Outlining your company’s roles to every individual can be pretty challenging. And even then, you might have to compromise on efficiency. That’s where an organizational chart comes in. It is the graphical depiction of the hierarchy, structure, responsibilities, and relationships of the employees within a company. It is a more efficient and straightforward way to illustrate an organization’s workflow while keeping things visually engaging.
Every organizational chart has essential elements, including a primary topic, sub-topics, and arrows. Commonly known as an org chart, this diagram is relatively easy to draw. Generally, we use feature-rich drawing applications, like EdrawMind, to create this illustration.
First, you need to understand the basics of an org chart to draw it. This guide will cover everything from the diagram’s key elements to drawing methods. Without any further ado, let’s get started!’
4 Key Elements Of Organizational Chart
An organizational chart has some key elements regardless of the company’s scale and structure. Let’s look at them one by one:
Hierarchical Structure
There are various types of organizational charts. However, all of them depict hierarchy in one way or another. This structure makes it easier for employees to understand their senior authorities. As a result, you can distinctively identify everyone from the company’s CEO to its lowest-level worker.
Division of Labor
A company can have a wide range of departments and groups. Understanding the hierarchy and division of each sector can be challenging. An org chart allows a neat illustration of how all the different departments and employees work collaboratively within a single entity.
That is why this diagram works effectively in group projects. It highlights the role of every individual in the team, along with their performance.
Roles & Responsibilities
How to understand what role does an employee fulfill in a company? An org chart can be the best solution. It shows the essential information, like the name of each individual. You will also see their responsibilities within an entity. Moreover, this diagram also draws relationships between employees, representing the workflow.
Management & Seniority
Describing the management level in a large company can get confusing. However, an organizational chart simplifies the process with its hierarchical structure. It helps each employee identify their immediate seniors for reporting.
How to Create Organizational Chart?
Creating an organizational chart comprises a few steps. Firstly, you have to identify the scope of your chart. Note these diagrams are designed for different purposes. Some organizations may create them to assemble a project team. On the other hand, many companies simply draw this illustration to simplify workflow representation.
Thus, you have to ask yourself the purpose of your organizational chart. Then, follow the steps below to create your first org structure:
- Collect Information
The first step is to gather information from your company. An org chart requires updated employee information, along with their current roles, responsibilities, and relationships. The easiest way is to contact your HR group and collect information of each individual.
If you want a more attractive org chart, consider getting photos of each employee. It will make the diagram more engaging for viewers.
- Visualize!
Now comes the most important part – visualization. Note that you may use different tools to draw the best diagram. Generally, we recommend choosing an easy-to-use application like EdrawMind.
Either way, you can create a diagram, keeping an idea in mind. Start with the main topic and expand on it, depending on your company’s specifications. Make sure to keep the org chart organized, detailed, and attractive.
- Leave Room For Future
Any organizational chart is incomplete due to the changing company dynamics. Some employees might leave, and new ones will take their place. Furthermore, promotions will take place, changing the responsibilities and relationships of individuals. That is why you should always leave room for updates in the org chart. A good application will allow modifications to your already-designed diagram.
How to Create Organizational Chart in EdrawMind? [4 Steps]
Choosing the right application can simplify the org chart creation process. Even newbies can easily draw org charts only if they use the right software. One such name is EdrawMind. This drawing application comes free with paid packages that you can upgrade.
However, it has all the essential features to draw organizational charts. Download and install this app on your device to start creating this diagram. Next, sign in with your social credentials or create a new Wondershare account.
Then, follow the steps below:
- Click Org Chart to select it from the main screen.
- Now, right-click the Main Idea to add more Main Topics to the chart. Afterward, double-click each element to change its text.
- Then, select each element to change its color and shape from the right toolbar. Similar to the previous step, right-click any Main Topic to add subtopics.
Here is what your final org chart should look like:
- Next, go to File from the left corner and save your file. You can click on Save As or Export to choose the desired directory. EdrawMind also offers saving files on Personal Cloud or DropBox for maximum convenience.
Pro-tip: EdrawMind allows you to save your organizational chart in different formats. You can export it in Excel, PPT, HTML, SVG, TXT, PDF, or Word format. Moreover, you can change export settings, like range, zoom, background, and quality. So, make the most of this feature to create effective organizational charts.
Conclusion
An organizational chart can have many benefits for an organization. It depicts an entire company’s workflow via its employees and their relations. This diagram also gives the HR department much-needed insights. It can illustrate the performance of an individual in a project. Moreover, it shows the open positions that HR administrators can start fulfilling with new recruitments.
Overall, learning how to draw an organizational chart is a rewarding skill. And a good application like EdrawMind further simplifies the process and keeps it refreshing, thanks to its variety of vibrant features. So, start sharpening your drawing skills today with EdrawMind’s vast library of tools!
