Flowchart
Syed Zaid Irshad
Outline
– Flowchart
– Introduction
– History
– Symbols
– Benefit
– Examples
Introduction
– A flowchart is simply a graphical representation of steps.
– It shows steps in sequential order and is widely used in presenting the flow of
algorithms, workflow or processes.
– Typically, a flowchart shows the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their order by
connecting them with arrows.
History
– Flowcharts to document business processes came into use in the 1920s and ‘30s.
– In 1921, industrial engineers Frank and Lillian Gilbreth introduced the “Flow Process
Chart” to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
– In the early 1930s, industrial engineer Allan H. Morgensen used Gilbreth’s tools to
present conferences on making work more efficient to business people at his company.
– In the 1940s, two Morgensen students, Art Spinanger and Ben S. Graham spread the
methods more widely. Spinanger introduced the work simplification methods to Procter and
Gamble. Graham, a director at Standard Register Industrial, adapted flow process charts to
information processing.
– In 1947, ASME adopted a symbol system for Flow Process Charts, derived from the
Gilbreths’ original work.
History
– In Japan, Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-1989), a key figure in quality initiatives in
manufacturing, named flowcharts as one of the key tools of quality control, along with
complementary tools such as the Histogram, Check Sheet and Cause-and-Effect Diagram,
now often called the Ishikawa Diagram.
– In the late ‘40s, Herman Goldstine and John Van Neumann used flowcharts to develop
computer programs, and diagramming soon became increasingly popular for computer
programs and algorithms of all kinds.
– Flowcharts are still used for programming today, although pseudocode, a combination
of words and coding language meant for human reading, is often used to depict deeper
levels of detail and get closer to a final product.
Symbols
– Flowchart uses 9 symbols to represent different parts of a task.
– Terminator
– Process
– Document
– Decision
– Data
– On-Page Reference
– Off-Page Reference
– Delay or Bottleneck
– Flow
Symbols
– Terminator: The terminator symbol represents the starting or ending point of the system.
– Process: A box indicates some particular operation.
– Document: This represents a printout, such as a document or a report.
Symbols
– Decision: A diamond represents a decision or branching point. Lines coming out from the
diamond indicates different possible situations, leading to different sub-processes.
– Data: It represents information entering or leaving the system. An input might be an
order from a customer. Output can be a product to be delivered.
Symbols
– On-Page Reference: This symbol would contain a letter inside. It indicates that the flow
continues on a matching symbol containing the same letter somewhere else on the same
page.
– Off-Page Reference: This symbol would contain a letter inside. It indicates that the flow
continues on a matching symbol containing the same letter somewhere else on a
different page.
Symbols
– Delay or Bottleneck: Identifies a delay or a bottleneck.
– Flow: Lines represent the flow of the sequence and direction of a process.
Benefit
– It helps to clarify complex processes.
– It identifies steps that do not add value to the internal or external customer, including
delays; needless storage and transportation; unnecessary work, duplication, and added
expense; breakdowns in communication.
– It helps team members gain a shared understanding of the process and use this
knowledge to collect data, identify problems, focus discussions, and identify resources.
– It serves as a basis for designing new processes.
Examples
Start Start
Get Fahrenheit Get Fahrenheit
Subtract 32 C = 5/9 * (F-32)
Multiply by 5 Output Celsius
Divided by 9 End
Output Celsius
End
