Flow Chart - Effective process visualization tool

Overview of the FlowChart tool

Flow Chart is a process visualization tool that uses graphical symbols to describe the steps in a process. Specifically:

What is a Flow Chart?

Flow Chart is a diagram that illustrates steps or processes in sequence from start to finish. Each step in the process is represented by a certain shape. They connect to each other through lines or arrows, showing the flow and relationship between steps in that process. With one Flow Chart in hand, anyone can easily grasp how a complex process works. This is the power of turning processes into “action maps on paper”.

Benefits of Flow Chart 

In the small and medium enterprise environment, presenting and implementing ideas for projects is an indispensable part. Therefore, using Flow Chart becomes extremely useful and convenient when you need to make decisions or make presentations. Flow Chart has become a popular tool in many different jobs and fields. Here are two practical benefits this tool brings:

• Easy to understand and follow: Flow Chart provides an overview of the entire process, helping users easily follow the steps.
• Process Optimization: By analyzing the diagram, users can identify bottlenecks or areas for improvement in the process.
• Efficiently communicate: Flow Chart helps communicate information clearly and intuitively, supporting discussion and decision making within the team.
• Support training: Helps new employees quickly understand and become familiar with the company's workflow.

When to use Flow Chart 

Flow Chart is a useful tool when you need:

• Process analysis and design: Helps improve or optimize an existing process.
• Record the steps: Create documentation or workflows.
• Explain the process to others: Help stakeholders clearly understand the working process.
• Project management: Monitor progress and control the project implementation process.

Symbols and rules when drawing Flow Chart diagrams

There are dozens of symbols to represent different conditions in a process, but for simple processes in small and medium-sized businesses, you can just focus on some of the most common symbols below:

• Rectangle: Represents steps or tasks in a process.
• Rhombus: Indicates decision points or conditions that need to be selected.
• Ellipse: Indicates the start or end point of the process.
• Parallelogram: Represents input or output data.
• Arrow: Shows direction or connection between steps.

When reading or creating Flow Chart, you need to follow some of the following rules:

• Shows the process flow from left to right and top to bottom.
• Draw a return arrow at the bottom to avoid overlapping the threads.
• Maintain uniform and straight spacing between steps.
• Use standard symbols (e.g., rectangles for normal steps, diamonds for decisions, ellipses for start or end points) and ensure consistency in design (color, shape).
• Color can highlight important elements, but make sure not to affect the consistency and readability of the chart.
• To keep the Flow Chart easy to follow, try to keep the flow chart size to one page. 

For complex processes, dividing them into multiple flow charts will make monitoring and control easier.

Steps to draw a standard Flow Chart diagram 

At first glance, drawing a Flow Chart seems simple with just a few shapes and arrows. However, creating an accurate and logical Flow Chart is a big challenge, especially when businesses have many complex linked processes.

Determine the need, purpose and scope of the process

To determine your needs and goals, ask yourself:

• What are the difficulties encountered when there is no process?
• What problem is the written procedure intended to solve?
• What will the process help optimize?
• What benefits will be brought by applying this process?

To determine scope, consider:

• Does the process apply to one branch or the entire system?
• Will it be done within one department or across the company?
• When will the procedure be applied and how long will it be in effect?

Understanding your needs, goals, and scope helps you determine the desired output of the Flow Chart, thereby creating a Flow Chart that has the highest practical value.

List the inputs and outputs of the process and the work that needs to be done 

A process always has a clear start and end point, and defining these two points will help you clarify the scope of the process Flow Chart. For example, in the ordering process, the starting point may be the customer's order request and the ending point may be the conclusion of a contract or prepayment.

In many cases, the output of one process can become the input of the next process. For example, after a customer signs a contract, the process moves into the design phase, with the input being the customer's requirements and the output being the prototype.

Once you have determined your starting and ending points, you can gradually fill in the steps in between. Ask yourself: What's the next step? Is confirmation or testing needed before moving on to the next step?

A good piece of advice is to study all available literature regarding this procedure, or talk directly to those who are doing it. It's best if you can participate and experience each step in the process to evaluate the feasibility of each stage. Sometimes, being in a management position for too long can distance you from the realities of HR operations.

While listing the steps, arrange them in chronological order. The end result of this process will usually be a detailed text description of the process steps. 

Identify the people involved in the process 

Typically, there are two groups of people involved in the process: external groups and internal groups.

External groups include customers, partners, suppliers, and authorities. Because Flow Chart usually serves internal purposes, you should eliminate intermediate steps performed by external parties to make the process shorter and clearer, especially regarding internal responsibilities.

For groups within the enterprise, it is necessary to clearly identify:

• Who is the main executor of this step?
• Who supervises and checks?
• Who plays the supporting role?
• Who is responsible for completing the work at this step?

In some cases, a step may not be assigned to a specific individual but to an entire department. At that time, the department manager is primarily responsible, and the staff in the department will carry out the implementation.

When clearly defining internal roles, include them only Flow Chart information about the implementer and the person responsible for completion. The monitoring or support group may be omitted to avoid work Flow charts becoming unnecessarily complicated.

Classify according to rules and symbols and proceed with drawing

After listing all the stages of the process, it's time to classify them according to their respective symbols. Be sure to adhere to the symbology standards mentioned earlier so that process guidelines are not violated.

When all the preparations are ready, you can start drawing the draft Flow Chart Firstly. You can do this manually with pen and paper or use specialized applications to make drawing the flowchart easier and more effective.

Check again after drawing 

Review and review the diagram to ensure accuracy and completeness. Check the connections and relationships between steps to ensure there are no errors or omissions.

Next, call a meeting to discuss the Flow Chart with those involved in the process to gather their opinions and feedback.

Finally, one of the benefits of Flow Chart is to allow you to identify unnecessary or overly complicated steps in the review process, thereby providing solutions to optimize the process.

Illustrative examples of Flow Chart diagrams

Here are some practical examples of the benefits that Flow Chart brings to businesses at work:

Set up onboarding process for new employees

When joining the company, every new employee needs to become familiar with the culture, organizational structure, and work processes. Setting up an onboarding process is extremely necessary in this case. Every company can have one Flow Chart separate, but usually includes the following basic steps:

New employees submit all required documents and records.

The human resources department checks the records and notifies if additions or corrections are needed.

HR staff introduces the company's structure and processes.

Hand over work equipment, uniforms, timekeeping codes, emails, and other necessary tools.

Flow chart of the approval process for documents and papers

Every day, departments in the company have to handle many documents that need to be approved. This process easily leads to errors, confusion, or even omissions.

Therefore, there should be one Flow Chart details to ensure the process goes smoothly. Here are the basic steps:

1. Official dispatch sent for approval.
2. If the dispatch is not approved, the process is canceled; If corrections are needed, the dispatcher will make them.
3. Store the final dispatch in a specified folder.
4. Send an email confirming successful approval to the sender to complete the process. 

Compare Flow Chart and Business Process Model and Notation

Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is an international standard for modeling business processes. BPMN provides a graphical language for representing business process steps in a diagram that is understandable to all stakeholders, from business analysts to technical developers. BPMN helps ensure that business processes are described consistently and can be implemented, analyzed, and optimized.

Comparison table between Flowchart and BPMN

Frequently asked questions

Flow Chart is a powerful tool for process visualization and operational optimization in many fields. Understanding and effective application Flow Chart not only helps improve productivity but also enhances the quality of communication and coordination within the organization. Hopefully with that information Viindoo provided above may be useful to you. Contact now Viindoo to experience the benefits this software brings to your business!