Flowchart
Design
ACG 4401
Many styles of flowcharts exist.
These instructions are specific to this course,
as they would be specific to a particular company.
Before Creating the Flowchart
• Find all the entities mentioned in the narrative.
• Decide which entities are involved in processing
(activities other than just sending or receiving something)
– If an entity processes, it is given a column in the flowchart
– If an entity does not process, it is given a terminal symbol
• For each processing entity, list each separate activity it
performs (including any documents/programs/files used) in
the order they are performed according to the narrative.
Use this list to confirm that you have included all the
activities in each flowchart column in the correct sequence.
Terminal Symbols
(two different uses)
Designate the starting or ending Designate an entity
of the entire process being without a column in the flowchart
flowcharted (not each column). who sent or received something.
START Sent to someone with a column.
Customer
Customer Order
Received from someone with a column.
Invoice Customer
Be sure to use the correct
END flow line direction between symbols.
Document Symbols
Each document symbol should have the exact name of one document.
Do not add words describing what is being done, or has been done, to the document.
Show document symbols only when they are needed for an activity.
(leave them in their place until they are needed again, and then show them again)
3
Employee 2 Layered documents
OR Employee 1 indicate that they are
Paychecks
Paychecks Sales Order in the same place
at the same time.
Many documents of the same type Multiple copies of the exact same document
(a bundle of employee paychecks): (three copies of the same sales order):
One document symbol with the Copy numbers in the top corner must stay in
name of the document as plural. the symbol throughout the flowchart.
Filing Documents
Be sure to use the correct flow line direction designating In or Out.
Into File Cabinet Out of File Cabinet
There is no manual process symbol used when filing documents.
Do not include the words “file” or “file cabinet” inside the symbol.
Label inside the file cabinet symbol:
Approved • Exact name of the file cabinet
Customer • Code for how documents are filed
Orders • A = alphabetically (by name)
• D = by date
N • N = by number
• If filed by more than one code,
use “/” (for example, A/D)
Page Connectors
Use only On-Page Connectors , not Off-Page Connectors .
SEND RECEIVE
(source column – comes from) (destination column – goes to)
A A
When an entity with a column in the flowchart sends a document to another entity
with a column, use the same letter for the on-page connector in the source column
and the destination column to indicate that this is two sides of the same transfer.
The letters are a "go-to" clue (to find where the document was sent,
go to the same letter in the flowchart to see where it was received).
The first time you need to use connectors according to the sequence in the narrative,
use the first letter of the alphabet (A) for both the Send and Receive connectors. The
second time you need to use connectors, use the second letter of the alphabet (B) for
both the Send and Receive connectors, etc. There should only be two of each letter in
the flowchart. The letters do not represent a particular column or particular entity.
Assign pairs of on-page connector letters according to the
chronological sequence in the narrative, not the vertical sequence within a column.
There is no manual process symbol used when sending/receiving documents.
Computer Symbols
Computer Process Computer Storage
Includes a description to For all storage symbols, include
explain the process or the file name inside the symbol.
may just show the name
of a computer program. Data Tape
Computer Input The three storage symbols below are
sometimes used interchangeably
Display (but be consistent in the same flowchart).
(looks like an old monitor)
Could be used as an
Database
input or output symbol.
Manual Input Data Files
(manually typing or clicking) (different shapes might be used to
(looks like a crooked keyboard) distinguish between types of files)
Could also be used with the
Display symbol above to
represent a computer.
Computer Processing
Show input method,
if indicated
UPDATE
View Sales Customer
(from file and back to file)
Order File
Create Sales Order
Enter Sales Sales Order ENTER to file
Order File (also Create or Add)
READ from file
Print Sales Order Sales Order
(also View or Retrieve)
File
Show the direction
Show any outputs that the data flows
from the Sales Order (see arrow heads)
computer process
Manual Processing
Imagine that the manual process symbol is an empty desk.
Inputs are what you put on the desk to complete the activity.
Outputs are items added to the desk as a result of the activity.
Input
(shown above or before the process)
(there may be more than one input)
Process
(includes a description to explain the process)
(description should start with a verb)
Output
(shown below or after the process)
(there may be more than one output)
Flowchart each manual process separately, along with any inputs and outputs.
Do not combine multiple manual processes into one manual process symbol.
Thought Processes
Decisions Annotations
Customer
Did No
something
happen? Customer via EDI
Order
Yes
Used when a decision or Used when additional
the answer to a question information is needed,
will change the path or an important point
of the process. needs to be made.
Symbol of Many Uses
Input/Output
Could be used for paper journals or
ledgers, physical goods, data, or other
items not represented by other symbols.
Flowchart Format
• Be consistent with the style of lines, arrows, symbols, colors, etc.
• Label all entities, documents, programs, files, processes, etc. the exact
same way they are shown in the narrative and be consistent throughout.
• Do not abbreviate anything unless it is abbreviated in the narrative.
• Check the spelling of everything and capitalize when appropriate.
• Separate entity columns with boundary lines.
• Vertical flow lines should connect one activity to the next if the activities
follow right after the other (regardless of time passing). If there is a break
in the activities when something else happens in between, it is acceptable
to have no vertical line connecting the next activity to the one above.
• Showing connectors, terminal symbols, and storage symbols (file cabinet or
computer file) off to the side, instead of below, can help with vertical flow.
• Lines should not cross over one another or cross through symbols.
• The flowchart read from top to bottom for each column should match the
order of activities as listed in the narrative for that entity.
You can do this!
Stay focused.
Stay positive.
