Whiteboard Diagram

How to draw a flowchart

A flowchart shows a process as steps joined by arrows, with decisions where the path splits. Draw one for how something gets done: an approval, a support process, an algorithm.

A flowchart: Order placed, then the decision “In stock?”. Yes leads to “Pack the order”; no leads to “Order more stock”, which joins “Pack the order”. Then “Ship it” and “Delivered”. A flowchart: Order placed, then the decision “In stock?”. Yes leads to “Pack the order”; no leads to “Order more stock”, which joins “Pack the order”. Then “Ship it” and “Delivered”.
An order process: one decision, two paths that meet again.

Step by step

  1. Pick Flowchart from the Diagram menu, click Start / end, then click the board. Press Enter and type the first step.

    The board with a selected Start / end shape reading “Order placed”, next to the flowchart shape panel. The board with a selected Start / end shape reading “Order placed”, next to the flowchart shape panel.

  2. Press Tab while typing: the next step appears below, already connected, ready for its text. Keep pressing Tab for each step, and Escape when you’re done.

    Three connected steps: Order placed, Check stock, and Ship it, the last one selected. Three connected steps: Order placed, Check stock, and Ship it, the last one selected.

  3. Add a Decision for a question. To connect two shapes, press A and drag from one to the other; with the new arrow selected, press Enter to label it.

    A Decision shape, “Gift wrap?”, joined to Check stock by an arrow labelled “if asked”. A Decision shape, “Gift wrap?”, joined to Check stock by an arrow labelled “if asked”.

Tips

Mermaid

Paste this onto the board, or use Board menu → Import Mermaid…; Export Mermaid… writes a board back as text. 

flowchart TD
  A([Order placed]) --> B{In stock?}
  B -->|yes| C[Pack the order]
  B -->|no| D[Order more stock]
  D --> C
  C --> E([Delivered])

Directions TD, LR, BT, RL. Shapes: [box], (rounded), ([start]), [[sub-process]], [(database)], ((circle)), {decision}, {{hexagon}}, [/input/]. Links: -->, ---, -.->, ==>, <-->, labelled as -->|text| or -- text -->. subgraph … end becomes a zone. More on Mermaid import and export.