What is a flowchart? Meaning, types and how to make one

What is a flowchart?

A flowchart maps how a piece of work moves from start to finish. Each box is a step, each arrow leads to the next one, and the path splits at every decision. It works the same for an order process, an algorithm or a support chat. You'll also see it written as flow chart, or called a flow diagram, process map or workflow diagram; drawing one is called flowcharting.

The idea dates back to 1921, when Frank and Lillian Gilbreth presented their process charts. The symbols were standardized later, and ISO 5807 is still the usual reference.

Here's a typical example, an online shop's order process, read from top to bottom:

Open this example in flowdraft ↗

What are flowcharts used for?

A flowchart makes you ask “what happens next?” and “what if it doesn't?” at every step, and it gives everyone involved the same picture.

• Business processes: approvals, hiring, refunds: who does what, in which order.
• Teaching: working out an algorithm before writing code, like checking whether a number is odd or even.
• Software: sign-in, checkout or error-handling logic that developers, designers and product managers can all read.
• Support and chatbots: where a conversation or a bot goes after each answer.
• Process improvement: spotting bottlenecks, extra approvals and duplicated work.

Skip it when the order doesn't matter (a mind map fits better) or when the task never branches (a checklist will do).

Types of flowcharts

Data flow diagrams have their own notation (processes, data stores, external entities). All the other types use the symbols below.

Some textbooks list four types instead: document, data, system and program flowcharts, named after what each one follows: paper documents, data, the parts of a system, or the logic of a program.

The 6 shapes you need to read a flowchart

ISO 5807 defines more than 20 shapes, but most flowcharts need only these six:

• Start / End (terminal)

  An oval marking where the flow starts and where it ends.

  In flowdraft: The Start / End part. Rename it “Start”, “End” or “Order cancelled”.

• Process (step)

  An action, such as “Take payment”. Drawn as a rectangle.

  In flowdraft: A Step card: a short title, details in the subtitle, the actor in the tag.

• Decision

  A yes/no question. Two or more labeled arrows leave the diamond.

  In flowdraft: The Decision part. Type the question and label its arrows “Yes” and “No”.

• Input / output

  Data coming in or going out, like reading user input or showing a result. Drawn as a parallelogram.

  In flowdraft: There's no parallelogram shape. Use a Step card tagged INPUT or OUTPUT, with a pen or screen icon.

• Flowline (arrow)

  Shows the order and direction of the steps, usually top to bottom or left to right.

  In flowdraft: Drag from a dot on a box's edge to another box. Select the arrow to change its line, color or label.

• Connector

  A small lettered circle that links to another point on the same page instead of a long, crossing arrow.

  In flowdraft: There's no circle shape. Put a Chip with the same letter (say, “A”) at both ends.

For document, database, delay and the other shapes, see the full guide to flowchart symbols.

Common flowchart examples

A flowchart looks the same whatever it describes; only the text in the boxes changes. These are the examples people draw most:

• Algorithms: the flowchart to find the largest of three numbers, an even or odd check, the sum of the numbers from 1 to N and the factorial, the classic exercises in programming classes.
• Business processes: the online order flowchart at the top of this page, an e-commerce order and shipping process and the leave approval swimlane further down.
• Software and support: a login and password reset flow or a support ticket handed from a chatbot to a person.

Each one is explained step by step and opens in the editor with one click. See all nine in flowchart examples.

How to make a flowchart

A good flowchart starts before you draw. A few minutes of planning saves a lot of box shuffling later.

1. Plan the process first

1. Set the boundaries: what starts the process and what ends it? Say, from “order comes in” to “parcel shipped”.
2. Write steps as verbs: “Take payment”, “Check stock”.
3. Find the exceptions: at each step, ask “what if not?” Out of stock? Card declined? No reply from the manager?
4. Note who does what: several people or teams means you'll want swimlanes.

2. Draw a flowchart online in flowdraft

1. Open the free online flowchart maker. No account needed: your drawing is kept on your device as a draft. For a head start, pick a template under File → New flow.
2. Drag Start / End from the left panel onto the canvas, or click it. On phones and narrow screens (such as a tablet in portrait), tap Add at the bottom.
3. Add a Step for each action and a Decision for each question. Double-click a box (or select it and press Enter) to edit its text, or use the panel on the right.
4. Connect two boxes by dragging from a dot on one box's edge to a dot on the other.
5. Select each arrow leaving a decision and type “Yes” or “No” in the Label field. A green main path and orange exceptions make the chart quicker to read.
6. For several roles, add a Lane from the Layout group, name it (say, “MANAGER”) and move the cards into it. Lanes always stay behind your boxes.
7. Save to your free account, then use Export to download a PNG image, an SVG vector or editable JSON. Saving and exporting require signing in.

Make a free flowchart →

Example: a swimlane flowchart for leave approval

Each lane is a role, so an arrow crossing into another lane means the work changes hands. The manager's review uses the Gate card style, which marks human approval steps.

Open this example in flowdraft ↗

Flowchart best practices and common mistakes

• Pick one direction. Top to bottom or left to right; only loops go backwards.
• One box, one action. “Create and send the invoice” is two steps.
• Label every branch that leaves a decision; unlabeled branches leave readers guessing.
• Leave no dead ends. Cancel, error and timeout paths need an end too.
• Limit loops. Note how many retries are allowed, or for how long.
• Avoid crossing lines. Rearrange the boxes first; use a connector if that fails.
• Split big diagrams. Past 15–20 boxes, break the process into sub-processes.

Choosing a flowchart maker

You can draw a flowchart on paper, in office software or in a dedicated editor. Each has its place:

Pick by the job: a whiteboard for brainstorming, Visio or draw.io for engineering detail, flowdraft for a clean process flow drawn and shared quickly.

Make a flowchart with AI

Add the flowdraft MCP server to ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, Cursor or VS Code, sign in and approve access, and your assistant can read, create and edit the diagrams in your account. Claude and ChatGPT show a picture of the result in the chat, with a link that opens it in the editor. See the ChatGPT flowchart guide or the MCP setup page for setup.

Start drawing

Browse more flowchart examples or watch the 30-second tour. Your first flowchart doesn't even need an account.

Open flowdraft and start drawing →