What is a Flowchart? Types and how to make one!

According to Neurolinguistics, there are 3 ways of learning: visual, auditory and kinesthetic (VAK). Each person has a method that assimilates better, but to reconcile the 3 ways to learn further optimizes their learning. And that's exactly what a flowchart does!

A process usually has several stages between its beginning and its end, and with that, it is not enough to think about how it works, or to listen to someone explaining to you. You have to see how this process takes place, isn't?

It is at this moment that a flowchart is usually used to visualize the beginning, the steps and departments through which the process passes and its purpose in a clear way.

That’s why this tool is so awesome, so keep reading to learn what it is, how to make it, and the most common types of flowchart.

What is a Flowchart?

The flowchart is a graphical representation of the sequence of steps in a process, which allows an analysis of boundaries and edges, providing a global view of where the product goes through.

It is structured by geometric symbols that symbolize which materials, services or resources are involved in the processes and which are the directions to be followed in order for the result (product or service) to be achieved.

It is a theoretical representation of how the process works, so that when the person responsible for the process goes to Gemba, he can check whether the theoretical representation matches the practice of how the process is going.

This tool is extremely important because to improve a process, it is necessary to measure, and to measure, it is necessary to map, being this the main function of the flow chart.

How to make a flowchart?

In order for you to learn in a simple way how to make a flowchart, I outlined some steps you can take during the construction of your mapping. Shall we go to them?

1 - Define the process that will be represented

To begin with, you need to decide which process or family of products will be represented. Usually you choose the most problematic process which has more volume, because if you can measure and improve this process, the only thing we need to do for the smaller processes is to replicate.

Another advantage is that any change in these processes will be representative in both quality and delivery volume.

2 - Define the Project Scope

To define the project scope It is necessary to define the beginning and end of the project, the level of detail required, whether it will be micro or macro, what details are needed, who you need to deliver and what you need to extract from this process.

In this way, there will be no problems regarding the lack of details, or if not an excess of details and information that depending on the process is not necessary.

3 - What are the activities?

At this stage of the construction of your flow chart you must define what activities are taking place during the process and organize them in the most appropriate way possible.

That is, it is necessary to analyze how each activity will work, its importance, and then define the sequence that will make the process more agile.

4 - Draw the symbols

As already seen, the flow chart is a graphical representation. Therefore, symbols are used that represent the stages of the process and the decisions to be made.

It is necessary to draw correctly so that the whole process is clear, because there are standard symbols for each type of information. Thus, the reading of the mapping becomes international, allowing anyone with knowledge about this tool to interpret its flowchart and understand the processes and steps that are taking place.

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Symbols of a Flow Chart

There are many symbols that can be used to represent actions and decisions to be made during your process. I have separated some of them so that you can clearly visualize what these symbols are.

These symbols are part of a pattern, as stated above, allowing for easy understanding of the process by those who will make possible changes and improvements in the process.

Types and examples of Flowcharts

A flow chart can be of several different types, and in this article I'll show you the 4 most used by people or companies to map their processes.

1 - Block Diagram

It is the simplest of flowcharts. Composed only by blocks, it serves as a process sequencing, without involving decision points.

It is used as simple work instructions (ITs) or when you want to perform a more macro representation of a process.

2 - Process Flowchart

It is similar to the block diagram, but contains decision points.

3 - Functional flowchart

The functional flowchart shows the sequence of activities of a process between the areas or sections where it occurs.

It is a type of flowchart that is widely used for processes that are not restricted to a single area, and since the responsible for each phase is identified, it is possible to identify process bottlenecks.

4 - Vertical flowchart

Also known as a Process Diagram, the vertical flowchart consists of symbols and patterns established in vertical columns, which facilitates their filling.

This type of diagram brings speed of filling, clarity in interpretation and ease of reading, so it is so used in studies of productive processes.

4.1 - How to fill in the fields?

Distance: it should be used in cases of activities involving material movement or displacement of employees. In this case, if convenient, the distance traveled can be recorded;

Time: must be filled with the estimated duration of operations;

Activity type: reference the type of activity. Usually it is represented by five basic styles:

• Operation: main stages of a process, where materials or products are modified;
• Transportation: movements of employees, materials or equipment;
• Inspection: performing some quality inspection or process verification;
• Waiting: represents a delay or a wait in the sequence of operations;
• Inventory: indicates the storage of materials or products.

Description of activities: a brief description of each activity is important to facilitate understanding of the flowchart during its use.

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