How to Make a Flowchart in draw.io: A Refund Process
Make a clear flowchart for free in draw.io. Learn the four shapes every flowchart needs: one start, steps, a decision with labelled yes and no paths, and an end that every path reaches, using a shop's refund process.
Step by step
Why a flowchart
- Flowchart in draw.io. A customer asks for a refund. What happens next? A flowchart answers that in one picture, and everyone reads it the same way. Here's the refund process we'll build in draw.io.
- Blank diagram. Go to app dot diagrams.net and start a blank diagram. The shapes are on the left.
Start and steps
- One start. Every flowchart has one start. Drag an ellipse onto the page. Double click it and type the trigger, the thing that kicks the process off. Refund requested.
- Steps. A rectangle is a step. Name it with a verb and a noun. Check receipt. Hover over the start and blue arrows appear. Drag the right one onto check receipt to join them.
The decision
- Decision. A diamond is a decision. Ask one short yes or no question. Within thirty days? Connect check receipt to the diamond the same way.
- Label the paths. If yes, we pay the money back. Add a step on the right. Refund money. Connect the diamond to it, then type yes on the line. Every path out of a decision needs a label, or nobody knows which way to go. If it's too late, we offer store credit instead. Put that step under the diamond. Connect the diamond down to it and label this line no.
End every path
- End every path. Now the end. Drop another ellipse under refund money and call it request closed. Connect refund money down to the end. The no path needs an ending too. Connect offer store credit across to the same end. People often forget this line and leave a path going nowhere.
- The finished flowchart. Click on an empty spot to see the finished flowchart. One start, clear steps, a decision with labelled paths, and both paths reach the end.
Recap
- The rules. So, start with one ellipse, name steps with a verb and a noun, ask one question in each diamond, label every path out of it, and make every path reach an end. Subscribe for more draw.io tips for business analysts.
