A flow chart is a certain type of diagram that is used for representation of an algorithm. It also represents the workflow or process through boxes of specific shapes, and then they are connected through arrows which represent the general flow or direction of that process. Flowcharts are extensively used in designing, analyzing, managing or documenting a process or program in different fields.
In organisational structures, flowcharts are extensively used. The flowchart of a company or an organisation which shows the rankings and positions of employees, sub-workers and super-ordinates is known as an organogram. It is used to describe the hierarchy of the company from the top to the bottom.
This hierarchy’s complexity depends upon the type of business or company. There are different sizes of organisations ranging from small business, medium business to enterprise level. The more enormous the organisation, the harder and complex it is to draw the flowchart. Also, it is generally easier to draw the flowchart of flat organisational structure in which the flowchart is mostly horizontal-plane based. For tall organisational structure, it becomes harder and harder the bigger the company and the more managerial level it accommodates. Since these types of flowcharts are vertical-plane based; they don’t easily fit in a single chart.
Another factor in drawing flowcharts of organisations are the amount of departments an organisational structure has. Of course, the heads of different compartments and departments are very important since they control their respective departments. They are the organs through which a system works. Their respective successes determine the whole success of the company.
A common flowchart of an organisational structure has the board of directors at the top which control the CEO. The CEO has operational and technical Directors at his disposal. After that, the managerial level arises which has the managers of different departments like administration, finance, marketing, etc.
The uses of flowcharts are many. They allow a person to resolve the complexities of an organisational structure. It allows the person to think through many complex issues in advance. Everything happens step by step. Flowcharts employ logic when going from one step to the other. Flowcharts are more useful than written narrative comparatively. When businesses have external requirements for process documentation, flowcharts are used. From reporting to government regulations, flowcharts beat written narrative in all situations. It is an illustration which decreases complexity and complications.
Flowcharts can also point out flaws in an Organisation. Since they employ logic to answer all questions, a general question is asked which flowchart answer through a lengthy process. They are used for diagnosing a malfunction or troubleshooting a problem. This use is very common in fields of software and electronics. It break down a problem or situation to many levels, thus the whole problem is divided or distributed and is solved step by step. It results in improvement and efficiency.
The uses of flowcharts in business are extensive. It helps in workflow management and continuous improvement. It decreases complexity of any organisational structure. It helps troubleshooting and also regulates quality management requirements.