How to Build a Workflow Chart on a Mac
Having the ability to explain a detailed process, such as product production and distribution or manufacturing technical equipment, is a skill required in many industries. Workflow charts can ease this explanation by adding a visual element; steps of the process are shown as shapes and are connected with arrows. If you have a Mac, you have several choices in applications when it comes to building your own workflow chart.
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Instructions
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Preliminary Steps
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1
Write a list of the steps in the process you wish to describe in your workflow chart. The more steps you include, the more complex your chart will be.
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2
Draw a rough sketch of your workflow chart on a piece of paper to use as a guide when you begin building it on your Mac.
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3
Download and install an application with workflow chart capabilities on your Mac, such as Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac or Omnigraffle.
Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac
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4
Open Powerpoint and start a new project. Select “AutoShapes” from the Drawing toolbar, choose “Flowchart” and click the shape you wish to use to represent the first step in your workflow chart.
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5
Click on the screen in the place you wish to place your first step. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 until you have added as many steps as you need.
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6
Click “AutoShapes,” select “Connectors” and click on the type of connecting line you want to connect your steps. Hover over the first step and click on one of the blue circles, called “connection sites,” then hover over the next step and click on another connection site to link the two steps together. Repeat until all of your steps are linked.
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7
Right-click the first step, choose “Add text” and type in the first step, using your sketch and list as references. Continue until your workflow chart is complete.
Omnigraffle
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8
Open Omnigraffle and start a new project. Select the “Shapes” icon on the left side of the toolbar, which appears as a white square. Click the down arrow to select a shape.
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9
Click in the document on the spot on which you wish to draw your shape, drag the mouse, and stop when the shape is the size you desire. Repeat until you have enough shapes to cover all the steps in your workflow chart.
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10
Click the “Lines” icon, which is to the right of the “Shapes” icon, and click on the point of your first shape where you wish to start the connection. Drag the line to the second shape, and click to release and set the connecting line. Repeat until all of your steps are linked.
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11
Click the “Text” icon, which is to the right of the “Lines” icon in your toolbar. Select your first step and type in the text, using your sketch and list as a reference. Continue until your workflow chart is complete.
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References
Resources
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