Flowcharts & Diagrams: Thinking in Systems
Map your thinking. See the logic.
Map your thinking. See the logic.
Flowcharts use a universal set of shapes. Each shape has a specific meaning, so anyone can read the diagram without a legend. Click each symbol to learn what it represents.
Click a shape to learn what it means.
Flowcharts were invented in the 1920s by industrial engineers Frank and Lillian Gilbreth to document manufacturing processes. IBM popularized them for programming in the 1960s.
Walk through a real flowchart by clicking the decisions. This chart determines what to wear based on the weather. Each diamond is a Yes/No decision that changes the path.
Press Start to walk through the flowchart step by step.
Every flowchart is an algorithm: a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem. Here is the same logic shown as a flowchart and as code. They are saying the same thing.
Flowcharts are just one type of diagram. The skill of visual thinking applies everywhere.
UML diagrams, database schemas, API flow diagrams. Engineers plan systems visually before writing code.
Customer journeys, approval workflows, decision matrices. Every business runs on processes that can be charted.
Diagnostic flowcharts help doctors identify diseases. Lab protocols are step-by-step flowcharts. The scientific method itself is a flowchart.
First aid procedures, evacuation plans, and disaster response protocols are all flowcharts. When seconds matter, decision trees save lives.
The London Underground map, designed by Harry Beck in 1931, is a diagram, not a map. It sacrifices geographic accuracy for clarity of connections. It inspired transit maps worldwide.
You've learned to break complex problems into visual steps. Every app, factory, and organization runs on the same logic: inputs, processes, decisions, and outputs connected by flow.
Rectangles are processes, diamonds are decisions, ovals are start/end, parallelograms are input/output. Each shape tells you what is happening.
Arrows show the direction of flow. Top to bottom, left to right. The path through the chart IS the algorithm.
A diamond with Yes/No arrows creates a branch. This is the same as an if/else in code. Every decision doubles the possible paths.
Any complex process can be broken into smaller flowcharts. This is how engineers manage complexity: divide until each piece is simple.
Put your new knowledge into practice!