Ok, so you’ve decided to get a flowchart maker for the team. That’s a thoughtful decision. The question now is, which one are you downloading?
As you probably know, there are lots of flowchart makers out there. Picking one that’s suited to your business is a chore in itself.
Based on which flowchart maker runs the most captivating ad on Instagram, many people choose. Don’t be like them. There’s more to flowchart makers than meets the eye.
You might buy a flowchart creator today, only to realize later it can’t create certain types of flowcharts. I’m sure you don’t want to be in that position.
That’s why we’ve created this guide to assist you in making a choice.
How can one select the best flowchart maker for their business?
1. Find out about the time taken
Every flowchart maker is built differently. While some allow you to develop a flowchart using simple drag and drop features, others have already-built templates you can use.
Let’s take the popular Zen flowchart software as an example. It has a 1 click node creation system that allows you to make any flowchart in a matter of seconds. Once you download the app, there’s an in-waiting node, which you only have to click to create any flowchart of your choice. Once you do that, the software automatically does the rest of the flowcharting for you.
Of course, others operate differently. But if time is of the essence to you, choosing ultra-fast options like Zen flowchart is a no-brainer.
2. Availability of essential elements/shapes
The comprehensibility of a flowchart is linked to the types of elements used in its design. If a flowchart contains uncommon shapes or items, expect your readers to struggle with it.
As you know, it is highly essential to create flowcharts that are easy to read and digest every time. But to do that, you need access to the best design tools. The larger the item library of software, the easier it is to find tools/shapes that all readers will understand.
If the software has a small or limited library of tools, don’t download it. Go for software with a large inventory of flowcharting tools.
3. Ease of creation
The whole point of buying a flowchart maker software is so that you don’t have to struggle to create flowcharts. If you have software that requires extra mastery before you can create flowcharts, then the purpose of purchase is already defeated.’
When shopping for flowchart makers, look out for those tools that have friendly flowcharting environments. These are the kinds of tools that won’t give you a headache when creating a flowchart.
You can tell whether or not a software’s environment is friendly by looking at its interface. If you find too many unnecessary/complicated features on the interface, know that such software might require some getting used to.
You should be going for software with a clean, minimal, and intuitive interface.
4. Ease of collaboration
Almost every task management tool out there today has collaborative features. When you’re selecting a flowchart maker, ensure it is one that allows other team members to hop on a flowchart file anywhere they are.
A Hypothetical illustration of the significance of collaboration in flowcharting
Imagine you want to use a flowchart to communicate with the rest of your real estate team a new finding on the best-paying cities for real estate agents. Your flowchart maker should be a type that allows you to share editable/clickable charts so that other team members can compare pays from different cities.
1. Degree of automation
One of the characteristics of modern flowcharting is automation. A good flowchart app should be built with this in mind.
Earlier, we spoke about how the Zen flowchart takes your input and automatically does the rest of the job. This is what’s expected of modern flowchart software.
By clicking “?,” your flowchart maker should know to apply a decision symbol. When you hit the number button, it should know you need connectors. If you double-tap a node, it should know what you intend to do. In short, a good flowchart maker is one where the entire flowcharting space is automated.
When this is the case, it makes your world a lot easier.
2. Ease of customization
At various times, you or other team members may need to customize a flowchart file. A good flowchart maker should allow you to do this without any glitches. Whether you need to delete a row, apply a new column, or swap design elements, you should be able to do this without having to change the entire flowchart format.
