Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
CHAPTER 17 CROSS FUNCTIONAL FLOWCHARTS
INFOCUS
WPL_V516
Processes can be represented by flowcharts, but they have one
drawback – a standard flowchart cannot indicate who is responsible
for the activities illustrated unless explanatory text boxes are added
or unless sole responsibility for the entire process falls to one
department.
Instead, you can use a cross functional flowchart to portray the
relationship between the steps in a process and the departments or
functional areas that are responsible for those steps.
In this session you will:
gain an understanding of cross functional flowcharts
learn how to create a cross functional flowchart
learn how to add swimlanes
learn how to add swimlane labels
learn how to add phases
learn how to add shapes
learn how to adjust swimlanes and phases
learn how to format cross functional charts.
© Watsonia Publishing Page 155 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
UNDERSTANDING CROSS FUNCTIONAL FLOWCHARTS
Cross functional flowcharts enable you to within the company, and how the different
illustrate how a process flows between departments are involved in this process. The fact
departments within an organisation. For example, that you have two dimensions to a cross functional
you can depict how a new product is developed flowchart differentiates it from other flowcharts.
4 5
The title bar appears at the top of the flowchart by default.
Each swimlane represents a different department or functional unit within an organisation which you can
identify by modifying the label. The swimlanes can appear with a horizontal orientation (as they are
above) where the steps tend to flow down and across through the flowchart or with a vertical orientation
where the steps tend to move left and right in a horizontal manner.
Note that a swimlane is a container that helps you to manage ordered sets of shapes. Like other
containers in Visio, the swimlane and all shapes added to it are treated as a single unit – that is, if you
move a swimlane, all shapes within it will also move.
The Connectors indicate the direction of the work flow.
Shapes from the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil depict the steps of the process in a cross functional
flowchart.
If you want to indicate phases in the process, you can use the Separator shape. This adds a heading in
the phase bar and displays a separator through the swimlanes.
Built-in themes and styles can be applied to the flowchart or you can manually format the colour of each
swimlane independently. In this case, we’ve applied the Module theme colours and Button theme
effects to the flowchart but have retained the default style.
© Watsonia Publishing Page 156 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
CREATING A CROSS FUNCTIONAL FLOWCHART
Visio includes a Cross Functional Flowchart various steps flows through different functional
template which lets you illustrate how a process units (such as departments in a company). You can
(such as manufacturing a product) flows from select a vertical or horizontal orientation for the
start to finish and how the responsibility for the chart.
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this exercise
ensure no files are open in Visio...
Click on the File tab, then
click on Flowchart under
Template Categories, click
on Cross-Functional
Flowchart and then click on
[Create]
A new default cross
functional flowchart with two
horizontal swimlanes, title
bar and phase bar will be
created....
Click on the Cross-
Functional Flowchart tab 1
to see the relevant
commands
Click on Orientation
the Arrange group and
in
select Vertical
The swimlanes will appear
vertically on the page and
their labels will move to the
top of each swimlane.
You can reverse the
direction of the chart if
desired…
Click on Direction in the
Arrange group and select
Right to Left
Click on Undo twice to
reverse the Direction and
Orientation 4
For Your Reference… Handy to Know…
To create a cross functional flowchart: You can choose whether to show or hide the
1. Select File > New > Flowchart > Cross title bar at the top of a cross functional
Functional Flowchart flowchart. The title bar displays by default,
but you can remove the tick from Show Title
Bar in the Design group to hide the title bar.
© Watsonia Publishing Page 157 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
ADDING SWIMLANES
Visio includes two swimlanes by default in a new departments are involved in a process, then you’ll
cross functional flowchart. This is merely a need to include three swimlanes in the chart to
starting point and you are able to quickly add identify them.
swimlanes as you go. For instance, if three
1 2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
Same
File
file or open the file V516
Cross Function_1.vsd...
