Flowcharts are a fantastic visual representation tool used to understand, document, and improve workflow efficiency. However, their effectiveness relies on careful analysis and construction. Unfortunately, many common errors can undermine the usefulness of flowcharts, leading to costly errors, misinterpretations, and inefficiencies. Throughout this article, we dive into six common errors encountered in flow chart analysis, highlighting the potential detrimental impact and offering actionable strategies to overcome them.

Lack of Consistency

Consistency is essential for flowcharting because it means anyone can understand and interpret the information. Following established guidelines and standards promotes uniformity and clarity, preventing confusion and misinformation. 

To boost efficiency and reduce analytic errors in flow charts, create a standardised approach covering the following:

• Symbol usage. Define which symbols are going to be used in different steps, ensuring consistency across the board.

• Connector line styles. What style of lines will be used? Where will they be placed? What length will you favour?

• Annotation practices. Standardise font, placement, and size to boost readability and understanding. 

• Review and approval processes. Implement review processes for flowcharts to guarantee that all finalised charts meet the same high standards. 

A great way to make sure everyone follows the same formatting is to use a tool to create flowcharts easily. When all charts are created on the same platforms, each element can be standardised efficiently. 

Incompleteness

Flow charts with incomplete data represent a significant barrier to effective analytics. Failure to capture the entirety of a process will lead to inefficiencies, misrepresentations, and other errors. Here are some common reasons for incomplete flowcharts:

• Failing to document exception handling. Flowcharts should include potential deviations from the standard flow. Failure to include these can lead to confusion in the event of unusual scenarios. 

• Ignoring recurring or undocumented steps. Some processes have steps that rarely occur, making them easy to miss. However, these steps still make up the entire picture of a process. 

• Omitting supporting processes. Flowcharts typically focus on key processes, but they should cover supporting processes as well. Leaving these out can lead to misinterpretation. 

To reduce incompleteness, businesses and organisations should focus on comprehensiveness during the flowcharting process. Some of the most effective ways to do this involve thorough process mapping, documenting exceptions, and having rigid review and validation processes in place. 

Ambiguity

The creator of a flowchart will find it easy to understand their work, but the idea is for anyone who reads the flowchart to have a clear understanding of the entire process. Ambiguity is one of the most common issues faced during flowchart analytics. Anything from inconsistent symbols to unclear instructions can lead to confusion and potentially expensive errors. 

Dealing with ambiguity issues can be achieved by training team members to create charts with precision and clarity. For example, businesses can ensure the same technology is used for creating every flowchart, which will help reduce ambiguous terms and conflicting formats. 

Inappropriate Symbol Usage

Flowcharts rely on symbols to help guide readers smoothly from start to finish. However, when inappropriate symbols are used, readers are left feeling confused. Every symbol on a flowchart has a specific meaning, which is why it’s important to get it right. Common issues with inappropriate symbols include omitting necessary symbols, creating visual clutter, and using inconsistent symbols. 

Addressing these issues isn’t difficult. Businesses simply need to create standardised processes for flowchart creation and validation. Additionally, all members of staff should be trained to the highest standards. 

Incorrect Decision Points

Decision points are essential for determining the branching paths and outcomes of various processes. However, poorly defined or inaccurate decision points can lead to invalid process flows, confusion, and errors. Common problems relating to decision points include omissions of essential decision points, inaccuracies with decision criteria, and a lack of clarity with instructions. 

Businesses can reduce errors stemming from incorrect decision points by ensuring all decision criteria are clear and concise. As well as this, decision criteria should cover every potential eventuality; there should be zero questions asked during flowchart creation. 

Redundant Elements

Flowcharts should be simple to understand, but they can become complicated if they’re filled with redundant elements. Not only does it create visual clutter, it obscures important information and makes analytics a challenge. Common errors include obsolete information, duplicated processes, and unnecessary junctions.  

Solving these issues can be achieved with rigorous review and simplification, which should be addressed during the validation stages. As well as this, regular updates to flowcharts can help remove outdated information. 

By understanding and avoiding common flowcharting issues, businesses can ensure that anyone attempting to analyse their data can do so without misinterpretation and confusion.