Which flowchart shapes

For most flowcharting you need only use the basic flowchart shapes listed above. Those listed below are included to be complete, but you don't have to use them.

If you are working in a group, you should decide which flowcharting shapes should be used and form your own standards. There are no universal standards in flowcharting. DIN seems to be popular in Germany. It is important that people reading a flowchart understand the information it is trying to convey.

Using more than the basic shapes often confuses people and adds nothing to the overall goal of your project. Flowcharts can be helpful in understanding a process. The goal should be understanding and improving the process and not be just generating flowcharts.

Which flowchart shape should you use? If you are new to flowcharting, the large number of shapes can be intimidating. This page should help in making your decision.

Most charts can be drawn with the first five basic flowchart shapes listed. The others are optional and often only confuse people. This shape tells you where the flowchart begins and ends. It shows the entry point of your flowchart and the exit point. To designate the start of your flowchart, you would fill this shape with words like Start or Begin.

The words you use are up to you. To designate the ending point of the chart, this shape is filled with words like End , Exit , or Return. Usually a flowchart has one starting point. However, a flowchart can have as many ending points as needed. Sometimes you see this shape drawn as an oval as shown below. That is fine. You read a flowchart by following the lines with arrows from shape to shape.

The lines with arrows determine the flow through the chart. Flowcharts are usually drawn from top to bottom or left to right. Numbering shapes is optional. Numbering is helpful if you have to refer to a shape in a discussion. Numbering does not determine the flow of control. That is determined by the lines with arrows.

If two lines cross, you ignore the perpendicular line and continue following the line to the next shape. If there may be confusion as to the path, you can insert a bridge or crossover, which is a little bump on crossed lines.

In most flowcharts, the rectangle is the most common shape. It is used to show a process, task, action, or operation. It shows something that has to be done or an action that has to be taken. Home flowchart Templates flowchart Articles flowchart Symbols.

Flowchart Symbols and their usage There are a large number of shapes used in drawing flowcharts and process flows. Stored Data. Direct Data. Internal Storage. Sequential Access. Manual Input. About Creately. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest.

All rights reserved. Sequential Data The Sequential Data flowchart shape represents a step from the process where data gets stored in a sequential manner. Direct Data The Direct Data flowchart shape stands for a data storage location, where any single record of information can be accessed directly.

Manual Input The Manual Input flowchart symbol represents a step in the process where the information needs to be manually entered into the system. Manual Operation The Manual Operation flowchart shape shows which step of the process is not automated and needs to be performed manually. Manual Loop The Manual Loop flowchart shape indicates a step of the process where a sequence of commands runs repeatedly until manually cancelled.

Card The Card flowchart shape is very strictly specified. It represent older computer systems where cards used to be punched in order to store data from the process. Paper Tape The Paper Tape flowchart symbol represents the punch paper tape system of storing or importing data in the flowchart.

Display The Display shape flowchart symbol indicates a step from the process when data is being displayed to an operator or user. Preparation The Preparation flowchart symbol indicates the preparation steps for the action that will be processed in the flowchart. Loop Limit The Loop Limit flowchart shape indicates the number of times a loop can run, before the next step of the flowchart gets activated. Collate The Collage flowchart shape indicates the step of the flowchart where the information used in the process is ordered into a standard format.

Delay The Delay flowchart symbol indicates a step in the flowchart where the process needs to be delayed. Extract The Extract flowchart shape shows the step where the process is being split into parallel paths. Merge The Merge flowchart symbol shows the step where different processes are being merged into one. Or The Or flowchart shapes indicates the step after which the process continues split to more than two branches.

Sort The Sort flowchart shape indicates a step where information from the process is getting sorted based on some pre-defined criteria. Summing Junction The Summing Junction flowchart shape indicates the step where multiple brunches are converged back into a single process. Database The Database flowchart symbol stands for a standard structured storage location where data can be searched and sorted.

On Page Reference The On Page Reference flowchart shape shows that the next or previous step of the flowchart is located someplace else on the page. Input and output are the fundamental building blocks of a process used to describe a software program. For example, the input could be provided by a user like at an ATM machine or in a form online or it could data provided by an instrument like a temperature read. The program will have code to interpret the input and generate an output.

The output could be a series of things: a message printed on a the user interface or data handed off to another process.

There are two different types of approaches to symbols in data flow diagrams: Yourdon and Coad and Gane and Sarson. In the Yourdon and Coad way, processes are depicted as circles, while in the Gane and Sarson diagram the processes are squares with rounded corners. Most of the flowchart symbols shown here are for use in very specific applications, such as a data flow diagram used for computer programming.

Unless you have specialized knowledge and your diagram is being developed for a peer group with similar knowledge, it's best to stick to basic flowchart symbols. If more than the most basic flowchart symbols appear in your diagram, it is good practice to include a legend or symbol key. Sticking with these two primary flowchart symbols is the best way to ensure that your diagram will be easy to understand.