Wasim Akram
A flowchart is a diagrammatic representation of a workflow or process. Basically, flowcharts are used to analyze and design a solution model. You can create a flowchart in Microsoft Excel, Word, and Powerpoint. In this article, I am going to share with you how you can create a flowchart in excel quickly.
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Download this practice workbook to exercise while you are reading this article.
2 Methods to Create a Flowchart in Excel
The following article represents 2 simple methods to create a flowchart in excel.
1. Insert Shapes to Create a Flowchart in Excel
The flowchart can be of different types. When a flowchart is divided into horizontal and vertical parts it can be called a cross-functional chart. In this method, I am describing how you can create a flowchart by inserting shapes.
Step 1:
- Open your excel workbook.
- Go to the “Insert” ribbon and choose “Shapes” from the “Illustrations” section.
- From the “Shapes” drop-down list you will find various shapes.
- Here I have chosen a shape of my choice from the ‘flow chart” shape section.
- After selecting the shape, draw the shape on your worksheet.
- Press Ctrl+D several times to get some more similar shapes.
- Now we will add some more shapes following the same process.
- This time we selected the “Decision” shape from the list.
- This way we have created all our shapes needed to make the flowchart in excel.
Step 2:
- Re-arrange the shapes.
- It’s time to put a line between the shapes.
- Go to Insert > Illustrations > Shapes.
- Choose a line from the “Lines” section.
- Set proper lines from one box to another.
- Hold the mouse button over a shape and move it in any direction if you want to.
- Double click inside the shape to type words of your choice.
- You can change the format of the data from the Home Tab.
- Thus you can create a flow chart of your choice when you want to create with your own custom design.
You can check the following example for a better understanding of a flow chart.
Suppose we have some conditions in a dataset.
Conditions:
X < 40: Test 1
“C”: return C if test 1 satisfies.
X < 60 : Test 2
“B”: return B if test satisfies.
X < 80 : Test 3
“A”: return A if test satisfies
Now we are going to explain the conditions with the help of a flow chart in excel.
Read More: How to Make an Interactive Flowchart in Excel (With Easy Steps)
2. Use SmartArt Graphic to Create a Flowchart in Excel
Sometimes it might feel boring to make a flowchart by creating shapes simultaneously. Excel has some built-in flowchart designs of flowcharts to help you out with these problems. With the help of SmartArt graphic, you can make a flowchart within minutes. Follow the steps below-
Step 1:
- Create a workbook and open it.
- Select the “SmartArt” from the “Illustrations”.
- A new window will appear named “Choose a SmartArt Graphic”.
- From there select “Process” and choose a flowchart of your choice.
- Press OK to continue.
- Check out the following screenshot.
- Our flowchart is almost ready.
Step 2:
- You can change the color if you want to from the “SmartArt Design”.
- Here I have changed the color of each cell.
- If you want you can change the format too from the “Change Layout” option based on the “SmartArt Design”.
- Now put your data of your choice to make the flowchart complete.
- This is the simplest way to create a flowchart in excel.
Read More: How to Make a Yes No Flowchart in Excel (2 Useful Methods)
Things to Remember
- While editing data inside a flowchart cell. You can not change all of the cells You have to edit one by one to change the data.
Conclusion
In this article, I have tried to cover all the simple methods to create a flowchart in excel. Take a tour of the practice workbook and download the file to practice by yourself. Hope you find it useful. Please inform us in the comment section about your experience. We, the Exceldemy team, are always responsive to your queries. Stay tuned and keep learning.