Hover near a corner of a
swimlane (at either end)
A blue Insert Swimlane
Shape icon will appear and
the swimlane border will
change to a heavy orange
line, showing where a new
swimlane would be 3
inserted…
Click on the blue icon to
insert a new swimlane
Swimlanes are shapes and
you can insert them from the
Shapes window…
Drag the Swimlane shape
over the last band in the
flowchart
Release the mouse button to
add another swimlane
4
Use either method to add
another swimlane
It’s very easy to delete
unwanted swimlanes…
Click on the title of any
swimlane to select it – a
selected swimlane appears
with a pale orange dashed
border – and press
You should now have four
swimlanes in the drawing
For Your Reference… Handy to Know…
To add a swimlane: You can move a swimlane by dragging its
1. Hover over the corner of a swimlane, then label to a new location.
click on the blue icon to insert one below When you delete or move a swimlane in a
To delete a swimlane: cross functional flowchart, all shapes
contained within that swimlane will also be
1. Click on the swimlane label deleted or moved.
2. Press
© Watsonia Publishing Page 158 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
ADDING SWIMLANE LABELS
Before adding shapes to a cross functional by replacing the default Function text. You can do
flowchart, you should identify which functional this by simply clicking on the label to select it and
areas or departments each of the swimlanes typing the desired text. You will also add the chart
represents. You can label each of the swimlanes title during this exercise.
1 3
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
Same
File
previous file or open V516
Cross Function_2.vsd...
Double-click on the
Function label in the top
swimlane to select it
Type Sales
The text field will appear
horizontally so you can 2
read what you are
typing...
Double-click on the next
label to select it, then type
Production
Repeat step 3 to add the
next two labels:
Marketing and
Administration, then
press
Let’s add the chart title
now…
Double-click on the Title
label at the top of the
chart to select it
Type Developing a New
Product, then press
For Your Reference… Handy to Know…
To add text to a chart title or swimlane: You can change the orientation of the
1. Double-click on the flowchart title or swimlane label text from the default vertical
swimlane label to horizontal by clicking on Rotate Lane
Label in the Design group. To widen the
2. Type the text
label column to fit horizontal text, click on
3. Press one of the labels to select it and then drag
the right resizing handle to the desired width.
© Watsonia Publishing Page 159 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
ADDING PHASES
A phase is used to indicate during which stage of Development, Testing and Release. On a
the process a particular step will occur. For horizontal cross functional flowchart, phases
instance, the development process of a product appear with a black vertical line (known as a
could be divided into the phases of Research, separator) and phase label which you can edit.
1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
Same
previous file or open
File
V516 Cross
Function_3.vsd...
Click on Separator
the Insert group to
in
2
insert a separator half
way along the chart
With the left hand phase
selected (orange
dashed border), repeat
step 1 to insert another
separator half way
between the start and
middle of the chart 3
Click on the third Phase
label to select the last
phase, then repeat step
1 to create another
phase
Your chart should have
four phases. Let’s edit
the label text…
Double-click on the first
phase’s label and type
Research
Repeat step 4 to add the
labels: Development,
4
Testing and Release,
then press twice
For Your Reference… Handy to Know…
To create a phase: Note: If you deselect Show Separators in
1. Click on Separator in the Insert group on the Design group, your separators and
the Cross-Functional Chart tab phase names will be deleted. Clicking on
Show Separators again will not redisplay
2. Double-click on the phase label, type the
label and press them. You must click on Undo and select
Show Separators to redisplay the phase
details.
© Watsonia Publishing Page 160 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
ADDING SHAPES
You add shapes to a cross functional chart using chart, Visio will automatically group the shape with
the same methods that you use to create a basic the swimlane into which it is placed. If you want a
flowchart. There is one difference, however. shape to extend across swimlanes, you must resize
When you add a shape to a cross functional it after connecting all shapes in the chart.
1
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
Same
File
file or open V516 Cross
Function_4.vsd...
Drag the Process shape as
shown, then type Develop
product specification
2
Drag the shapes as shown,
typing the following text
labels, and then use
AutoConnect to connect
the shapes
Design & build product
Acceptable?
