decision diamond in terms that answer the question.