Org Chart Template

Show reporting lines, team structure, and ownership boundaries at a glance. Great for onboarding, reorg planning, and stakeholder alignment.

Use this template

What you get

Executive, lead, and team layers ready to edit
Clean hierarchy connectors between roles
Helpful for planning responsibilities and communication paths

What this template is for

This org chart template gives you a clear starting point for mapping who reports to whom across any team or organization. Use it to show the full reporting structure at a glance, onboard new hires who need to understand the hierarchy, or plan a restructure before it goes live. Whether you are documenting a five-person startup or a multi-department company, an organizational chart makes the lines of authority and collaboration visible in a way a spreadsheet never can.

When to use this template

Map the reporting structure of a newly formed team so everyone knows who owns which decisions.
Create an onboarding reference chart so new hires can put names to roles before their first week ends.
Plan a reorganization visually before announcing changes so leadership can spot gaps and overlaps.
Show investors or board members the current leadership structure during a funding round.
Document a cross-functional project team with dotted-line relationships to the main hierarchy.
Compare the before and after of a department restructure side by side.

How to use it

1Place the CEO or top-level role at the top of the canvas and label it with name and title.
2Add direct reports below, connecting each with a line from the manager's box.
3Repeat for each level, grouping siblings horizontally so the hierarchy is easy to scan.
4Use a different color per department to make divisional boundaries visible at a glance.
5Add a name, title, and optional contact detail inside each box so the chart doubles as a directory.

Quick example

Startup org chart

CEO

|- CTO

| |- Engineering Lead

| |- QA Lead

|- CMO

| |- Growth

| |- Content

|- Head of Sales

How it compares to similar tools

Hierarchical vs. matrix org chart

A hierarchical org chart shows one boss per person — the classic tree. A matrix chart shows people reporting to multiple managers (functional + project, for example). Use hierarchical for traditional command structures; use matrix when your company has project-based or cross-functional reporting. Matrix charts are denser but reflect modern reality at companies that ship across product lines.

Org chart vs. RACI chart

An org chart shows who reports to whom. A RACI chart shows who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each task. They answer different questions. Together they cover both 'who is your manager' and 'who actually decides on this thing'.

Flat vs. tree-structured org chart

A flat org chart shows everyone at the same level under one or two leads — common in early-stage startups or holacratic teams. A tree chart shows formal hierarchy with named levels. Tree structures scale to hundreds of people; flat structures break at around 15-25 because span of control is too wide.

Common mistakes to avoid

Hiding reporting lines
Putting names side by side with no clear lines makes the chart pretty but useless. The whole point of an org chart is reporting structure — every box must connect to exactly one manager (or two, if matrix). Dotted lines for secondary reports are fine, solid for primary.
Out-of-date charts
Org charts age fast. A chart that does not reflect last month's reorg is worse than no chart, because new hires use it and learn the wrong structure. Either commit to updating it monthly or remove it from the wiki — stale org charts are a recurring source of confusion.
Titles without context
Showing 'Director' on a box without saying Director of what is unhelpful. Always include the function or team: 'Director, Customer Success' or 'Engineering Manager, Platform'. Five Directors with no context look identical and the chart conveys nothing.
Skipping vacant roles
Omitting open positions hides organizational gaps. Mark vacant roles explicitly ('Open: Senior PM'). This makes hiring priorities visible and prevents the chart from misrepresenting capacity.

Frequently asked questions

What is an org chart?+

An organizational chart is a diagram that shows the structure of a company, team, or department — who reports to whom, what each role does, and how teams are grouped. It is the standard way to communicate company structure to new hires, investors, and external partners.

What information should an org chart include?+

At minimum: each person's name, title, and the line to their manager. Often useful to add: team or function name, location (for distributed companies), and direct vs. dotted-line reports. Avoid adding email addresses or phone numbers — those belong in a directory, not on an org chart that gets screenshotted and shared.

How do I show matrix reporting in an org chart?+

Use solid lines for the primary (usually functional) manager and dotted lines for secondary (usually project or business unit) managers. Some tools support diagonal connectors. Keep it readable — if you have more than two reporting lines per person the chart becomes a hairball and you probably need a different visualization.

How often should an org chart be updated?+

At least once per quarter, plus whenever there is a reorg, a hire above a certain level, or a team move. Many companies sync the org chart to their HRIS so it updates automatically — that is the most reliable way to keep it accurate.

Can I make an org chart online for free?+

Yes. Open the CodePic org chart template, add a box per person with name and title, draw reporting lines. Export to PNG, SVG, or share a live link. No sign-up required.