Identify Cross-Department Dependencies with Microsoft Visio Flowcharts
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Should My Chart Be Vertical or Horizontal?
You can present any cross-functional process either vertically or horizontally. A vertical layout places slightly more emphasis on the functional units while a horizontal layout emphasizes the process.
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How Do I Create a Cross-functional Flowchart?
To create a cross-functional flowchart
On the File menu, point to New, then to Flowchart, and then click Cross-functional Flowchart.
In the Cross-functional Flowchart dialog box, choose the basic options you want to start with, and then click OK.
Note: After you click OK, you can add or delete bands but you can't change the orientation, add bands with another orientation, or add a title bar.
Double-click <Process Name> and then type a name for the process the flowchart represents.
Click a band label and then type a name for the function the band represents. Repeat for each band.
Tip To zoom out from the flowchart, choose a smaller magnification from the Zoom list on the Standard toolbar.
Click the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil's title bar to display its shapes. Drag the Process or Decision shape from the stencil to the appropriate band(s) to represent the first step in the process.
Click the connector tool on the Standard toolbar. Leaving the first shape selected, drag a second shape onto the bands. The shapes connect automatically. Repeat to continue adding process steps, decisions, or data.
When you're finished adding shapes, click the pointer tool on the Standard toolbar, and then save the flowchart.
Tip If you don't like the way a connector bends, click the connector. Pause the pointer over one of the green midpoints until the pointer becomes a two-headed arrow. Click and drag until the connector bends the way you want.
You can revise your cross-functional flowchart as necessary by adding or deleting bands, shapes, separators, and other features. You can also add process shapes from other types of flowcharts, such as Audit and Workflow diagrams. To locate the shapes, on the File menu, point to Stencils, then to Flowchart, and then click the stencil you want to open.
Tips: Enhancing and Revising Cross-functional Flowcharts
Add, delete, and adjust bands
To do this |
Take these steps |
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Add a band |
1. Click the title bar of the Cross-Functional Flowchart Shapes stencil to display its shapes. |
Delete a band |
1. Click the label of the band you want to delete. |
Change band order |
1. Click the label of the band you want to move. |
Change band width |
1. Click the label of the band with a width you want to change. |
Change band label width |
1. Click one of the band labels. |
Repeat bands on a new drawing page |
1. On the Insert menu, click Page. |
Move and extend process shapes
To do this |
Take these steps |
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Move a shape to another band |
1. Click the connector that is connected to the shape you want to move. If the connector handles turn red, the connector is glued to the shape on each end and, when you move a shape, you won't break the connection. If the connector handles do not turn red, drag the connector endpoints into the centers of the shapes the connector connects until the shapes are outlined in red. This glues the connector to the shapes. |
Extend a shape across multiple bands |
1. Select the shape you want to extend. |
Manage separate phases of a process
By using a Separator shape, you can indicate the steps that make up one phase of a process and move all the related steps together.
A separator indicates a close relationship among a group of process steps. If you drag a Separator shape, all the steps below or to the right move along with it.
To add a separator
Click the title bar of the Cross-Functional Flowchart Shapes stencil to display the shapes it contains.
Drag a Separator shape from the stencil to the place in the flowchart where you want to indicate a separation in the process. The shape extends across all the bands.
Continue a cross-functional process on the same page
To continue a cross-functional process using on-page references
Create a cross-functional flowchart. Continue adding shapes until you run out of space on the page.
With the last shape selected, click the connector tool on the Standard toolbar.
Click the title bar of the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil to display the shapes it contains. Drag an On-Page Reference shape to the drawing page near the last step in the process. The shapes connect automatically.
By using On-Page Reference shapes, you can break and continue a large cross-functional process on the same drawing page.
Click the pointer tool on the Standard toolbar.
With the On-Page Reference shape selected, type a letter or number to label the shape.
Click the title bar of the Cross-functional Flowchart Shapes stencil to display the shapes it contains. Drag a Separator shape onto the functional bands to the right of or below the process you have already created.
Click the title bar of the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil to display the shapes it contains. Drag another On-Page Reference shape where you want to continue the process. With the shape selected, type the same letter or number you used to label the first On-Page Reference shape.
Click the connector tool on the Standard toolbar. With the second On-Page Reference shape selected, drag a shape from the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil that represents the next step in the process you are continuing.
Continue dropping shapes until the process is complete or until you reach the edge of the page. Repeat steps 2 through 8 if you want to continue the process another time.