Flow Charts		page contents What How Go On
What Is It Good For?		Flow charts show the steps in a process so that people can focus on what should happen when.
How Do I Use It? Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things. (Peters and Waterman, 1982.)		For simple processes: List steps or links in the process.   Place the starting step in the upper left corner.   Draw each step in order, proceeding right and down so that you end in the lower right corner.   Draw arrows to show the direction of the process. For complex processes involving many people:   Gather a group of people who represent the various parts of the process.   Decide where the process begins and ends.   Brainstorm the main activities and decision points in the process.   Arrange these activities and decision points in their proper order, using arrows to show direction of flow.   As needed, break down the activities to show their complexity. You may want to clean up the map by deleting insignificant issues and grouping issues together.   Links can be depicted in many different ways, depending on what links or resources you want to highlight. If you want to highlight one resource, place that resource in the middle of the page and place the links in a circle around it. When finished, follow the flow chart through to ensure that it makes sense to an uninitiated reader and that you haven't left out any steps. Break large, complicated flow charts into components. One "master chart" can show major components, while smaller charts detail each of these these components. This way, you can work on the smaller modules without disrupting the process. Essential steps flow chart.--It's easy to get so bogged down in details that you cannot step back and see the whole process. Charting the essential steps of a project or process and then keeping that flow chart visible at all times will help keep the team on track. You could even treat this flow chart as your team's logo. This is also a useful component of an action plan. To build one, plan out the major steps of the process (either by brainstorming, consulting legal and technical staff requirements, or borrowing from a similar process). Then hold a paring down meeting. Figure out which steps are part of a larger, more basic step, which stand alone, and which are essential. Chart the basic, essential steps in as simply as possible. You should end up with no more than six or seven steps. You may need to change this chart down the road, but you are more likely to find that it is the detailed, minute steps that will change, rather than the overall picture. Detailed flow chart.--After you have created an essential steps flow chart, you can break down each step into a more detailed flow chart. You may want to keep the essential steps chart in a corner of each detailed chart just so people can track where this step fits into the whole scheme. You might create two flow charts, one depicting what steps the process should follow and one depicting the steps that the process actually did follow. Comparing these charts will pinpoint areas where you may need to solve unexpected problems, do more investigation, or allot more time. Define the boundaries and steps in the process clearly and use the simplest symbols and layout possible. It is important to maintain flexibility and recognize changes as the process evolves.
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