Visualize Complex Processes with Microsoft Visio: A guide to visually creating, communicating, and collaborating business processes efficiently

Description

Streamline your business by creating clear, concise process diagrams with Microsoft Visio, and share them securely for viewing, reviewing, and collaboration Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Key FeaturesLearn built-in diagram types or create custom ones to describe flow steps effectivelyUnlock the skills and techniques needed to efficiently and speedily capture and communicate complex flowsUnderstand how to store securely, integrate with other apps, and import and export flow stepsBook Description Every business has process flows, but not all of them are fully described to or verified for accuracy with each stakeholder. This not only presents a risk for business continuity but also removes the ability to make insightful improvements. To make these complex interactions easy to grasp, it's important to describe these processes visually using symbology that everybody understands. Different parts of these flows should be collaboratively developed and stored securely as commercial collateral. Visualize Complex Processes with Microsoft Visio helps you understand why it is crucial to use a common, systematic approach to document the steps needed to meet each business requirement. This book explores the various process flow templates available in each edition of Microsoft Visio, including BPMN. It also shows you how to use them effectively with the help of tips and techniques and examples to reduce the time required for creating them, as well as how you can improve their integration and presentation. By the end of this book, you'll have mastered the skills needed to create data-integrated business flowcharts with Microsoft Visio, learned how to effectively use these diagrams collaboratively, but securely, and understood how to integrate them with other M365 apps, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Power Automate. What you will learnChoose an appropriate flowchart diagram type to describe process stepsDevelop the skills to efficiently use Visio to draw process flowchartsDiscover how to create process flows diagrams to meet the BPMN standardFind out how to synchronize Excel tables with Visio process flowchartsStore flowcharts that can also be used for collaboration securelyUnderstand how to export flowcharts and data to other M365 appsDiscover how Visio ShapeSheet functions can increase productivityWho this book is for If you're a manager, analyst, or designer of business processes, then this book will help you create professional process diagrams effectively and consistently to improve the accuracy of communication and facilitate impactful insights. This book will also be useful for beginners or power users who are seeking tips and techniques to capture process flows from context and customize diagrams to meet academic as well as corporate standards. Table of ContentsProduct Information DocumentChoosing the Correct Business Process Diagram TypeChoosing the Best Visio Edition for Our NeedsLearning to Manually Create Process Flow DiagramsUsing Visio for Desktop with BPMNUtilizing Data Sources to Create and Enrich Business Process DiagramsLearn How to Diagram EfficientlyPreparing Diagrams for Presentation and CollaborationSecuring and Providing Access to DiagramsIntegrating Visio with Other Microsoft AppsCustomizing Master Shapes and TemplatesImproving the Provided Flowchart Shapes Cover Title Page Copyright & Credits Contributors Table of Contents Preface Chapter 1: Choosing the Correct Business Process Diagram Type Technical requirements Setting the scope with context diagrams Starting a context diagram in Microsoft Teams Opening a Visio document in Microsoft Teams Determining who and what with a functional flow diagram Starting a functional flow diagram in Visio for Web Capturing interactions with a cross-functional diagram Starting and ending with rounded terminator shapes Defining process steps with rectangular shapes Highlighting decisions with diamond shapes Labeling swimlanes for each actor Starting a cross-functional diagram in desktop Visio Plan 2 Starting a cross-functional diagram in Visio Plan 1 Saving a desktop Visio document to a Teams channel Defining the detail with a flowchart diagram Knowing when to use the flowchart shapes Using the Off-page (reference) shape Summary Chapter 2: Choosing the Best Visio Edition for Our Needs Technical requirements Understanding the different Microsoft Visio editions Using Visio documents anywhere Comparing templates and features of Visio editions Getting to know the Visio user interface Understanding the desktop Visio user interface Understanding the Visio online editor user interface Understanding the Visio Reading View user interface Adding stencils to the workspace Searching for shapes Summary Chapter 3: Learning to Manually Create Process Flow Diagrams Technical requirements Setting the page size and orientation Adding basic flowchart shapes Using Quick Shapes and AutoConnect Aligning shapes with Smart Guides and Dynamic Grid Relating shapes to each other Dragging the AutoConnect arrow Gluing connectors to a specific position Reversing the direction of flow Changing the routing style of connectors Changing the type of connectors Automatically changing the diagram layout Labeling shapes and relationships Resetting flowchart shape