Flow charts allow you to do this conveniently.
Expert Advice: To start creating flowcharts for your business processes, you'll need a flowchart maker. Luckily you can find one by clicking that link.
That said, below are some of the more salient reasons to use flowcharts in your organization.1. To integrate new employees into the organization
When employees are welcomed into an organization, it is a common practice to put them through the basics of the operation of the organization.
Some organizations prefer to do this by taking the new recruits on tour around the company, while some others prefer to do it by detailing their operations verbally.
Whatever the manner your organization prefers, a good weapon to have in hand is a flowchart. Whether you’re taking them around and explaining how you work, or you’re simply describing things to them, a simple flowchart to illustrate the points you’re trying to make can make a world of difference.
By and large, flowcharts help new recruits easily understand how each step in an organization moves an entire process forward to completion.2. To get a clearer view of all business processes
It will be easier to tell what or who is working or not working in an organization if there is a graphical illustration of all workflows.
Since a flowchart will show, with the aid of arrows, how tasks are supposed to move from point A to point B, the leader of a department or team can easily tell when someone or something in that department is not working.
Mapping out every department’s processes in a flowchart can allow you to get a clearer, top-level view of the overall on-goings in that department.3. To identify and remove redundancies
Strange as it may sound, many organizations today still waste precious time and resources on redundant tasks – tasks that don’t really add value or bring relevance to the overall operations.
The unfortunate part?
Many organizations don’t even know this.
The good news, however, is a flowchart can help you identify and remove these redundancies from your organization.
It doesn't matter whether or not you know what or where they are; once you map out your overall business operations in flowcharts, you will see with ease all the processes that go into reaching your end goals. And from this, you can tell which ones are adding real values (the necessary processes/tasks/operations) and which ones aren't (the redundant tasks).4. To train new employees
Employee training is something every organization has to go through at various points in time.
Now, that could mean trying to teach and train old employees the latest advancements in the industry, giving training to new recruits, developing on-the-job interns, and stuff like that.
By and large, every organization has to commit to employee training whether they like it or not.
Now, what better way is there to teach and train someone than via a visual illustration of the points you're trying to make?
Training materials are often created using flowcharts because they're visually stimulating and easy to understand. A nicely laid out flowchart will gain and hold the reader's attention when a block of text will often fail.5. To increase accountability and productivity of employees
It doesn't matter how perfect your workplace environment can be; there's bound to be someone or a group of staff who likes to shirk duties.
The best way to fish these people out or discourage people from shirking their duties is to map everything out in a workflow chart.
Once everyone can see who’s working on what, time tasks are supposed to be completed, and what’s the next in line on the day’s agenda, it becomes impossible for anyone to play lazy because they know that if they do, their gap will reflect on the chart.
Side note: To make this even more effective, you can stick each department's flowchart on a wall/board somewhere within the area, where everyone can see them.6. To improve communication within the organization
Flowcharts improve communication to a great extent.
With flowcharts around, team leaders have lesser reasons to bark instructions, employees and team members have lesser reasons to ask questions.
By and large, everyone becomes aware of what needs to be done without anyone needing to say much.
For example, when a change is made in a process, an updated flowchart allows everyone affected to easily see the change and how it fits into the overall production system.
No need to send a message to everyone concerned or worrying whether some people might miss the update.