How to make swimlane diagrams with your usual office tools
Learn how to build effective swimlane flowcharts using your favorite office software.
Using swimlane diagrams to improve process flows
Professionals who want to document any business process model or add an extra layer of clarity to process mapping can do so by creating a swimlane diagram. Placing activities within horizontal or vertical swim lanes associated with relevant parties involved in the process, this type of flowchart increases accountability and provides support for process improvement.
For those who are not familiar with using dedicated swimlane diagram software to build process charts or activity diagrams, we have put together a series of resources and tutorials to help you achieve this goal. Get started faster and learn how to make process flow diagrams using the following productivity tools:
Explore a step-by-step tutorial on how to build PowerPoint swimlane diagrams both manually and automatically.
Learn all about creating Excel swimlane diagrams, and also how to automate the process.
Build a basic swimlane diagram in Word using the tool’s drawing canvas, along with alternatives ways.
See how you can use Visio to generate a flowchart, but also to discover an easier, free alternative.
Get all the steps for using Google Sheets to create swimlane diagrams online or automate the process.
Frequently asked questions about making timelines
Here are the most frequently asked questions about making swimlane diagrams and their answers in short.
A swimlane diagram diagram (also known as cross-functional or Rummler-Brache diagram) uses swimlanes and other standard symbols to pinpoint who is accountable for what parts of a process. Allocating specific tasks to major participants and illustrating how these different agents interact to complete the process, swimlane diagrams provide an easy-to-read map of responsibilities in that given framework.
Used to represent various process steps, the standard shapes and symbols that can be found in the structure of a typical swimlane diagram are:
- Rectangles with rounded corners for start/end points;
- Diamond for decisions;
- Regular rectangles for activities/tasks;
- Parallelograms for data input/output items;
- Rectangle with wavy line at the bottom side for documents;
- Arrows – to show how process steps are interconnected.
To create the outline of a swimlane diagram, you need to do the following:
- Identify the overall goal you want to achieve and the process that will lead to it.
- Break down the work into separate actionable steps.
- Define the major components of your process (these can be process stages or step owners).
- Delineate individual horizontal or vertical swimlanes for each of your process components.
- Use shapes to graphically represent process activities/tasks and group them by owner into their corresponding swimlane.
Finding the best swimlane diagram tool for you directly depends on how complex your process is and how much level of detail and visual appeal you want your graphic to have. If you aim for simple swimlane flowcharts that can be produced with minimum effort, using a pre-formatted swimlane diagram template is the easiest, most effective way to go about it. If you need to generate a more professional output, then opting for a purpose-built swimlane diagram maker is recommended. Such type of software usually offers specialized integrated features and templates that help you automate the process and obtain a highly customized visual as a result.
One such diagramming tool is Office Timeline, a lightweight yet powerful PowerPoint add-in that helps you build stunning swimlane diagrams directly in the presentation platform.
Start diagramming now
Use our free PowerPoint add-in to create amazing project visuals with swimlanes in just a few clicks.
