Process diagrams are visualizations of any sort of step-by-step process. They are usually created as flowcharts, with shapes that represent steps in the process connected by arrows that indicate the next step.
Visio has a lot of process diagram templates, but they all can be put into one of two categories:
General-purpose process diagrams
If you want to diagram a process and you don’t have a specific methodology you want to follow, one of these three templates should work well. These diagrams are supported in Visio Standard, Visio Professional, and the subscription versions of Visio.
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Basic flowchart
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Cross-functional flowchart
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Work-flow diagram
To find these templates:
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Click the File tab.
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Click New.
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Click Flowchart.
Basic Flowchart
The Basic Flowchart template is useful for a broad range of business processes, where each step can be represented using simple geometric shapes.
Cross Functional Flowchart
A cross functional flowchart is the same as a basic flowchart, but with an added element of structure: containers called “swimlanes” that represent the people or departments that are responsible for each step. In fact, the Cross Functional Flowchart template uses the same stencil of shapes the Basic Flowchart template uses; the main difference is that there are some swimlanes added to the page for you to start with.
Work Flow Diagram
The Work Flow Diagram is a general-purpose pictorial diagram. It has shapes for many common business departments, objects, and steps. You can use it instead of the Basic Flowchart to show in a more representational way how a process moves through various stages.
Process diagrams for specific methodologies
Methodology-based process diagrams have more structure than general purpose diagrams have, and they can convey more detailed information. They often use symbols that have specific meanings or require that certain kinds of data accompany certain shapes to fully implement the process. These rules or guidelines are usually described formally in specifications, most of which are available on the Web. These diagrams are only supported in Visio Professional and Visio Plan 2.
To find these templates
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Click the File tab.
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Click New.
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Click Flowchart or Business.
Some of the templates included in Visio to support specific process methodology diagrams include:
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Audit diagram
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Business Process Modeling Notation diagram
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Event-driven Process diagram
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Fault Tree Analysis diagram
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IDEF0 diagram
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ITIL diagram
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Microsoft SharePoint Workflow
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SDL diagram
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Six Sigma diagram
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TQM diagram
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Value Stream Map
Audit Diagram
Use audit diagrams to document and analyze processes such as financial transactions or inventory management. For more information, see Create an audit diagram.
BPMN Diagram
You can create Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) flowcharts that follow the BPMN 2.0 standard. For more information, see Create BPMN-compliant processes.
EPC Diagram
Use an Event-driven Process Chain (EPC) diagram to create a high-level, visual model of your business process. For more information, see Create an Event-driven Process Chain (EPC) diagram.
Fault Tree Analysis Diagram
Use Fault Tree diagrams to document business processes, including Six Sigma and ISO 9000 processes. For more information, see Create a fault tree analysis diagram.
IDEF0 Diagram
Create hierarchical diagrams for model configuration management, need and benefit analyses, requirements definitions, and continuous improvement models by using IDEF0 process charting models. For more information, see Create IDEF0 diagrams.
ITIL Diagram
Document best practices in the management of information technology service processes based on the Information Technology Infrastructure Library standard. For more information, see Create an ITIL diagram.
Microsoft SharePoint Workflow
You can create annotated workflow diagrams for SharePoint in Visio, and then export them for configuration in SharePoint Designer.
SDL Diagram
Draw object-oriented diagrams for communications and telecommunications systems and networks using the Specification and Description Language. For more information, see Create an SDL diagram in Visio.
Six Sigma Diagram
Use this template to create a Six Sigma flowchart or house of quality diagram. For more information, see Create a Six Sigma flowchart or House of Quality diagram.
TQM Diagram
Create Total Quality Management diagrams, including cause-and-effect, top-down, and cross-functional process flow diagrams for business process re-engineering and continuous improvement.
Value Stream Map
Illustrate the flow of material and information in a Lean manufacturing process by using Value stream maps. For more information, see Create a value stream map.
Visio has a lot of process diagram templates, but they all can be put into one of two categories:
General-purpose process diagrams
If you want to diagram a process and you don’t have a specific methodology you need to follow, one of the following templates should work well.
-
Basic flowchart
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Cross-functional flowchart
To find these templates
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Open Visio for the web and select All templates.
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From the gallery, scroll down to the Basic Flowchart template or the Cross-Functional Flowchart template and select the Create button.
Basic Flowchart
The Basic Flowchart template in Visio for the web is useful for a broad range of business processes, where each step can be represented using simple geometric shapes.
Cross-Functional Flowchart
A cross-functional flowchart is similar to a basic flowchart, but with an added element of structure: containers called swimlanes that represent the people or departments that are responsible for each step. In fact, the Cross-Functional Flowchart template in Visio for the web opens with the same stencil that the Basic Flowchart template opens with; the main difference is that some swimlanes have been added to the page to start.
Important: In Visio for the web, cross-functional flowcharts are only available for Visio Plan 2 and Visio Plan 1 subscribers. They are not available in Visio in Microsoft 365.
Process diagrams for specific methodologies
Methodology-based process diagrams have more structure than general purpose diagrams have, and they can convey more detailed information. They often use symbols that have specific meanings or require that certain kinds of data accompany certain shapes to fully implement the process. These rules or guidelines are usually described formally in specifications, most of which are available on the web.
To find the stencils for these diagrams:
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Open Visio for the web.
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Select New blank drawing.
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In the Shapes pane, in the search box, enter an appropriate keyword, such as audit or bpmn, then press Enter.
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In the results, select the set of shapes you want, then select Add to pin the stencil to the Shapes pane.
Audit Diagram
Use audit diagrams to document and analyze processes such as financial transactions or inventory management. For more information, see Create an audit diagram.
Important: In Visio for the web, audit shapes are only available for Visio Plan 2 and Visio Plan 1 subscribers. They are not available in Visio in Microsoft 365.
BPMN Diagram
You can create Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) diagrams that follow the BPMN 2.0 standard. For more information, see Create BPMN-compliant processes.
Important: In Visio for the web, BPMN shapes are only available for Plan 2 subscribers. They are not available in Visio Plan 1 or Visio in Microsoft 365.
EPC Diagram
Use an Event-driven Process Chain (EPC) diagram to create a high-level, visual model of your business process. For more information, see Create an Event-driven Process Chain (EPC) diagram.
Important: In Visio for the web, EPC shapes are only available for Visio Plan 2 and Visio Plan 1 subscribers. They are not available in Visio in Microsoft 365.
Fault Tree Analysis Diagram
Create Fault Tree Analysis diagrams to document business processes, including Six Sigma and ISO 9000 processes, and identify improvements. For more information, see Create a fault tree analysis diagram.
Important: In Visio for the web, fault tree analysis shapes are only available for Visio Plan 2 and Visio Plan 1 subscribers. They are not available in Visio in Microsoft 365.
SDL Diagram
Draw object-oriented diagrams for communications and telecommunications systems and networks using the Specification and Description Language (SDL) Diagram template or SDL Diagram Shapes stencil. For more information, see Create an SDL diagram in Visio.
Important: In Visio for the web, SDL diagram shapes and templates are only available for Visio Plan 2 and Visio Plan 1 subscribers. They are not available in Visio in Microsoft 365.
