How a Visio Flowchart Can Visualize Processes
Today, businesses, government institutions, and an array of diverse setups find the need to update their daily processes to operate efficiently and effectively. As a result, smarter strategies for future growth prospects and sustainable productivity are required more than ever. This is where a Microsoft Visio flowchart can be a remarkable help for organizations, both large and small.
A Visio flowchart is commonly used to help reflect on and analyze an entire business in a more simplified way. This tool can save you a lot of time by seamlessly identifying potential ideas as well as improvements or factors to eliminate altogether as you observe projected growth.
Advisicon has been working with organizations just like yours to get the most out of Visio, showing how flowcharts can improve staff productivity. With our Visio training, organizations have seen increased efficiencies and growth within their markets and beyond. We also offer support after the initial consultation and training to keep your staff gets the most out of Visio.
So, how do you use a Visio flowchart to visualize a process? Is this easily adaptable? Let’s have an in-depth look.
Visualizing business processes with an MS Visio flowchart
There are two major Visio flowcharts available today. Before you visualize a process using a Visio flowchart, you need to know what kind of data you have to suit a specific Visio flowchart of your choice for outstanding results. Firstly, I will point out the two most popular ones.
Step 1: Identifying the type of flowchart you need
- A basic flowchart is helpful when you want to do process analysis, store information related to steps followed, identify tasks and monitor the cost of a process.
- A cross-functional flowchart helps establish the connection between a business process and a given business unit.
In addition, you will need to use some diagrams for an informative visualization process. An audit diagram will assist you to keep records and carry out process analysis when executing financial transactions and stock checking.
You might also engage a data flow diagram to arrange systematically process information regardless of source. Additionally, the cause-and-effect diagram will be helpful to account for results and situations and an EPC diagram to create illustrations for event-driven processes like SAP/R3.
Fault tree analysis diagrams are used to discover activities that are likely failing, popularly used in Six Sigma processes. By identifying these roadblocks before a project even begins, valuable time, effort, and resources can be saved.
Furthermore, TQM (total quality management) diagrams are vital in reengineering business processes for sustained growth and problem-solving.
Lastly, a workflow diagram helps understand data flow and automation of the BP, manage accounts and HR responsibilities. Therefore, identify the flowchart you need before embarking on creating your Visio flowchart.
Step 2: Visio flowchart creation
Apart from cause-and-effect data flow diagrams, you can use a Visio flowchart with other diagrams quickly to automatically connect shapes.
- If you want to use the basic flowchart, access the file menu for a tab on the BP to check off the basic flow chart.
- After that, you can draw the shapes you need and connect them automatically using the connector tool. This can be further done on all documents and other configurations of choice on a single page.
- Remember, every new shape you introduce can be connected to any different shape of interest. You also can add text if you find want to at this point.
With Advisicon training, you’ll be able to create sleek, innovative flowcharts that are clear, concise, and easy to understand. The addition of colors to shapes gives the flowchart more depth as well.
Step 3: Add linkage
Introduce links and any numerical that might be required. Generally speaking, the more information you can add, the better. It’s essential to improve overall accuracy when you want to reveal more details of the process. Remember, Visio flowcharts help you visualize business processes, structure, or pecking order within an organization. Whatever relevant information you can add to better know where your organization is coming from, its current operation level, and where it is headed should be included.
The ability to link to information from other programs is one of the reasons why Visio is so useful. Instead of cutting and pasting information, or constantly moving from program to program, you can link the data into the Visio flowchart itself. This also allows you to send the embedded files to other computers.
By embedding an object into Visio, you’ll be able to keep all of the information you’re working with into one file. For example, if you want to edit an embedded Excel worksheet, Visio will open Excel from within the flowchart, saving you a step. This is especially handy if you’re embedding data from multiple programs.
Step 4: Clean up flowchart appearance
In your flowchart shapes, format text for a more appealing look and enhance easy interpretation of your process. Lastly, format your text before you add any necessary links you may need.
At this point, the business visualization process is almost complete. To improve ease of access, you can use the connector tool in your specific flowchart. This tool connects your process concerning different shapes used. This is what you call the shape-to-shape connection. Otherwise, for heightened accuracy, point-to-point links can be used.
Visio flowchart technical support
We have 25+ years of experience helping organizations get the most out of their business software, improving their process, and other IT services. We’ve worked with small startups and international corporations across several industries during that time.
By hiring Advisicon for your Visio training or implementation, you’ll be taking advantage of everything we’ve learned along the way. We’ve shown organizations how to create objects, implement fault tree analysis diagrams, and how to present it all in an easy-to-read document.
For more information on Visio flowcharts or strategies for improving your business’ day-to-day productivity, contact the pros at Advisicon. Through Microsoft Visio support, training, and more, we can help your office reach higher goals, reduce inefficiencies and learn powerful Microsoft programs.