| Applies to |
| Microsoft Office Visio® 2003 |
| Microsoft Visio 2002 |
Cross-functional flowcharts show the relationships between the steps in a process and the functional units that perform them. You can use them to show the flow of a process from department to department, or show how a process affects different functional units in a corporation.
This article describes how to:
And provides:
Choose a vertical or horizontal layout
You can present any cross-functional process either vertically or horizontally. A vertical layout places slightly more emphasis on the functional units while a horizontal layout emphasizes the process.
In a horizontal layout, bands representing functional units run horizontally across the diagram, highlighting the process.
In a vertical layout, bands representing the functional units run vertically from the top to the bottom of the diagram, highlighting the functional units.
Create a cross-functional flowchart
To create a cross-functional flowchart
- On the File menu, point to New, point to Flowchart, and then click Cross Functional Flowchart.
- In the Cross-functional Flowchart dialog box, choose the basic options you want to start with, and then click OK.
Note After you click OK, you can add or delete bands but you can't change the orientation, add bands with another orientation, or add a title bar.
- Double-click <Process Name> and then type a name for the process the flowchart represents.
- Click a band label and then type a name for the function the band represents. Repeat for each band.
- Click the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil's title bar to display its shapes. Drag the Process or Decision shape from the stencil to the appropriate band(s) to represent the first step in the process.
- Click the Connector tool on the Standard toolbar. Leaving the first shape selected, drag a second shape onto the bands. The shapes connect automatically. Repeat to continue adding process steps, decisions, or data.
- When you're finished adding shapes, on the Standard toolbar, click the Pointer tool, and then save the flowchart.
Tip If you don't like the way a connector bends, click the connector. Pause the pointer over one of the green midpoints until the pointer becomes a two-headed arrow. Click and drag until the connector bends the way you want.
You can revise a cross-functional flowchart as necessary by adding or deleting bands, shapes, separators, and other features. You can also add process shapes from other types of flowcharts or business process diagrams, such as audit and work flow diagrams. To locate the shapes, on the File menu, point to Shapes, point to Flowchart or Business Process, and then click the stencil you want to open.
Improve and revise cross-functional flowcharts
You can improve and revise a cross-functional flowchart by:
- Adding, deleting, or adjusting bands.
- Moving or extending process shapes.
- Dividing the process into phases that you can manage separately.
- Breaking a long process and continuing it on the same page.
Add, delete, and adjust bands
| To |
Do this |
| Add a band |
- Click the title bar of the Cross Functional Flowchart Shapes stencil to display its shapes.
- Drag a Functional band shape from the stencil to the boundary of the band before or after which you want it to appear.
- With the band selected, type the label.
|
| Delete a band |
- Click the label of the band you want to delete.
- Press the DELETE key.
Note When you delete a band, you also delete all the shapes the band contains.
|
| Change band order |
- Click the label of the band you want to move.
- Drag the band to the new location.
Note When you move a band, all the shapes within the band move with it.
|
| Change band width |
- Click the label of the band with a width you want to change.
- Drag a top or bottom selection handle on a horizontal band, or a side handle on a vertical band, until the band is the width you want.
|
| Change band label size |
- Click one of the band labels.
- Drag a side selection handle on a horizontal band or a top or bottom selection handle on a vertical band until the label is the width you want. All the labels resize accordingly.
|
| Repeat bands on a new drawing page |
- On the Insert menu, click New Page.
- Type a name for the new page, and then click OK.
- When you're asked if you want to copy the bands from the current page to the new page, click OK.
|
Move and extend process shapes
| To |
Do this |
| Move a shape to another band |
- Click the connector that is connected to the shape you want to move. If the connector handles turn red, the connector is glued to the shape on each end. If the connector handles do not turn red, drag the connector endpoints into the centers of the shapes you want to connect until the shapes are outlined in red. This glues the connector to the shapes.
- Drag the shape you want to move to its new location.
|
| Extend a shape across multiple bands |
- Select the shape you want to extend.
- Drag a selection handle until the shape spans all the bands you want.
Tip You can also drop or move a shape onto the boundary of two bands without resizing the shape.
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Divide a process into phases
You can indicate the steps that make up one phase of a process and move all the related steps together by using a Separator shape. When you drag a Separator shape, all the steps below or to the right move along with it.
To add a separator
- Click the title bar of the Cross Functional Flowchart Shapes stencil to display the shapes it contains.
- Drag a Separator shape from the stencil to the place in the flowchart where you want to indicate a separation in the process. The shape extends across all of the bands.
Continue a cross-functional process on the same page
By using On-page reference shapes, you can break and continue a large cross-functional process on the same drawing page.
To continue a cross-functional process using on-page references
- Create a cross-functional flowchart. Continue adding shapes until you run out of space on the page.
- With the last shape selected, on the Standard toolbar, click the Connector tool.
- Click the title bar of the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil to display the shapes it contains. Drag an On-page reference shape to the drawing page near the last step in the process. The shapes connect automatically.
- On the Standard toolbar, click the Pointer tool.
- With the On-page reference shape selected, type a letter or number to label the shape.
- Click the title bar of the Cross Functional Flowchart Shapes stencil to display the shapes it contains. Drag a Separator shape onto the functional bands to the right of, or below, the process you have already created.
- Click the title bar of the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil to display the shapes it contains. Drag another On-page reference shape to where you want to continue the process. With the shape selected, type the same letter or number you used to label the first On-page reference shape.
- On the Standard toolbar, click the Connector tool. With the second On-page reference shape selected, drag a shape from the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil that represents the next step in the process you are continuing.
- Continue dropping shapes until the process is complete or until you reach the edge of the page. Repeat steps 2 through 8 if you want to continue the process another time.
