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How Do I Choose the Best Open Source Flowchart Software?

Alex Newth
Alex Newth

Open source flowchart software helps businesses create flowcharts that allow them to plan for events or operations and for deviations from the main plan. Choosing the right flowchart program will help the business spend less time on creating the flowchart and more time following the plan. The ability to dynamically create “Yes/No” paths, while a basic feature, is exceedingly important if the business wants to be able to plan for several actions. An editing feature on the open source flowchart software will allow users to edit the entire flowchart without having to remake it. Flowcharts are made with different shapes with different meanings, and a shape selection tool will be of assistance, as will the automatic addition of flow lines.

On a professional flowchart, an important but basic tool is the ability to add “Yes/No” paths to the chart. These often come from diamond shapes on the flowchart and allow the user to create different actions based on whether a previous action is true or false, or happened or not. This allows the company to be ready for anything and to plan for any complications.

Woman doing a handstand with a computer
Woman doing a handstand with a computer

After a flowchart is created, it is usually meant to remain static and untouched. Open source flowchart software with editing tools will help if any last-minute changes need to be made, especially in the middle of the flowchart. This type of editing tool enables the user to change the entire path of the flowchart, and the chart will change itself around as needed. Editing tools prevent the user from having to recreate the chart from the beginning in the event of such changes.

Every flowchart made with open source flowchart software will come with different shapes, because shapes such as diamonds, circles and squares are standard on these charts. To prevent confusion or additional work while making the chart, there should be a simple palette for choosing shapes. With this palette, the user can click a shape and add it without having to search through a toolbar to find the right shape tool.

Flow lines manifest from the shapes on the flowchart so those reading the chart know what action comes next in the plan. Making these lines manually can take up a lot of time, especially if the user has to place both solid and dotted lines for definite actions or “Yes/No” actions, respectively. If the open source flowchart software automatically creates these lines, then the user can just type in new actions, rather than spend time creating the lines.

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      Woman doing a handstand with a computer