


Flowcharts are still used for programming today, although pseudocode, a combination of words and coding language meant for human reading, is often used to depict deeper levels of detail and get closer to a final product. In 1947, ASME adopted a symbol system for Flow Process Charts, derived from the Gilbreths’ original work.Īlso in the late ‘40s, Herman Goldstine and John Van Neumann used flowcharts to develop computer programs, and diagramming soon became increasingly popular for computer programs and algorithms of all kinds. Graham, a director at Standard Register Industrial, adapted flow process charts to information processing. Spinanger introduced the work simplification methods to Procter and Gamble. In the 1940s, two Morgensen students, Art Spinanger and Ben S.

Morgensen used Gilbreth’s tools to present conferences on making work more efficient to business people at his company. In the early 1930s, industrial engineer Allan H. In 1921, industrial engineers Frank and Lillian Gilbreth introduced the “Flow Process Chart” to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). They are related to other popular diagrams, such as Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and Unified Modeling Language (UML) Activity Diagrams.įlowcharts to document business processes came into use in the 1920s and ‘30s. Flowcharts are sometimes called by more specialized names such as Process Flowchart, Process Map, Functional Flowchart, Business Process Mapping, Business Process Modeling and Notation (BPMN), or Process Flow Diagram (PFD). If we consider all the various forms of flowcharts, they are one of the most common diagrams on the planet, used by both technical and non-technical people in numerous fields. They can range from simple, hand-drawn charts to comprehensive computer-drawn diagrams depicting multiple steps and routes. Flowcharts, sometimes spelled as flow charts, use rectangles, ovals, diamonds and potentially numerous other shapes to define the type of step, along with connecting arrows to define flow and sequence. They are widely used in multiple fields to document, study, plan, improve and communicate often complex processes in clear, easy-to-understand diagrams. A flowchart is a diagram that depicts a process, system or computer algorithm.
