The terms 'flowchart' and 'flow chart' are used interchangeably. Nassi-Shneiderman diagrams and Drakon-charts are an alternative notation for process flow.Ĭommon alternative names include: flow chart, process flowchart, functional flowchart, process map, process chart, functional process chart, business process model, process model, process flow diagram, work flow diagram, business flow diagram. Similarly, in UML, a standard concept-modeling notation used in software development, the activity diagram, which is a type of flowchart, is just one of many different diagram types. For instance, Kaoru Ishikawa defined the flowchart as one of the seven basic tools of quality control, next to the histogram, Pareto chart, check sheet, control chart, cause-and-effect diagram, and the scatter diagram. A cross-functional flowchart allows the author to correctly locate the responsibility for performing an action or making a decision, and to show the responsibility of each organizational unit for different parts of a single process.įlowcharts depict certain aspects of processes and are usually complemented by other types of diagram. A symbol appearing in a particular part is within the control of that organizational unit. A decision, usually denoted as a diamond.Ī flowchart is described as 'cross-functional' when the chart is divided into different vertical or horizontal parts, to describe the control of different organizational units.A processing step, usually called activity, and denoted as a rectangular box.The two most common types of boxes in a flowchart are: There are different types of flowcharts: each type has its own set of boxes and notations. Like other types of diagrams, they help visualize what is going on and thereby help understand a process, and perhaps also find less-obvious features within the process, like flaws and bottlenecks. Flowcharts are used in designing and documenting simple processes or programs.

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