Visio is Windows software for creating process maps, Lean 6 Sigma diagrams, and other documentation and mapping tools.
Visio is not available for the Mac IOS, but Mac users can see Visio documents through Microsoft 365 online.
Example of a process map created in Visio.
![Example of a process map created in Visio](https://uthsc.teamdynamix.com/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=5396142f-9ee4-40eb-91c7-81183afeefc2.png&beidInt=412)
How to Order
Complete the service request.
Creating a Process Map with Visio
- Open the Visio app.
- Select Basic Diagram.
![Visio screen where you choose what type of document you want to create](https://uthsc.teamdynamix.com/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=2afa86a8-99e6-4bb1-9057-c57546532f00.png&beidInt=412)
- Click Create.
![Choose create](https://uthsc.teamdynamix.com/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=c0797b68-f632-4bbe-bd4f-c062e07eb73c.png&beidInt=412)
- Formatting
- Select Design.
- Click the Down arrow to move to the next row of designs.
- We use Modern – Bubble as it is easy to read.
![What the modern bubble looks like](https://uthsc.teamdynamix.com/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=bdb33d1b-5ddf-45f4-a069-d5c3d62f4542.png&beidInt=412)
- Border & Title
- Select Design.
- We use the Alphabet border and title.
![Choosing a good border and title for your process map](https://uthsc.teamdynamix.com/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=3beba97f-3f42-48ae-a4fb-119cbacb5d65.png&beidInt=412)
- You will see VBackground-1 as a separate tab.
![Location of the VBackground-1](https://uthsc.teamdynamix.com/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=5796162d-faea-47a5-9cb5-970eeec705a6.png&beidInt=412)
- Enter your title (if you will have more than one page, delete the title and put it on each separate page).
- Switch tabs to Page-1.
- Pick your shapes
- Basic Shapes
- More Shapes → Business → Business Process → Six Sigma Flowchart Shapes
![Six Sigma shapes to use](https://uthsc.teamdynamix.com/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=d84295dd-adf9-4c8e-a125-87bb02dac8f9.png&beidInt=412)
- Start at the very beginning
- Start shape
- Process Steps
- Drag in your shape
![Visio layout with box](https://uthsc.teamdynamix.com/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=e9879a31-4542-41f1-831b-4757247925cc.png&beidInt=412)
- Connectors
- On Home Tab, you will see
- Pointer Tool
- Connector
- Text
![Visio toolbar](https://uthsc.teamdynamix.com/TDPortal/Images/Viewer?fileName=0b0f3ec1-8deb-4ee8-9d9b-4d3af112938c.png&beidInt=412)
- Pointer Tab is what you want to use when you are adding/moving shapes – Ctrl+1
- Connector is how you add arrows – Ctrl+3
- Text allows you to add text inside boxes or anywhere on the page – Ctrl+2
- Spacing – magic green guidelines show spacing between shapes. Important to be consistent.
- Text—Click on the shape to add text. The default font is Franklin Gothic, but we use Arial per the UTHSC Branding guidelines.
- Click outside shape to add text
- Insert Text Box
- Be sure to save your work!!
- File > Save As
Remember: The more detail, the better!
Let’s try an exercise:
How to bake a cake - think of all the steps needed to bake a cake and create a process map of those steps in Visio.