Following Shane and Tiffany’s presentation, the team was more or less convinced as to the root of the problem. Mr. George then requested Lockhart and Susan to take the lead in teaching the others about Flowcharts.
Flowcharts use symbols, arrows and shapes to illustrate in an easily intelligible manner, the steps taken in the production of a service or a product. Each symbol has a distinct meaning describing a process action (a process transforms inputs into outputs), or a decision to be made. Because flowcharts illustrate the steps within a process, they are used to identify areas where a workflow may be blocked; where inefficiency and wastage takes place and, if additional steps are needed to be included to the process to make it more efficient.
Click here for a brief description of the general uses of a flowchart.
Secondly, click here for a detailed outline of how to construct a flow chart, the different types of charts and their uses.
Finally, click here for an outline of some of the steps to be followed to get started on constructing a flowchart of a process.
There are numerous shapes and symbols that can be used in a flowchart, because the flowchart seeks to communicate information in a simple straight-forward manner. Below are the most popular symbols used to constructing process flowcharts.
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Task or process
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Decision Point
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Storage area or Queue
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Flows of materials or customers
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Start of End of a process (Terminator)
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Now that you’ve learnt what is a flowchart and some of the symbols used in constructing a flowchart, take a look at a video that recaps what you’ve just learnt and gives an example of how a flowchart can be applied in a real scenario.
Learning Activity
You can attempt the questions Available here.
Carefully read the following process used to make Tropical Paradise candy.
The ingredients sugar (52%), glucose (48%) and water are combined in a high temperature mixing machine. The mixture then goes into the cooker where the water is evaporated. After this process, the mixture goes through a 20 ft long cooling band. It then goes to a batch roller and after a moulding machine where the dyes are added to give the candy the desired colour. At the next stage it passes along a cooling belt, where the moulded candy is inspected. If the candy passes inspection it is sent to be wrapped and packaged. If the candy fails inspection it is recycled, which involves the candy being melted and re-used in the first stage of the candy making process.
Draw two (2) flowcharts, the first capturing the process indicating where the process may be flawed. The second, showing what changes you would make to correct the flaws you discovered. Clearly state your reason(s) for the change(s).
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