Hi, I'm Bear.
And I'm Amy.
And in today's Lucid Labs,
we're going to teach you everything you need to know about flowcharts.
That's right.
First, we'll provide you with a high level overview.
Then we'll dive deeper into flowchart symbols and their meanings.
And finally, walk through how to make one together.
Now, if you're watching this video, you're probably asking
what exactly is a flowchart?
Well, a flowchart is a type of diagram that depicts a process or system
using conventional symbols like rectangles and diamonds
to provide additional context and improve user comprehension.
These shapes are connected with lines or arrows that are used to visualize
the direction or flow of a particular sequence of steps or processes.
They're widely used to document, study, plan, improve
and communicate processes and systems, which can often be very complex.
These types of visuals are essential, particularly when trying to communicate
something a little more complicated, like a cross-functional business process
or a diagram of how you plan to connect your app to another program's API.
But flowcharts are useful in many roles and use cases
even when they aren't complex because they make abstract
concepts like process steps and system connections.
Very easy for even non-technical audiences to understand.
To help us understand this concept, I'm going to give you a challenge.
When I say go, you'll have a few seconds
to read through a set of instructions from start to finish.
Let's see how far you can make it.
Are you ready? Set, Go.
Nice work.
How did it go?
If you weren't able to make it to the end, don't sweat it.
We're going to try it again.
Except this time we're going to visualize the instructions using a flowchart.
Let's see if it makes a difference.
We'll reset the timer and ready, set, go.
Well, how was it this time?
Did you notice any difference?
Most people do.
In fact, most find that the simple addition of symbols and lines
helps them to do three things: One, identify specific steps Two,
simplify complex information, and Three, communicate ideas faster.
Exactly.
A flowchart literally changes how you interact with information.
But knowing which symbols to use and when to use them can also impact
the effectiveness of the flowcharts we create.
So let's walk through some of the most common flowchart symbols are shapes.
This flowchart uses four different symbols to represent a morning routine.
Let's see how they work together.
The first is a symbol called the terminator,
or sometimes the start or end shape.
In flowcharts, this symbol represents anywhere a process or system terminates.
That is the start and endpoints,
even potential outcomes of a particular flow.
The next symbol we see is called a process symbol.
It represents a process action or function
and is the most widely used symbol in all of flowcharting.
We can see it used as three different steps.
Alarm rings, Hit the snooze button, and Climb out of bed.
Next up is the decision diamond.
This indicates a fork in your flow, which is the result of a decision
or condition that changes the processes, actions, or functions that follow it.
Most of the time these are written in a yes/no or true/false format.
The flowchart path may split off into different branches.
In this flowchart, it asks us whether we're ready to get up.
And then gives us two possible outcomes.
The last symbol used in this flowchart is the delay symbol.
This symbol is used to depict any passage of time during a process.
In this case, it's being used to show the snooze duration.
And finally, to connect all of our shapes
together, we use lines or connectors.
These indicate the process, direction or sequence
and can be used as straight lines, unidirectional arrows or double
sided arrows, depending on the connection or relationship you'd like to show.
In our example here, they point us in the direction of the next step
we should take until we reach the end of our process.
All right, Bear.
I think they're ready to take things up a notch with another example.
At first glance, do you notice any of the same symbols Bear explained?
Take the “Sales call” step, for example.
You should now know that this is the place to start
because it uses the start and end symbol
Or maybe you recognize that “Customer buys product” and “Order
entry” are both process symbols used to showcase an action,
but there may be a few new symbols as well.
Check out the “Credit form step.” This is called the document symbol.
It represents the input or output of a document.
For example, in this step, a credit form document
is being inputted or received as a part of the order entry.
While later in the “Credit issued report step,” it is an output or in other words,
it is being sent out to management at the end of this diagram.
You'll notice another new shape.
This is called the off page connector or link shape.
It is frequently used within complex charts and connects
separate elements across multiple pages for easy reference.
And finally, we have swim lanes using the metaphor of lanes
in a pool and swim lane provides clarity and accountability
by placing process steps within a horizontal
or vertical swim lanes of a particular employee group or department.
Now that we've walked through some of the most common
flowchart symbols, it's time to try creating one yourself.
But before you do, let's talk about what you're going
to need to create these flow charts.
You could use a pen or paper, but it's going to be way
easier for you to use a Diagraming application.
Today we're going to use Lucid's Intelligent Diagraming
application, Lucidchart.
And you can too, for free actually.
By clicking on the pop up link, you can access Lucid's website
and have a free account in just a few seconds.
That way
you can follow along with us and begin creating your own flowcharts as well.
All right.
There are five steps you need to think about when you're creating a flowchart.
They are: First, define your purpose and scope.
Second, identify the tasks
and then place them in chronological order.
Three format tasks by type
and correspond that to the correct symbol.
Four, draw your chart and Five, confirm your flowchart.
All right, let's build out a flowchart together using those steps.
First, we need to define the purpose and scope of our flowchart.
In other words,
we need to answer the question of why we're making one in the first place.
For this example,
we're going to be visualizing the first steps of an onboarding process.
This will help new hires know exactly what to expect,
and it will make sure that our department stays consistent.
Step two,
we need to identify our tasks and then place them in chronological order.
For this onboarding scenario, let's add the following tasks.
So if you're following along in Lucidchart,
navigate to the flowchart library and then begin
dragging and dropping the process shape onto the board.
Don't worry about the other shapes right now as we're really just
focused on getting our steps on the board.
Once you've got them added, we can focus on
getting them in chronological order.
All right.
Your steps should look something like this.
Our third step is to format the
tasks by type and corresponding symbol.
Now is where we need to review our steps
and change the shapes to match what's actually happening in the process.
So for our first step, we know that it's the start of the process.
So we'll want to use the terminator shape.
Our next step involves sending our documentation,
so we'll want to use the document symbol.
The background check is a process that takes place,
so we're going to leave it as a process shape.
Now, we know the background check takes time, so we'll adjust it
to the delay shape because it holds up the rest of our process.
Next up, we have a decision that takes place.
Did the employee pass the background check or was there
something found that would require us to rescind the offer?
If they passed, we can continue and send the employee
new documentation as shown with the document shape.
If they didn't pass the onboarding process ends and we'll rescind the offer.
So we'll demonstrate this with the end or terminator symbol.
Because employee setup is the next part of the process, we'll continue
with the process shape and connect it to an off page link so that others know
they need to go to another page or document to find that process.
Now that everything's in order, we can finish our flowchart
by adding the flow.
To do this, connect the shapes with lines,
by dragging the red node on to the next shape.
You'll notice an arrow appears, giving our flowchart a direction.
The last step is to confirm your flowchart.
This last step is where Lucidchart really shines.
Invite others to review your diagram.
Test it out.
Find other ways to improve it.
See if you forgot anything.
The power of visual collaboration really comes to life whenever you work
with others to see a process and then build it together.
Unfortunately, completing this final step
means that our time together is coming to a close.
So to keep things brief, let's do a quick recap of what we've learned.
First, we learned that a flowchart is a visual
representation of a process or system.
Second, we learned that flowcharts help us identify specific steps,
simplify complex information, and communicate ideas at faster speeds.
Third, we reviewed common flowcchart symbols
and walked through a few examples to see how they're used.
And fourth.
Finally, we followed the five steps to building a flowchart together.
And if you liked this video and would like to learn more about
Diagraming or other methods of visual collaboration,
check out training.lucid.co Thanks for watching and happy diagraming.