OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Swimlane Flowchart Maker
Cross-Functional Process Map With Hand-Offs, Decisions and Loops From Text
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How the Swimlane Flowchart Maker works
This swimlane flowchart maker draws a process split by who does each step. Type a lane name such as "Customer:" on its own line, then the steps that lane owns as "step -> step" lines. The page lays every step in its lane, lines the stages up across lanes, routes the arrows between them and downloads the chart as SVG or PNG. Nothing is uploaded.
Swimlane flowchart maker: who does what, and when
An ordinary flowchart shows the order of steps. A swimlane flowchart also shows who owns each one, by drawing the process across horizontal or vertical bands, one per person, team or system. Every arrow that crosses a lane line is a hand-off, and hand-offs are where work waits, gets lost or is done twice. Seeing them laid out is often the fastest way to find why a process is slow.
Where swimlanes come from
Geary Rummler and Alan Brache made the format popular in their 1990 book Improving Performance, and it is sometimes called a Rummler-Brache or cross-functional diagram. The idea was later built into BPMN, the Business Process Model and Notation standard, as pools and lanes. Teams use swimlanes for order-to-cash, hiring, support escalation, approvals and any process that passes between departments.
Writing the lanes and steps
- A line that is just a name and a colon, "Sales:", starts a lane.
- Steps are written like the flowchart maker: "Check order -> {Credit OK?}", with "(round)" for start and end, "{curly}" for decisions and "[square]" or nothing for process boxes.
- End a line with ": label" to label the arrow, such as "Credit OK? -> [Pick and pack]: yes".
- A step belongs to the lane in which its name first appears. After that, refer to it by name from any lane.
How the layout works
Steps are placed in stages: each step goes one stage after the latest step that leads into it, across all lanes, so time reads in one direction. Two steps in the same lane and stage are stacked. Arrows that go back to an earlier stage are drawn dashed around the outside of the lanes. Rows suit wide screens and slides, Columns suit portrait pages and phones. Spacing adds room between stages. For message-by-message interaction between systems, a sequence diagram is the better fit.
FAQ
Why is a step in the wrong lane?
A step is placed in the lane where its name first appears in the text. Move the line that first mentions it under the correct lane heading, or mention it on its own line under that lane before it is used elsewhere.
What does the Hand-offs number mean?
It counts arrows whose start and end steps are in different lanes. Every hand-off is a point where work changes owner, so a high count compared with the number of steps often signals delay or rework worth looking at.
Can I draw lanes vertically?
Yes. Set Lanes as to Columns and the lanes run top to bottom with the process flowing down the page. This suits portrait documents and phone screens, while Rows suits wide slides and monitors.
How many lanes can I use?
There is no fixed limit, but four to six lanes stay readable. With many lanes the bands get narrow and names are shortened, so consider merging minor roles or splitting the process into smaller charts.
See also: all Diagram Makers tools, Images, Audio, Video & Screen, PDF, SVG, Simulations & Screensavers, Generative Art, Chart Makers, 3D Model Viewers, Drawing Pads, Mockups & 3D Making, 3D Science, Tracker Music.
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