Flowchart Tutorial
Do you want to create flowcharts?
In this flowchart tutorial, you will learn everything about tutorial. It includes a brief introduction of flowchart, flowchart history, flowchart symbols, how to create flowcharts, etc. We will also introduce to you a good online flowchart maker.
Visual Paradigm Online is one of the best online flowchart makers. It has an intuitive flowchart maker, plus a large collection of flowchart guides and flowchart articles that cover topics like flowchart tutorial, flowchart symbols, flowchart example, swimlane flowchart tutorial, etc. In this tutorial we will summary the information and present them here. I’ve also added a number of flowchart resource links in case you want to know more about flowchart.
Flowchart history
Flowchart’s history can date back to 1921. In 1921, Frank Gilberth introduced flowcharts. At that time, flowchart was called “Process Flow Charts”. In the early 1930s, Allan H. Mogensen began to train business people in the use of some of the tools of industrial engineering at his Work Simplification Conferences in Lake Placid, New York. Read the flowchart history section in Wikipedia for more details.
Flowchart Symbols
What are the different symbols used in a flowchart?
There are many flowchart symbols. Basic symbols include processes and decision blocks. There are also symbols for advanced usage, such as document, database, link, etc.
The most frequently used flowchart symbol is probably rounded rectangle, which represents a process,activity, task or step.
Another symbol that frequent appear in flowchart is Decision, which is presented with a diamond shape.
There are many other flowchart shapes for representing start, end, document, data storage, etc. The figure below shows a list of flowchart symbol, captured with Visual Paradigm Online — the online best flowchart maker.
There are many, many flowchart symbols but not all of them are used in every flowchart. Include flowchart symbols wisely in your flowchart can help express your idea and aid communication.
How to Draw a Flowchart
How to draw flowchart then?
You really need a reliable flowchart software to improve efficiency. But before we talk about flowcharting software, let’s talk about some flowchart basics first.
Before you start drawing a flowchart, there are few items that you need to consider carefully…
First, is the responsibility of parties involved in your flow something that you want to express? If yes, consider to create a Swimlane flowchart. Swimlane flowchart is a type of flowchart that adds pools and lanes into the diagram. Pools and lanes are container shapes that allow you to group flow elements based on the business functions and business roles.
Listed below outlines the steps involved in creating flowchart.
- Think about the flow and draw it with basic shapes — process and decision.
- Read through the flow. Review it and see if it can reflect the flow accurately.
- Revise the flow for correction and for necessary optimization, which is particularly important if you are creating a business process flowchart that acts as a future design blueprint.
Recommended flowchart software
There are many flowchart software. Which one should use?
We recommend Visual Paradigm Online Express Edition, a FREE flowchart maker, yet powerful and intuitive. Here are some of its features and benefits:
- A free flowchart software that’s free for non commercial use
- Free flowchart templates that help you get start quickly
- Drag-and-drop shape creation interface
- Wide range of formatting option that makes your flowchart look pretty and professionally.
- All flowchart symbols are ready to use
- You can include your own shapes, images, URL, text
- Powerful tools like alignment guide, spacer, etc
- Cloud workspace and synchronization support make team collaboration effective
- Upgrade for a rich collection of business and technical diagrams (UML, BPMN, ArchiMate, Mind Map, SWOT, PERT, etc)
Flowchart templates and Flowchart examples
Want to save time? You can simply create flowcharts with flowchart templates.
Visual Paradigm Online comes with a rich set of free flowchart templates. They help you reduce errors speed up your flowcharting process.
To use a pre-defined template, simply open the flowchart editor and click on any flowchart template there to begin with.
Here I’ve prepared two templates for you to try with. Simple click on the link below the flowchart templates to start. The only step you need is to click on the link. Editing is done directly within your web browser. No registration or download required.
[Click to open and edit the flowchart example above]
[Click to open and edit the flowchart example above]
FAQ
How much is Visual Paradigm Online?
Free for non-commercial use. The Express Edition of Visual Paradigm Online comes with a free flowchart software that can be used for personal, educational and other non-profit purposes. For commercial use, it costs only $4 per month per user, way cheaper than other flowchart software in the market.
Are the flowchart templates free?
Yes, free flowchart templates and free flowchart symbols are available. You can use them as many times as you like.
Try it Yourself
The best way to know how good VP Online is is to try it yourself. :-)
You don’t need to register or download. Time is precious. Just click the link below to open VP Online’s flowchart editor and try it right away.
Visual Paradigm Online — Flowchart editor
If you want to know more about Visual Paradigm Online, please read:
Trust me. You will love it. Enjoy!
