Flowchart Standards

When creating a Flowchart, several diagramming standards and notations are commonly used to ensure clarity, consistency, and effective communication. The most widely recognized standards for flowcharts include:

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1. ANSI/ISO Standard Flowchart Symbols

Purpose

• Standardization: Provide a universally recognized set of symbols for representing processes and workflows.
• Clarity: Ensure that flowcharts are easily understood by anyone familiar with standard symbols.

Key Elements

• Terminator (Start/End):
  • Symbol: Oval or rounded rectangle.
  • Purpose: Indicates the start or end points of a process.
• Process:
  • Symbol: Rectangle.
  • Purpose: Represents a step or action in the process.
• Decision:
  • Symbol: Diamond.
  • Purpose: Denotes a point where a decision is made, leading to different paths.
• Input/Output:
  • Symbol: Parallelogram.
  • Purpose: Shows data input into or output from a process.
• Document:
  • Symbol: Rectangle with a wavy base.
  • Purpose: Represents a document or report.
• Predefined Process (Subroutine):
  • Symbol: Rectangle with double-struck vertical edges.
  • Purpose: Indicates a complex process defined elsewhere.
• Connector:
  • Symbol: Small circle.
  • Purpose: Connects parts of the flowchart that are on different pages or areas.
• Flow Lines (Arrows):
  • Symbol: Lines with arrowheads.
  • Purpose: Show the direction of flow between steps.

Benefits

• Universality: Widely recognized and understood across industries.
• Simplicity: Easy to create and interpret.
• Standardization: Facilitates clear communication and documentation.

Application

• Process Representation:
  • Model steps and workflows within a system.
• Decision Points:
  • Represent conditional logic, such as validation checks or branching paths.
• Input/Output:
  • Indicate where data is retrieved, processed, or stored.

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2. Unified Modeling Language (UML) Activity Diagrams

Although not a flowchart standard per se, UML Activity Diagrams serve a similar purpose and are suitable for modeling workflows and processes.

Purpose

• Detailed Workflow Modeling: Captures complex control flows, including parallel and conditional paths.
• Integration with UML: Aligns with other UML diagrams for a cohesive modeling approach.

Key Elements

• Initial Node:
  • Symbol: Solid circle.
  • Purpose: Marks the start of the workflow.
• Activity (Action) State:
  • Symbol: Rounded rectangle.
  • Purpose: Represents an action or task.
• Final Node:
  • Symbol: Bullseye (circle with a dot inside).
  • Purpose: Indicates the end of the workflow.
• Decision Node:
  • Symbol: Diamond.
  • Purpose: Represents a branching point based on a condition.
• Merge Node:
  • Symbol: Diamond.
  • Purpose: Merges multiple flows back into a single flow.
• Fork and Join Nodes:
  • Symbol: Thick horizontal or vertical bars.
  • Purpose: Represents parallel processes (fork) and synchronization points (join).
• Control Flows (Arrows):
  • Symbol: Solid arrows.
  • Purpose: Show the flow from one activity to the next.
• Swimlanes:
  • Symbol: Partitioned areas.
  • Purpose: Organize activities by actor or system component.

Benefits

• Complex Process Modeling: Suitable for processes with concurrency and complex logic.
• Standardization: Part of the UML suite, an internationally recognized standard.
• Detailed Representation: Can capture nuances that simple flowcharts might miss.

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3. Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)

BPMN is a standard for business process modeling that provides a graphical notation for specifying business processes in a workflow.

Purpose

• Business Process Modeling: Designed to model complex business processes with clarity.
• Standardization: Provides a consistent notation that is understandable by all business stakeholders.

Key Elements

• Events:
  • Start Event: Represented by a single thin circle.
  • End Event: Represented by a single thick circle.
• Activities:
  • Symbol: Rounded rectangles.
  • Purpose: Represents tasks or sub-processes.
• Gateways:
  • Symbol: Diamonds.
  • Purpose: Controls the divergence and convergence of sequence flows.
• Sequence Flow:
  • Symbol: Solid arrows.
  • Purpose: Shows the order in which activities are performed.
• Swimlanes (Pools and Lanes):
  • Symbol: Horizontal or vertical containers.
  • Purpose: Organize activities by participant or department.
• Message Flow:
  • Symbol: Dashed arrows with open arrowheads.
  • Purpose: Represents communication between participants.
• Data Objects:
  • Symbol: Document icon.
  • Purpose: Shows data required or produced by activities.

Benefits

• Rich Semantics: Can represent complex process behaviors, including exceptions and event handling.
• Collaboration Modeling: Effective for processes involving multiple participants.
• Tool Support: Many BPMN-compliant tools are available for modeling and simulation.

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4. ISO 5807:1985

ISO 5807 is an international standard for information processing flowchart symbols, rules, and conventions.

Purpose

• Standardization: Provides guidelines for flowchart symbols and their usage.
• Documentation Consistency: Ensures that flowcharts meet international documentation standards.

Key Elements

• Similar to ANSI standard symbols, with additional guidelines for use and layout.

Benefits

• International Compliance: Adheres to globally recognized standards.
• Detailed Guidelines: Offers comprehensive instructions for flowchart creation.

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Recommendation

For straightforward workflows, use ANSI/ISO Standard Flowchart Symbols for simplicity and clarity. For more complex processes, particularly those involving parallelism or detailed decision-making, UML Activity Diagrams or BPMN may be more appropriate.

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Tools Supporting Flowchart Standards

• Microsoft Visio: Templates for ANSI flowcharts, UML Activity Diagrams, and BPMN.
• draw.io (diagrams.net): Free online tool for creating flowcharts and other diagrams.
• Lucidchart: Comprehensive platform for flowcharts, UML diagrams, and BPMN.
• Visual Paradigm: Professional tool for UML and BPMN diagrams.
• SmartDraw: Easy-to-use tool with flowchart templates.

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Additional Considerations

• Audience:
  • Select the standard based on the intended audience. Use ANSI/ISO symbols for general understanding and BPMN for business process modeling.
• Complexity:
  • Choose UML or BPMN for workflows with intricate logic or concurrency.
• Compliance:
  • Adhere to organizational or regulatory standards when required.

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Conclusion

Flowcharts are versatile tools for representing processes and workflows. The ANSI/ISO Standard Flowchart Symbols are ideal for most use cases, while UML Activity Diagrams and BPMN are suited for more detailed and complex scenarios. Select the standard that best aligns with your requirements for clarity and detail.