Making any type of flowchart is easy and intuitive with SmartDraw. You start by picking one of the flowchart templates included and add steps in just a few clicks. SmartDraw aligns everything automatically so you don't have to worry about formatting, rearranging, or reconnecting steps.
SmartDraw is easy to work with no matter what other apps you use. You can add flowcharts to:
SmartDraw works hand in glove with most file storage systems. You can save your files directly to:
There is no need to create a parallel set of common folders and permissions, SmartDraw can just save files directly into your existing set up. You can spend less time managing software and more time on making flowcharts.
SmartDraw makes it easy to add complexity to any flowchart.
It's easy to add swimlanes to your flowcharts to help clarify responsibilities and identify gaps or redundancies in your processes.
It's also easy to add data to your flowchart shapes so you can identify process owners and costs.
Share your diagram with anyone, even if they don't own a copy of SmartDraw, with a link. You can also easily export any diagram as a PDF or common image formats like PNG or SVG.
Have a question? Call, chat or email us. SmartDraw support is in-house and free!
SmartDraw makes it easy to work with your team to document processes. You can save your flowchart to a shared folder or send anyone a link. Your team can easily share comments and feedback.
SmartDraw also works where you already communicate with you team. You can collaborate on flowcharts in Microsoft Teams®, Slack or Confluence.
SmartDraw fits right in with your existing workflows so you can plan, design, and discuss processes and your team stays on the same page.
It may seem obvious, but deciding what process you're visualizing is a crucial first step. If you make your subject matter something too broad, your flowchart will become too complicated and difficult to understand. You should start by defining a clear start and end point.
It's important to create a box around a key process that you want to examine so you can gather the critical steps in a timely fashion. For example, a flowchart for making a burger could begin by farmers raising cows, wheat and tomatoes, or you could assume that's not important to what you want to illustrate and focus on the parts relevant to the reason you're making a flowchart.
SmartDraw includes flowchart templates to put all the relevant flowchart symbols and tools at your fingertips. These templates make it easy to add symbols and shapes, add swimlanes, split or join paths, and more.
Need more inspiration? There are dozens of flowchart examples you can customize. You can make yes/no flowcharts, process models, decision flows and more.
Most flowcharts are read left to right or top to bottom, so add your first step in the top left corner of your workspace and add other key steps in order to map out your process in broad strokes.
Fill in key details and connect them to your main steps. You can drag and drop flowchart symbols, use easy line draw, or use SmartDraw's intelligent formatting to add the right shapes in just a click.
For example, SmartDraw helps you automatically format any flowchart symbol into a decision if more than one step is connected to it.
Read our full tutorial on how to make a flowchart.
Make sure you didn't miss anything by reading through every step at least once.
Apply a theme with a coordinating color scheme so your work looks professional and fits your vision. Consider using color to designate specific steps in the process to make your flowchart easier to read.
Share your flowchart with your team and work together to optimize your process. SmartDraw's collaboration features make it easy to share and add feedback and comments.
Once your flowchart is built you can insert it directly to Microsoft Word®, Excel®, PowerPoint®, Google Docs™, Google Sheets™, and more.
SmartDraw also has apps to integrate with Atlassian's Confluence and Jira. You can easily make a flowchart and share it in your Confluence documentation or attach a process flow to a Jira issue.
SmartDraw's flowchart software is the easiest way to make any type of flowchart or diagram representing a process. You start by picking one of the flow chart templates included and add steps in just a few clicks. Our flowchart maker aligns everything automatically so you don't have to worry about formatting, rearranging, or reconnecting steps.
Choose a flowchart template below to open SmartDraw in your browser to start making a flowchart right now.
A flowchart uses shapes connected by lines to show the steps in a process. By visualizing the process, a flowchart can quickly help identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies where the process can be streamlined or improved.
A flowchart template in SmartDraw helps you make flowcharts by docking the right flowchart symbol library and flowchart tools at your fingertips. When you start with a template, you'll be able to add a process step in just a click or create a decision point just as easily.
Types of flowcharts you can make with SmartDraw's flowchart maker:
A flowchart is a visual representation of the sequence of steps and decisions needed to perform a process. Learn more about flowcharts.
Flowcharts consist of a few common geometric shapes representing different steps in a process like start, ends, and decisions. The most common shape is a rectangle used to show a single action or operation. Learn more about flowchart symbols.
Flowchart types include swimlane flowcharts, workflows, data flow diagrams, SDL diagrams, EPC diagrams, and more. See all flowchart types.
A good flowchart should communicate a process clearly and effectively. You can make a flowchart in a few simple steps. Learn how to make a flowchart.
SmartDraw comes with dozens of built-in flowchart templates. Browse the templates and start customizing them immediately. See more flowchart templates.
Make flow charts using SmartDraw's templates and insert them into Word® and other Microsoft Office® apps. Learn how to add flowcharts to Word®.
As we mentioned above, flowcharts use special shapes to represent different types of actions or steps in a process. Your basic SmartDraw flowchart template will already have a pill shaped symbol on it to represent the start of your flowchart. The common rectangle shape represents a step in the process. Some of the common symbols and their meanings is listed below:
You can learn more about flowchart symbols on this page.
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Discover why SmartDraw is the best flowchart maker today.
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