Brandon Zimmerman

When it is appropriate to use and what are its advantages

Flow charts

When to use a flow chart

Flow charts are best used when you have a story to tell

Especially when that story would best be explained by visualizing the individual stages of the process

Visualizing the previous slide

To help visualize the process involved in the last slide I have created the following flow chart

StartHave a story to

tell?

Make a flowchart

Use something

else instead

Yes

No

Advantages of flow charts

Flow charts are easy to understand and easy to follow (just follow the arrows!)

They describe the flow of an entire process from start to finish where other types of visuals do not

Complex processes are simplified by using flowcharts

They can provide in-order instructions on how to do something

Flow chart vs Blurb of text Imagine you have a very peculiar boss

that likes to give weird directions and read the following blurb quickly:

Go into my office and if you happen to see a garden gnome on my desk grab it and give it to Jenny in Accounting. If you do not see one login on my computer, go purchase one on ebay, wait for it to arrive and then place it on my desk. Repeat this process until Jenny has the garden gnome.

What did you just say?

With the blurb of text did you really even understand what the boss was asking you to do?

Were you able to fully visualize the process?

Flow Chart version

Here is the same thing in flow chart form

Start

Do you see a

garden gnome on my desk?

Give it to Jenny in

Accounting

Yes

No

Go to my office

Login on my computer

Buy a garden

gnome on ebay

Wait for it to arrive

Place it on my desk

Did you notice the difference?

The flow chart was easier to comprehend

It made a very confusing and difficult process very simple to understand