The workflow diagrams have become quite popular in the past few years since it helps visualize and track business or personal processes. For the most cases, the workflow diagrams are utilized by businesses to keep the business processes in sync with the members. The workflow diagram is known to provide a graphical overview of different business processes and entails some standardized shapes and symbols. However, beginners often don’t have an idea about the right way to create a workflow diagram. So, if you want to learn how to create a workflow diagram, we have the ultimate guide for you!

Applications Of Workflow Diagrams In Real Life

It’s needless to say that workflow diagrams are widely used in businesses to keep track on project timelines. In addition to this, these diagrams are abundantly used by students to make notes as it makes it easier to add the important information and be aligned with what the teacher is saying. However, it can be used in the eCommerce industry to keep track of the product lifecycle, while medical professionals can use it to understand the patient’s history and current treatment’s understanding. On top of everything, it’s a great tool for finance professionals to understand the entire financial process for a client or business.

Types Of Workflow Diagrams

The workflow diagrams make it easier for the users to understand the complicated processes as it breaks down the processes into small parts. In simpler words, it’s an apt tool to capture, improve, and share business processes. The best thing about workflow diagrams is that they are easier to create, share, and understand while retaining tons of information. Since it’s preferred by professionals in different fields, it’s important to understand different types of workflow diagrams;

ANSI Flowchart

The ANSI flowchart is basically a standardized process that’s used for documenting the details of a business process. It starts with the process block diagram and can be used to document the smallest details in a diagram.

UML Activity

This is an activity diagram that’s widely used to describe various dynamic aspects of a process or system. This flowchart is specifically used to represent the flow from one process to another, and these activities are described as the system’s operations. These flowcharts can be concurrent, sequential, or branched.

BPMN

BPMN standards for the business process modeling notation and it’s a graphical notation that shows the steps in the business process. It utilizes standardized graphics to showcase the process’s flow, choices, and participants. In addition, it depicts the process from beginning to end (it’s usually called an end-to-end diagram).

Swimlane

The Swimlane diagrams and flowcharts are used to delineate the responsibilities of different people in a team. It provides clarity on the team’s responsibility as a whole and as individuals. In addition, these diagrams highlight the processes and sub-processes assigned to specific personnel.

SIPOC

SIPOC is the smaller word used for suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs, and customers. It’s a visual mapping tool for documenting the business processes from start to end before it’s implemented.

Process Flowchart

As the name suggests, the process flowchart is the step-based diagram of a process as well as the sequence. It shows all the sequential steps of a process as well as the decisions that have to be completed to ensure the seamless performance of the process.

How To Create A Workflow Diagram?

People who are wondering about how to create a workflow chart or create a workflow diagram, you’ve come to the right place as we have some base processes that you need to follow for optimizing the workflow design!

• First of all, you have to create a rough sketch by defining the starting point of a system or process and add the next steps
• The next step is to define the scope by showing what you are creating the workflow diagram for and who has which responsibility in the process/system
• After curating the scope, you have to begin with an initial diagram that includes the addition of symbols and connecting them to the previous shapes
• When you have added the shapes; you can simply start adding details about a process or system
• In this step, you have to examine the company’s workflows with the aim of improving the operational efficiency
• Lastly, you can select a desired type of flowchart as flowcharts different with the scope and industry
• In case you have a hard time understanding the ins and outs of creating a flowchart, you can depend on PDNob Flowchart tool, as it’s an online tool which allows the users to create a flowchart without worrying about the symbols and shapes (yup, it will be automated).

What Do The Symbols & Shapes Mean?

There are different workflow diagram tools available in the market that allow the users to use a variety of shapes according to their personal preferences, but there are some standard shapes and symbols that you need to know about, such as;

• Oval – it indicates the finish and start of the process
• Rectangle – it indicates the action that has to be taken
• Diamond – it shows the decision-making moment after a part of the process is completed
• Arrows – these are the connectors that show the chronology
• Circles – they show that a few steps can be skipped

Check more details from this article: [Guide] Flowchart Symbols with Examples

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that there are various workflow chart examples available online, but they are designed according to a specific process that might not resonate with you. Having said that, it’s recommended to choose your own tool to create a personalized diagram that shows information about your process specifically. For this purpose, you can depend on PDNob Flowchart tool, which is an online tool that allows users to create their own workflow diagrams. One can easily add information, select the symbols, and it will make the connections automatically. Moreover, there are various colors and themes available for easier personalization, and once done, you can save the flowchart in the form of a PDF file or an image!