How To Create Process Flow

Flowchart Software for Making Flowcharts and Other Process Charts

SmartDraw is the easiest way to make any type of flowchart or diagram representing a process. You start by picking one of the flow chart templates included and add steps in just a few clicks. Our flowchart maker aligns everything automatically so you don't have to worry about formatting, rearranging, or reconnecting steps.

Why SmartDraw is the Best Flowchart Maker

Intelligent Flowchart Formatting
Click simple commands and SmartDraw builds your flowchart for you, automatically. Add or remove a step, and SmartDraw realigns and arranges all the elements of your process so that everything continues to look great.
Integrates with the Tools You Use
You can make flowcharts for Word^®, Excel^®, PowerPoint^®, Google Docs^™ or any other Google Workspace^™ app. SmartDraw also works with Confluence and Jira.
Collaborate with Your Team
SmartDraw makes sharing your flowchart with your team easy. Save your flowchart to shared team folders so you can all work on the same diagram. You can even share your diagram easily with anyone who doesn't have SmartDraw just by sending them a link.
Free Support
Have a question? Call or email us. SmartDraw support is in-house and free!

Smart collaboration

Make a Flowchart From Templates in Minutes

Choose a flowchart template below to open SmartDraw in your browser to start making a flowchart right now.

How to Create Your Flowchart Online Quickly and Easily

Step 1: Determine What Process to Make into a Flowchart

It may seem obvious, but deciding what process you're visualizing is a crucial first step. If you make your subject matter something too broad, your flowchart will become too complicated and difficult to understand. You should start by defining a clear start and end point.

It's important to create a box around a key process that you want to examine so you can gather the critical steps in a timely fashion. For example, a flowchart for making a burger could begin by farmers raising cows, wheat and tomatoes, or you could assume that's not important to what you want to illustrate and focus on the parts relevant to the reason you're making a flowchart.

What process are you making into a flowchart

Step 2: Start with a Flowchart Template

SmartDraw includes flowchart templates to put all relevant flowchart symbols and flowchart making tools at your fingertips and make you instantly productive. These templates make it easy to add symbols and shapes, split or join paths, and more.

Need more inspiration? There are dozens of flowchart examples you can customize. You can make yes/no flowcharts, process models, decision flows and more.

Choose a flowchart template

Step 3: Build Your Flowchart in Just a Few Clicks

Click simple commands and SmartDraw's flowchart creator builds your flow chart for you, automatically. Add or remove a box, and SmartDraw realigns and arranges all the elements so that everything looks great.

Read our full tutorial on how to make a flowchart.

What process are you making into a flowchart

Step 4: Apply a Professional Theme

Your flowcharts will always be presentation-ready with SmartDraw's flowchart creator. Before you export, share or print, apply a design theme with a coordinating color scheme so your work looks professional.

Apply a professional theme to your flowchart

Step 5: Add Your Flowchart to Word^®, Excel^®, Google Docs^™, and More

SmartDraw's flowchart maker integrates easily with tools you already use. Once your flowchart is built you can insert it directly to Microsoft Word^®, Excel^®, PowerPoint^®, Google Docs^™, Google Sheets^™, and more.

SmartDraw also has apps to integrate with Atlassian's Confluence, Jira, and Trello. You can easily make a flowchart and share it in your Confluence documentation or attach a process flow to a Jira issue.

Add your flowchart to Word and other apps

What are Flowchart Symbols

As we mentioned above, flowcharts use special shapes to represent different types of actions or steps in a process. Your basic SmartDraw flowchart template will already have a pill shaped symbol on it to represent the start of your flowchart. The common rectangle shape represents a step in the process. Some of the common symbols and their meanings is listed below:

Common Flowchart Symbols

Rectangle Shape - Represents a process
Oval or Pill Shape - Represents the start or end
Diamond Shape - Represents a decision
Parallelogram - Represents input/output

You can learn more about flowchart symbols on this page.

Basic flowchart symbols

What is a Flowchart

A flowchart uses shapes connected by lines to show the steps in a process. By visualizing the process, a flowchart can quickly help identify bottlenecks or inefficiencies where the process can be streamlined or improved.

A flowchart template in SmartDraw helps you make flowcharts by docking the right flowchart symbol library and flowchart tools at your fingertips. When you start with a template, you'll be able to add a process step in just a click or create a decision point just as easily.

Types of flowcharts you can make with SmartDraw's flowchart maker:

Basic flowcharts
Yes/no flowcharts
Swimlane diagrams

Decision flows
Process models
And more

Trusted by Millions of Users and the Fortune 500

SmartDraw adds over 300,000 new users per month and is trusted choice for diagramming at universities, government agencies, and over 75% of the Fortune 500.

Flowchart maker for the Fortune 500

Additional Flowchart Resources

What is a flowchart?

A flowchart is a visual representation of the sequence of steps and decisions needed to perform a process. Learn more about flowcharts.

What are flowchart symbols?

Flowcharts consist of a few common geometric shapes representing different steps in a process like start, ends, and decisions. The most common shape is a rectangle used to show a single action or operation. Learn more about flowchart symbols.

Flowchart types

Flowchart types include swimlane flowcharts, workflows, data flow diagrams, SDL diagrams, EPC diagrams, and more. See all flowchart types.

How to make a flowchart tutorial

A good flowchart should communicate a process clearly and effectively. You can make a flowchart in a few simple steps. Learn how to make a flowchart.

Flowchart templates

SmartDraw comes with dozens of built-in flowchart templates. Browse the templates and start customizing them immediately. See more flowchart templates.

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Discover why SmartDraw is the best flowchart maker today.