A flow chart is defined as a pictorial representation describing a process being studied or even used to plan stages of a project. Flow charts tend to provide people with a common language or reference point when dealing with a project or process.
Four particular types of flow charts have proven useful when dealing with a process analysis: top-down flow chart, detailed flow chart, work flow diagrams, and a deployment chart. Each of the different types of flow charts tend to provide a different aspect to a process or a task. Flow charts provide an excellent form of documentation for a process, and quite often are useful when examining how various steps in a process work together.
When dealing with a process flow chart, two separate stages of the process should be considered: the finished product and the making of the product. In order to analyze the finished product or how to operate the process, flow charts tend to use simple and easily recognizable symbols. The basic flow chart symbols below are used when analyzing how to operate a process.
are used when analyzing how to operate a process.
Trial process flow.
Allow other more familiar personnel to check for accuracy.
Make changes if necessary.
Compare final actual flow with best possible flow.
Use the simplest symbols possible.
Make sure every feedback loop has an escape.
There is usually only one output arrow out of a process box. Otherwise, it may require a decision diamond.
Analyze flow chart of best process.
Compare both charts, looking for areas where they are different. Most of the time, the stages where differences occur is considered to be the problem area or process.
Take appropriate in-house steps to correct the differences between the two seperate flows.
