Should you flow chart?

Here is why flow charts can help

Written by Bill Patton Sr.

Flow charts are recognized as one of the most important ways to effectively communicate ideas between people who may differ in knowledge, education, and position. Without flow charts, you can spend a ton of energy explaining how the process is to be done - but it still will be done in ways that will astound you.

Communication

Are you serious about communicating?  Do you want to pin point the problem?  Are you tired of solving the very same problem again and again?

If you need to communicate - you need to flow chart! You should only consider using a flow chart if you want to eliminate confusion, streamline processes, and generally make your life and those around you MUCH easier.  Flow charts are universally recognized as the most effective way of communicating.  They help make communication crystal clear. Here are a few of our favorite flow charting ideas:

Look at daily repetitive processes and try to streamline them.  If a few people are responsible for the same overall process, have them all draw a flow chart and then compare them.  Do they look alike?  Is there inconsistency and/or confusion?  You just thought everyone understood what was going on!  Are there any steps that are needlessly redundant that can be eliminated to make the process more efficient?  

Quality

Look at situations where you have inconsistencies in quality standards.  Could it be that some staff do not understand the process?  Are they missing a key quality assurance step?  Is the process flawed?  Do you need to add a step to the process to ensure better quality?  The process will operate differently in March than February - the day shift gizmo will be built differently than the ones from swing or grave shift. However, once a good flow chart is drawn, and the flow chart used for training, the different shifts start to produce a product that is the same. You begin to actually manage the process, predicting its efficiency, and truly controlling both costs and quality. Instead of trying to use outdated notes and memorandums a flow chart shows a worker, in brilliant simplicity, how to perform a particular process that an engineer or owner has designed. Use a flow chart to eliminate confusion!

Training

Use flow charts to improve and facilitate training.  People will learn quicker because they can see and understand the process as a whole with a flow chart.  If you have training materials that explain the steps to a process in a lengthy or complex outline form, try converting the bullets into a flow chart - a picture is truly worth a thousand words and people will learn quicker and understand the process better.  

The process will operate differently in March than February -- the day shift gizmo will be built differently than the ones from swing or grave shift. However, once a good flow chart is drawn, and the flow chart used for training, the different shifts start to produce a product that is the same. You begin to actually manage the process, predicting its efficiency, and truly controlling both costs and quality. Instead of trying to use outdated notes and memorandums a flow chart shows a worker, in brilliant simplicity, how to perform a particular process that an engineer or owner has designed.

Who Should Flowchart?

• Presidents and CEOs:  A business person might need financial advice from an outside source - a flow chart makes it a simple process to explain his company structure to this outside source and even a bank representative when applying for financing.  When all of the direct reports of a President has turned in a flow chart describing their divisions or departments, the President has proof that each element is operating according to his understandings and agreements.
• CFOs, COOs, and Office Managers:  There is no easier way to explain "my company's" telephone protocol to a new hire than a flow chart; explain the file system; explain sensitive document controls; demonstrate definitive requirements for reports.   And the office manager or department head can demonstrate their need for additional employees.  And a flow chart from you, that describes your duties and methods, printed out for your manager assures you of communication and support from the top.
• Chemical Engineers:  A chemical engineer can teach a complicated testing process to a lab technician with the use of flow charts.
• Manufacturing Engineers:  An engineer is responsible for most processes - to prove, to teach, and to control.  A flow chart is known for its ability to bring an engineer's world to the non-engineers (assemblers, tradesmen, etc.) in a language that is understood and thereby followed to the letter.
• Auditors:  Auditors use flow charts to uncover weaknesses in the security of a client's assets.
• Supervisors and Foremen:  The people actively leading on the floor or jobsite need a professional tool that helps them identify where bottlenecks are in their operation and how the process can be improved.
• Police Officers/Detectives:  The flow chart shows the exact chain of evidence - and proves the reliability of evidence gathering from supporting staff.
• Judges, Lawyers, Paralegals, and Court Officers:  Using flow charting software as a genealogy tree proves the ownership of estate property and assets; it will demonstrate evidence trails; and show diverse money trails.

Summary

In just a few blocks of information, you can conclusively communicate a general overview of your problems - then go on to a more detailed chart of specific solutions in each particular area. Once a flow chart is completed for a process, it is then used for training, troubleshooting, testing, and inspecting that process.

You should always train the people to any new changes to a process, and of course, you should train new people to your processes - and the best training aid in the world is a flow chart! If a process or organization can be flow charted, it can be understood and controlled.

Bill Patton Sr. is a founder of Patton & Patton Software Corp.