Swimlane Diagrams
How do you create a Swimlane diagram in PowerPoint?
Adding swimlanes to a flowchart is a simple way to organize the information in your diagram further. To create a swimlane diagram in PowerPoint:- You need to make use of the right shape for the right purpose for your swimlane diagram.
- Click INSERT > Shapes, and point to a shape for a Screen Tip to see its essential purpose.
- Example:
- The rectangle is a Process, the shape used for the main steps in the process.
- The diamond is a Decision, the shape used to show a decision point in the process.
- The elongated oval is a Terminator shape used to start and end the process.
- After choosing the right shape for your flowchart, Click INSERT > Shapes and build the chart using shapes from the gallery.
- To insert a shape, click it, and drag the crosshairs to draw it.
- Make use of the Flowchart group for the shapes and the Lines group for the connectors between Shapes. The line shows the transformation of the flow of information.
- As a visual aid for sizing and positioning shapes, click VIEW and check Gridlines.
How do I make a Swimlane?
Swim lanes are very important in identifying the bottlenecks in a process and the departments responsible for it. The swim lane diagram helps in clarifying the responsibilities and also allows departments to work together. To make a swimlane- Identify the lanes and label them once you decide what divisions you require represented by swimlanes.
- Start creating your chart. Define the starting point of the process.
- Add a rounded rectangle to the top of the appropriate swimlane to indicate its starting point and then label it.
- After the above, add the required steps to your chart.
- Each step should be connected to the one before it with a line or arrow. The arrows between the steps indicate the transfer of information or flow.
- To draw steps in the same swimlane, draw from top to bottom. To add a step in another division goes from left to right. With each step, describe what it represents until you reach the end of the process.