Flow Charts
Effective Flow Charts and Improvements
An effective flow chart can be followed by someone who has never seen the process before. It uses the correct standard symbols throughout and starts and ends with a terminator, so the reader knows exactly where the process begins and stops. Every decision has both arrows labelled Yes and No. Input/output and process boxes are complete: they say what data is entered or displayed and what action is carried out, rather than using a vague label such as 'details'. The chart contains enough detail to represent each stage and decision that actually occurs, leaving nothing out.
Improving a draft
Improving a draft means changing its content so it matches the real process, not just making it neater. A useful check is to walk through the process from memory and compare each stage with the draft.
| Draft problem | Specific improvement |
|---|---|
| A decision has only one arrow labelled. | Label both routes from the decision Yes and No so every path is clear. |
| An input says 'Enter days borrowed', but the decision just asks 'Overdue?'. | Use the variable name in the input, such as days_borrowed, and put the comparison in the decision: days_borrowed > 14? |
| A step is missing. | Add the missing process box, such as 'Print due-date slip'. |
| An output box just says 'book'. | Complete it so the data leaving the process is clear, such as 'Display book title and due date'. |
| The start or end symbol is missing. | Add the missing terminator. |
| The draft skips a check that really happens. | Add the missing step or decision, such as 'Book already on loan?' before the book is issued, so the flow chart reflects the real process. |
If a draft is too simple, add the missing detail until it represents the process fully. Improvements should be specific to the process shown. A vague 'make it clearer' is much less useful than 'label the Book already on loan? decision Yes and No'.
Practise this
OCR Creative iMedia · Flowcharts