Flowchart Template
Visualize processes, decision trees, and workflows step by step. Use rectangles, diamonds, and connectors to map out any process from start to finish.
Use this templateWhat you get
- Pre-built decision and process shapes
- Smart connectors with auto-routing
- Clean hand-drawn style for presentations
Try it live — edit this flowchart template now
Click a shape to change the text, drag steps into a new order, or add another branch. Your edits stay in your browser, so you can keep iterating without committing anything yet.
What this template is for
This flowchart template gives you a ready-made structure for mapping any process from start to finish. Use it to show how steps connect, where decisions branch, and which paths lead to different outcomes. Whether you are documenting a business process, planning a software flow, or explaining a procedure to a team, a flowchart turns a wall of text into a diagram anyone can follow in seconds. The hand-drawn style makes it easy to share drafts without them looking unfinished.
When to use this template
- Map a software deployment pipeline with branching conditions for test failures and rollbacks.
- Document a customer support escalation process so every agent follows the same path.
- Design an employee onboarding checklist with decision branches for different roles or locations.
- Plan a budget approval workflow showing who signs off at each spending threshold.
- Create a troubleshooting guide for a recurring technical issue so the team can self-serve.
- Outline a content publishing process from draft to live, including review and sign-off steps.
How to use it
- 1Place the start shape and label it with the event that triggers the process, such as 'User submits form'.
- 2Add a rectangle for each action step and connect them in sequence with arrows.
- 3Insert a diamond wherever the flow branches on a yes or no condition, and label each exit.
- 4Connect all paths to a clear end point, or label each exit outcome so nothing is left open.
- 5Trim each label to five words or fewer — if a step needs more, break it into two shapes.
Quick example
Hiring process flowchart
Related resources
Flowchart Maker
Open the full flowchart maker if you want a more open-ended canvas instead of starting from this template structure.
Flowchart Examples
See more real-world flowchart layouts for onboarding, approvals, support escalation, and software release flows.
How to Make a Flowchart
Read the step-by-step tutorial if you want help choosing symbols, adding branches, and simplifying a messy process.
How it compares to similar tools
Flowchart vs. swimlane diagram
A swimlane diagram is a flowchart split into horizontal or vertical lanes, one per role or department. Use a plain flowchart when one team owns the process; switch to swimlanes the moment the work crosses team boundaries and the question shifts from 'what happens next' to 'who does it'. Cross-team handoff problems almost always become visible the second you redraw a flowchart as swimlanes.
Flowchart vs. BPMN diagram
BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) is a formal standard for business analysts and automation tools, with dozens of specialized symbols for events, gateways, and message flows. A flowchart uses 4-5 shapes and is meant for humans to read in seconds. Use BPMN when the diagram needs to drive an execution engine; use a flowchart for everyday process documentation that engineers and non-engineers can both follow.
Flowchart vs. sequence diagram
A flowchart shows the order of steps inside one process. A sequence diagram shows messages exchanged between multiple actors or systems over time. Mapping how a single user submits a form: flowchart. Mapping how the frontend, backend, and payment provider talk to each other during checkout: sequence diagram. They answer different questions, not better or worse versions of each other.
Flowchart vs. mind map
A flowchart has a direction — start → end — and represents an ordered process. A mind map radiates outward from a central topic with no time order. If readers should follow steps in sequence, use a flowchart. If you are brainstorming a topic and the relationships are associative rather than sequential, use a mind map.
Common mistakes to avoid
Decision diamonds without labeled exits
A diamond with two outgoing arrows but no 'Yes'/'No' (or equivalent) on each arrow is unreadable. Readers cannot tell which path is the happy path. Always label every exit of every decision shape — this single discipline fixes 80% of confusing flowcharts.
Arrows that go nowhere
Branches that just trail off the page imply 'and then something happens' but force the reader to guess. Connect every branch to either a named end shape, a back-reference into the main flow, or an explicit error state. Open arrows are not minimalism — they are missing information.
Mixing levels of detail
One shape says 'Validate user input' (high level) and the next says 'Check that email contains @ symbol' (low level). Pick one altitude per chart. If you need both, make two flowcharts — a top-level one and a sub-flow — and link them. Mixing altitudes is the single biggest reason people abandon a flowchart halfway through reading it.
Step labels that try to be sentences
'Check if the user has already verified their email address before continuing to the next step' inside one rectangle is unreadable. Cut to five words or fewer per shape: 'Email verified?' or 'Check verification status'. If the step really needs more explanation, put it in a note beside the shape, not inside it.
No start or no end
Every flowchart should have exactly one start and at least one explicit end. Without a start shape, readers do not know where to begin reading. Without end shapes, they do not know when the process is done — they keep scanning for a next step that does not exist.
Frequently asked questions
What is a flowchart?+
A flowchart is a diagram that represents a process as a sequence of shapes connected by arrows. Rectangles show actions, diamonds show decisions, and rounded shapes or ovals mark the start and end. The point is to make the order, branches, and outcomes of a process visible at a glance.
What are the standard flowchart symbols?+
The core set is small: oval or rounded rectangle for start and end (terminator), rectangle for an action or step, diamond for a yes/no or branching decision, parallelogram for an input or output, and an arrow for the direction of flow. Most everyday flowcharts only need the first three.
How do I make a flowchart online for free?+
Open the CodePic flowchart template, then drag rectangles for steps and diamonds for decisions onto the canvas. Connect them with arrows and label each shape in five words or fewer. Export to PNG, SVG, or share a live link with your team. No sign-up needed.
When should I use a flowchart instead of a checklist?+
Use a checklist when the steps run in a fixed straight line. Switch to a flowchart the moment there is a decision, a branch, or a step that loops back. Checklists cannot show 'if this, then that' logic — flowcharts can.
How is a flowchart different from a process map?+
'Process map' is a broader term that covers any visualization of a process, including flowcharts, swimlane diagrams, value stream maps, and SIPOC diagrams. A flowchart is the most common and lightest form of process map. Most teams use 'flowchart' and 'process map' interchangeably in everyday speech.
How many shapes is too many for one flowchart?+
If a flowchart no longer fits on one screen or one printed page, it is probably trying to do too much. Once you cross 20-25 shapes, split the chart into a high-level overview that links to sub-flows. Long unreadable flowcharts are a sign that the underlying process is also too complex and should be redesigned, not just redrawn.
Start editing online
Open the flowchart template in CodePic, replace the sample steps with your own process, and keep the same decision structure if it already matches how your team works.
See examples: /templates/flowchart/examples
