1. Flowcharting Tips For Manual and Computer-based Systems Created by TerryAnn Glandon 2006, 2007

2. Document Flowcharts illustrate relationship among processes and documents that flow between them clearly shows separation of functions in the organization

3. Manual process Journal Or Ledger document Left comment box Right comment box Common Document Flowchart Symbols Terminator - Used to start and stop processes On page connector - Avoid long lines across flowchart Off page connector - Use when flowchart requires multiple pages. Files - Use for storage of paper documents Directional arrow

4. When to use Comment Boxes. Comment boxes hang off manual processes Keep symbol sizes standard –Don’t make manual process symbols bigger to fit in more text. Use left or right comment box, wherever it fits best on the flowchart

5. This is not good… Reconcile documents, initial documents, and post to journal Yadda, yadda, yadda document

6. Reconcile & initial documents Record in journal document Journal document Use a comment box instead

7. Flowcharting Conventions 1/4 Avoid drawing long lines –Use on-page connectors instead On-page connectors have numerals Off-page connectors have capital letters Do not cross lines

8. Flowcharting Conventions 2/4 Documents stored in a temporary file are retrieved upon some trigger, such as –Invoice arrives from Vendor –Credit is approved by Credit Dept. –Validated deposit slip is returned by Bank All documents must be filed, sent to another department not being flowcharted, or sent to an outside party (customer, vendor, bank, shipper, etc.)

9. Flowcharting Conventions 3/4 Arrowheads show direction: –When one gets information from a file or journal, the arrowhead points away –When one updates/records/posts data to a file or journal, the arrowhead points toward it. In Systems Flowcharts, there may be an arrowhead on both ends of the line.

10. Flowcharting Conventions 4/4 Avoid violating the "sandwich rule" –Think of a document symbol as a slice of bread and a manual process as baloney. –The sandwich rule says you must have bread (documents) above and below the baloney (manual process) Another way to say this is “Drag the documents along” or “Copy/paste them after the manual process or a Temp. file”

11. 1 SO1 Check customer credit Approve credit Approved SO1 2 Credit records Violates the sandwich rule! Two pieces of baloney.

12. Put 2 “actions” in one manual process. Only 1 piece of “baloney”

13. System Flowcharts used to represent relationship between key elements of computer systems –input sources, processes, and output shows type of media being used –paper, tapes, disks, and screens/monitors

14. Common System Flowchart Symbols Computer process document database Display (screen) keyboard/ printer Directional arrow Terminator - Used to start and stop processes On page connector - Avoid long lines across flowchart Off page connector - Use when flowchart requires multiple pages. Files - Use for storage of paper documents

15. Conventions for Connectors On page connector - Use numerals--one set of each number per flowchart. So you would have two 1s, two 2s, two 3s, and so on. Off page connector - Use alpha—one set of each letter per flowchart. You would have two As, two Bs, two Cs, etc. Only used when there is a multiple page flowchart.

16. Excerpt from Revenue Flowchart. Note that SO1 goes from Sales to Credit, using the (1). The (1) is not used again in the flowchart. Sales Dept.Credit Dept.