How to Make a Tech Chart

A visual tech chart can make troubleshooting easier.

If you are responsible for running a computer network, you probably have all kinds of documentation, including technical manuals and descriptions of each piece of deployed equipment. Still, it is sometimes helpful to have a visual representation of that network and those processes. That is where a tech chart comes in. Tech charts can be used to detail the structure of a network, or to provide valuable information on the processes used to create reports and documents for the firm.

Instructions

1. Create a list of the computers, servers, programs and processes you want to include in the tech chart. A typical tech chart might include a visual representation of the desktops, servers and printers within a company or department. A tech chart can also detail the programs and processes used to create mail merge letters, budget reports or other documents.

2. Open the program you want to use to create the tech chart. A program like Visio is ideal as it already includes built-in templates for network diagrams, program flowcharts and other common tech charts. But you can use any program you want, provided the program contains shapes and drawings you can use to represent the items you outlined in Step 1.

3. Bring up the drawings toolbar in your program and select the shapes you want to include for your tech chart. Charting programs typically use groups of symbols to represent desktop computers, file servers, printers, print servers and other hardware elements.

4. Drag each shape to the document, then click each shape with your mouse and move it to the desired location. Use the arrow tool in your program to draw lines and arrows from one data element to the next.

5. Review the tech drawing and make any changes needed. Save the finished tech drawing to your hard drive or a network share.

References

• Microsoft: Visio 2010
• Microsoft Office: Find More Shapes and Stencils