Develop marketing material
Sell & deliver
The first and last processes
need to extend across
multiple swimlanes. If you
resized them earlier, Visio
would have simply resized
the swimlane which is not
what we’re trying to 4
portray…
Click on the first Process
shape and resize it so that it
extends across the Sales
and Production swimlanes
You might want to rearrange
the connector…
Repeat step 3 to extend the
final Process shape to
extend over all four
swimlanes
For Your Reference… Handy to Know…
To add shapes: When you click on a shape, the swimlane
1. Drag the shape from the Shapes window containing the shape will appear with an
into the desired swimlane and phase orange outline. If the swimlane is not
highlighted (i.e. the shape is not contained in
2. Use the AutoConnect mini toolbar to add
the swimlane), move the shape a little and
connected shapes or add extra shapes from
the swimlane will recognise it. If you move
the Shapes window and then connect them
the swimlane later, the shape will also move.
© Watsonia Publishing Page 161 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
ADJUSTING SWIMLANES AND PHASES
You may find that the default width of the accommodate it. Similarly, specific phases of your
swimlanes and phases is not appropriate for your process may include more steps than others so you
drawing. For instance, the label for a department may need to move the phase separators to fit the
may need the swimlane to be slightly wider to shapes.
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
Same
File
file or open V516 Cross
Function_5.vsd...
Click on the Production
label to select the swimlane
Drag the bottom border until
you reach the M for
Marketing, then release the
mouse button to enlarge the
swimlane
The Marketing process
moved with the swimlane but
the two resized shapes 2
didn’t resize...
Extend the first and last
process shapes to the
bottom of Production and
Administration respectively
You can move a shape into
a different swimlane…
Click on the process shape
in Marketing and drag it up
into Production, releasing
the mouse button when
Production is selected
You can adjust the phases…
Click on the Research label
to select the phase, then
drag the right border to the
left to make the phase
narrower 5
Notice that the width of the
entire drawing will also
reduce
For Your Reference… Handy to Know…
To adjust the width of a swimlane or phase: To change the overall length of a cross
1. Click on the swimlane or phase label functional flowchart, click on the title bar and
drag the right or bottom central handle. You’ll
2. Drag the border to extend or reduce the
move the chart if you drag a corner handle.
width
You can only adjust the width of a phase if
there is room – e.g., you may need to move
shapes before you can move a separator.
© Watsonia Publishing Page 162 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
FORMATTING CROSS FUNCTIONAL CHARTS
You can format cross functional charts as you do similarly to colour code departments), format text
other drawings in Visio. You can fill shapes (e.g., and apply themes to the entire drawing. You can
if you work with several cross functional also apply different styles to a cross functional
flowcharts it may be useful to fill swimlanes chart which will further change its appearance.
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
Same
File
file or open V516 Cross
Function_6.vsd...
Right-click on Sales, select
Format > Fill, click on
Accent 5 (row 1, col 10) in
Fill Colour and click on
[OK]
1
Only the label will be filled…
Repeat step 1 to fill the other
swimlanes as Accent1,
Accent3 and Accent2
Let’s fill the rest of the
lanes…
Click on Style in the
Design group and click on
Style with Fill 1
You could fill the title and
phase bars using the same
method if desired, or you
could apply a theme which
will also apply colour and
effects to the shapes…
Click on the Design tab then
apply the Urban Colours,
Bevel Highlight Effects
theme 5 In this sample, we lengthened the Administration swimlane slightly to fit
the label and we removed the text background from the connector text.
Let’s format the text … To do this we clicked on the dialog box launcher for Font and
Format the: clicked on None under Text background on the Text Block tab.
Title bar 14pt, bold
Phase bar 10pt, bold
Lane labels bold
all text 10pt
For Your Reference… Handy to Know…
To apply a style: You can insert a new page containing an
1. Click on Style in the Design group on empty cross-functional chart based on the
the Cross-Functional Chart tab current cross functional chart. This includes
2. Click on the desired style any formatting that you’ve applied such as
text formatting, styles, themes and fills.
To fill a swimlane:
1. Right-click on a label and select Format > You can apply formatting to multiple lanes
Fill simultaneously by selecting them first.
© Watsonia Publishing Page 163 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
Microsoft Visio 2010 - Module 1
NOTES:
© Watsonia Publishing Page 164 Chapter 17 - Cross Functional Flowcharts