sizes Moving the connector label Working with swimlanes and separators Adding a swimlane to a cross-functional flowchart Moving and resizing swimlanes Adding a separator to a cross-functional flowchart Adding more detailed information to shapes Using ScreenTips to store a longer description Inserting shapes between existing ones Creating subprocesses Creating a new subprocesses page Linking to an existing subprocess page Creating a new subprocess page from selected shapes Validating the structure of flowchart diagrams Summary Chapter 4: Using Visio for Desktop with BPMN Technical requirements The basic idea of the BPMN approach The terminology of BPMN Getting started with BPMN in Visio Finding the BPMN template Working in the BPMN diagram environment Changes and formatting of all BPMN shapes Accessing the variations through metadata Getting started with placing the shapes and formatting the shapes Adding the start event Extending the diagram with a task Connecting the shapes Visio for the web and BPMN Validating the structure and syntax of BPMN diagrams A built-in scenario for the BPMN template – the Power Automate export Assigning the Power Automate elements to the shapes in the Visio diagram Exporting the flow to Microsoft Power Automate Summary Chapter 5: Utilizing Data Sources to Create and Enrich Business Process Diagrams Technical requirements Creating process diagrams automatically in Excel Editing in Visio online Editing in desktop Visio Using the example Cross-Functional Flowchart of the Data Visualizer process Creating process diagrams automatically from data in Visio for Desktop Understanding and editing the Data Visualizer Excel workbook Running the Data Visualizer wizard in Visio Updating the source table from Visio Creating Visio for Desktop and Excel process diagram templates for others Adding extra information to process steps Summary Chapter 6: Learn How to Diagram Efficiently Technical requirements Editing the built-in ribbon to provide more options Creating a new ribbon tab, group, and buttons Learning useful shortcut keys in Visio Shortcut keys common in Visio and most M365 and Office applications Visio-specific common shortcut keys Using short keys in desktop Visio Banding shapes together Selecting multiple shapes Using the built-in containers Controlling the layout Aligning shapes Distributing shapes evenly Adding callouts for annotations Getting Callout shapes in Visio for the web Getting the Callout shapes in desktop Visio Adding borders and titles Editing headers and footers Summary Chapter 7: Preparing Diagrams for Presentation and Collaboration Technical requirements Using themes to enhance the appearance of pages Using variants in desktop Visio Applying different styles to shapes Adding data graphics to highlight information Text / Callout Data Bar Icon Set Using Color by Value Inserting a legend Using layers to control visibility and color Considering accessibility Use high contrast to ensure text is legible Alt text titles and descriptions Diagram navigation Options for multi-language versions Summary Chapter 8: Securing and Providing Access to Diagrams Technical requirements Primary questions for sharing Options for storing Visio files for broader distribution Storage in OneDrive and OneDrive for Business Storage in SharePoint Online Adding Visio documents to Teams channels for reviewers (including shared channels) Publishing a Visio file in Microsoft Teams on a tab Using conversations and comments with Visio documents Removing comments from a Visio document Co-authoring in Teams and SharePoint Sharing a Visio file Protecting a Visio document from viewing Protecting a Visio document or parts from edits Summary Chapter 9: Integrating Visio with Other Microsoft Apps Technical requirements Exporting processes to Microsoft Word for documentation Enhancing the Word document Exporting diagrams to Microsoft PowerPoint for presentation Optional Visio add-in to provide extra features Exporting data to Microsoft Excel for integration Creating a report definition Running a report definition Optional Excel add-in to convert the report into a modern table Embedding processes in Microsoft Power BI for interaction Preparing a Visio diagram for Power BI Preparing data for Power BI Embedding into Power BI Summary Chapter 10: Customizing Master Shapes and Templates Technical requirements Understanding the importance of master shapes Viewing the Document Stencil Understanding the Drawing Explorer window Shape instances inherit values from a master shape Introducing the ShapeSheet Reviewing existing selected process master shapes Types of Shape Data Adding description shape data to existing master shapes Adding Duration to shape data Assigning line weight, style, or color by Owner Matching the shape color with the swimlane color Summary Chapter 11: Improving the Provided Flowchart Shapes Technical requirements Adding the phase of swimlane to process shapes Adding User.visHeadingText to the Separator shapes Adding Phase to the flowchart shapes Viewing the Phase text in the Process shape Inheriting the labels of built-in containers Automatically highlighting unglued connectors Adding configuration options to callouts Maintaining callout associations on hidden layers Making diagrams accessible Automatically setting high-contrast shape text Setting the tab order Providing meaningful alternate text Sharing custom templates Summary Index Other Books You May Enjoy