Steps in Creating a Flowchart

A whiteboard will let you quickly draw a rough sketch of your flowchart.

Only a few steps are required to create a flowchart. However, depending on the process you're trying to chart, these few steps can be big steps. Computer programmers, for example, often need to create flowcharts that are several pages long. Regardless of their complexity, flowcharts are created with just a few basic symbols, which represent program steps, decision points, starting points and ending points in the process. The symbols can also represent complete processes that must be represented with separate flowcharts.

Things You'll Need

• Sticky notes
• Paper
• Flowchart symbol template

Instructions

1. Determine the number of steps in the process for which you want to make a flowchart. List each step on a piece of paper and number the steps in order. Describe each step in the simplest possible language using the fewest possible words. Use simple, direct statements to describe the process steps, such as "Press the start button," "Display the score" or "Prompt the user to enter a value."

2. Keep the use of flowchart symbols to a minimum when you make your first flowchart. Beginners should try to flowchart processes that use only the rectangle, diamond, rounded rectangle and circle symbols. Remember that the rectangle symbol is used to represent a process step, the diamond to represent a decision, the rounded rectangle to symbolize the start or the end of the process and the circle to represent different connection points in the process. Review flowchart symbols discussed by the articles in the Resource section below.

3. Map each step in your list to the type of flowchart symbol that is needed to represent the step. Use the rectangle symbol for a step that is a process. Use the diamond symbol for a decision step that will result in one of two different steps as the next step. Use the rounded rectangle symbol to define the starting point of the process and the end point of the process.

4. Draw the symbol for the first step on a yellow sticky note and then write the step description on the note. Repeat this procedure for all the steps in your process.

5. Place the notes on a piece of paper in the order the flowchart steps are to occur. Review the steps and rearrange them if you decide a different order of steps would be more appropriate. Finalize your arrangement.

6. Draw the finalized flowchart on a piece of paper or with a drawing program. Connect the input and outputs of each step using flow lines -- lines with an arrow on one end -- to indicate the flow of the steps.

Tips & Warnings

• Review flowcharts for patent applications. Flowcharts in patent applications are often done in a standardized and universally acceptable way.

References

• BreezeTree: How To Flow Chart: General Flowchart Making Tips and Tricks
• Province of Manitoba, Education: Creating a Flow Chart
• 5 Easy Steps to Create a Flowchart Using Dia
• Flow Chart Definition - Types of flowcharts, How to draw flow chart and guideline for drawing a flowchart
• Gliffy: Home FlowChart Page

Resources

• Inventor Basics: Patent Flowchart
• Cipriani Patent Drafting: Flowchart1
• BreezeTree: Flowchar symbols defined