Flow Chart Symbols
Flow chart
Flowcharts are used in designing and documenting simple processes or programs. Like other types of diagrams, they help visualize what is going on and thereby help understand a process, and perhaps also find flaws, bottlenecks, and other less-obvious features within it. There are many different types of flowcharts, and each type has its own repertoire of boxes and notational conventions.
A flowchart is described as "cross-functional" when the page is divided into different swimlanes describing the control of different organizational units. A symbol appearing in a particular "lane" is within the control of that organizational unit. This technique allows the author to locate the responsibility for performing an action or making a decision correctly, showing the responsibility of each organizational unit for different parts of a single process.
Common alternative names include:
- flowchart,
- process flowchart,
- functional flowchart,
- process map,
- process chart,
- functional process chart,
- business process model,
- process model,
- process flow diagram,
- work flow diagram,
- business flow diagram.
Flowcharting software
ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is a professional flowchart software. Over 20 flow chart symbols and stencils in libraries allow you to make great-looking flowcharts. Use RapiDraw technology clicking on direction arrows to add a new object to the flowchart. This way you make awesome flowchart at the moment.
Pic. 1. Flowcharting Software Including Flow Chart Symbols

Pic. 2. Flow Chart Symbols
ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is Flowcharts creating software also known as professional flowchart maker. The built-in examples allow users to start drawing any type of flowchart simply. The vector flow chart symbols from object libraries are designed objects you can use adding to flowcharts for the best result.
Common Flow chart Symbols:
Symbol | Shape Name | Symbol Description |
Common Symbols | ||
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Terminator | Shows start of a flowchart or its end. |
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Process | Show a Process or action step. Indicates any processing function. |
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Flow Line (Arrow, Connector) | Flow line connectors show the direction that the process flows |
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Decision | Indicates a decision point between two or more paths in a flowchart. |
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Document | This shape shows a Document in a flowchart. |
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Connector | Indicates an inspection point. |
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Data | Can represents any type of data in a flowchart. |
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Delay | Indicates a delay in the process. |
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Preparation | Indicates a modification to a process, such as setting a switch or initializing a routine. |
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Subroutine | Indicates a predefined (named) process, such as a subroutine or a module. |
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Off-page connector | Use this shape to create a cross-reference and hyperlink from a process on one page to a process on another page. |
ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector graphics software provides stencils library with flow chart symbols, samples and templates for drawing flow charts.
Pic. 3. Flow Chart Examples
EIGHT RELATED HOW TO's:
Virtual private networks (VPN). Computer and Network Examples →
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a network that allows the private networks at a remote location securely connect to the public Internet and provide access only to the intended recipients for transmitting data. VPN is built by creating the virtual point-to-point connection using the dedicated connections, traffic encryption or virtual tunneling protocols. This example was created in ConceptDraw DIAGRAM using the Computer and Networks Area of ConceptDraw Solution Park and shows the Virtual Private Network (VPN) diagram.
Data Flow Diagram (DFD) →
In software engineering, it is important to understand how the system would cooperate with external sources, like data sources. To give this information a visual representation, data flow diagrams (DFD) were used for years. The entire system is usually divided into smaller ones, and all of them process data flows in appropriate ways. The visualizing business processes which engages the data transfer, is commonly preformed using DFDs (data flow diagrams). DFD is used to show the data flow processing and transformation. This DFD represents the electronic system of a customer purchase. It was created using Gane/Sarson notation. Data flow diagrams helps you to sort through and clarify transferring process making it available for analysis, and representation. ConceptDraw DFD solution introduces the vector library, containing the full set of icons from DFD notations.
Basic Flowchart Examples →
ConceptDraw DIAGRAM is a business flowchart software includes the wide flowchart examples package.
Line Graph Charting Software →
To design line and scatter charts use ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Line Graphs solution from Graphs and Charts area of ConceptDraw DIAGRAM Solution Park. (Line chart, scatter chart, 2d chart).
Pie Chart →
ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software offers the Pie Charts solution from the Graphs and Charts area of ConceptDraw Solution Park for quick and easy drawing the Pie Chart of any complexity.
Workflow Application →
ConceptDraw DIAGRAM application is perfect for creating workflow diagrams. This application contains specific features and technologies designed to draw diagrams faster, such as RapidDraw and Arrows10. ConceptDraw DIAGRAM software extended with the Workflow Diagrams solution gives you a flexible tool to draw any kind of workflow.
Simple Flow Chart →
ConceptDraw DIAGRAM diagramming and vector drawing software extended with Flowcharts Solution from the 'Diagrams' area of ConceptDraw Solution Park is a powerful tool for drawing Flow Charts of any complexity you need. Irrespective of whether you want to draw a Simple Flow Chart or large complex Flow Diagram, you estimate to do it without efforts thanks to the extensive drawing tools of Flowcharts solution, there are professional flowchart symbols and basic flowchart symbols. This sample shows the Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) that is the optimization algorithm.
Flowchart →
If you ever tried programming, you could face a lot of problems as a beginner. To help yourself, create a flowchart to follow an algorithm logic. Flowchart represents a program as a sequence of steps depicted in special symbols for each type of action. This image of the interactive diagram made in ConceptDraw DIAGRAM applying the Live Objects technology. The diagram shows the effect of Selection Sort algorithm. The left part of the chart is the input area. The diagram in the central part of the drawing is a flow chart showing of the selection sort algorithm. The flowchart includes basic flowchart symbols, that represent various stages of algorithm. The flowchart symbols are connected with arrows ended lines, that depict the direction of the process flow. On the right side — the result is displayed.