FLOW CHART

Flow Chart Defined

              A flow chart is a graphical or symbolic representation of a process. Each step in the process is represented by a different symbol and contains a short description of the process step. The flow chart symbols are linked together with arrows showing the process flow direction. 

3 Alternate Definitions of Flow Chart

As-Is Flowchart

The first cool thing about flow charts is that they let you see the process flow at a glance, so my first alternate definition of "Flow Chart" is a Snap Shot of your Business Processes. This is commonly called an As-Is Flowchart. You can tell a lot about the complexity (and often over-complexity) of many business processes just by looking at an as-is flow chart of them - without even reading the text in the symbols. You can easily see the flow of information and materials, branches in the process, opportunities for infinite loops, the number of process steps, inter-departmental operations, and more.

Process Zoom Len

The second cool thing about flow charts is that they let you see the process flow at different levels, so my second alternate definition of "Flow Chart" is a Zoom Lens for your Business Processes. Flow charts are often categorized in 3 levels: high-level (aka, 30,000 ft. level), mid-level and low-level (detailed). A high-level flow chart could be a process defined at the company-wide or large system level. Mid-level flow chart could be a process defined at the department level, and a low-level flow chart could be a process defined at working level.
Some flow chart tools (including Microsoft Excel) allow you to add hyperlinks to flow chart symbols. The hyperlinks let you click on a flow chart symbol, drilling down from a high-level process step to a detailed set of process flow steps. This truly gives you the zoom lens capability.

Process Test Bed

 The third cool thing about flow charts is that they let you perform risk-free experiments, so with that in mind my third and final alternate definition of "Flow Chart" is a Process Test Bed. All process improvements require change, and most changes involve risk, require work, cost money, or instill some level of emotional uncertainty and fear. You can mitigate each of these by creating process flow charts of any proposed business operation changes. Each flow chart can be a "what-if" that helps the involved players more easily see the risks involved. Personally, I do before and after flow charts on all significant process changes.

 

 

A Note on Flowchart Symbols

Different flow chart symbols have different meanings. The most common flow chart symbols are:

• Terminator: An oval flow chart shape indicating the start or end of the process.
• Process: A rectangular flow chart shape indicating a normal process flow step.
• Decision: A diamond flow chart shape indication a branch in the process flow.
• Connector: A small, labeled, circular flow chart shape used to indicate a jump in the process flow.
• Data: A parallelogram that indicates data input or output (I/O) for a process.
• Document: used to indicate a document or report (see image in sample flow chart below).

[A complete list of flow chart symbols can be found in the Flowchart Symbols Defined article.]

A really simplistic flow chart showing the flow chart symbols described above can be seen below: