How to Make an Org Chart in Visio (Stakeholder Map for Business Analysts)
Before you gather requirements, you need to know who decides, who does the work and who reports to whom. Learn how to draw a simple org chart in Visio and use it as a stakeholder map for your project.
Step by step
Intro
- Org chart = stakeholder map. An org chart shows who decides and who does the work. Before you gather requirements, a quick one in Visio gives you a simple stakeholder map.
Intro
- Basic Org Chart stencil. The shapes come from the Basic Org Chart stencil in the Shapes pane.
The sponsor
- The sponsor. Start at the top with the project sponsor. Drag an Executive shape onto the page. Type the name, Dana Lee, then the role, Project sponsor.
The managers
- The managers. Under the sponsor, add 3 Manager shapes. The first is Sam Ortiz, Product owner, who decides what gets built. The second is Priya Nair, IT manager, who owns the systems. The third is Chris Wong, Operations manager, who runs the process day to day.
Reporting lines
- Who reports to whom. Now add the reporting lines. Connect Dana Lee to Sam Ortiz. Then connect Dana Lee to Priya Nair. Visio draws the usual org chart line, down from the sponsor and then across to the manager. Last, connect Dana Lee to Chris Wong, the third manager.
The team
- The people who do the work. Next, add the people who do the work. Use a Staff shape for Alex Kim, Team lead in operations, who knows how the work really happens. Connect Chris Wong to Alex Kim, so the team lead reports to the operations manager. Add a second Staff shape for Jo Brown, Developer in the IT team. Connect Priya Nair to Jo Brown.
- Done. Click an empty part of the page to see the whole chart: 1 sponsor, 3 managers and 2 team members.
Use it for stakeholders
- Use it for stakeholders. Now read it as a stakeholder map. The top shows who signs off. The bottom shows who to interview about how the work is really done. Talk to people at both levels.
Common mistakes
- Drawing reporting lines with plain lines. A plain line isn't glued to the shapes, so it stays behind when you move a box. Connect the shapes instead, so the line moves with them.
- Stopping at the managers. Managers sign off, but they often don't know the day-to-day steps. Add people like the team lead and the developer, because they are the ones you interview about the current process.
- Using the wrong shape for someone's level. If you use a Manager shape for a team member, people misread who has authority. Keep Executive for the sponsor, Manager for managers and Staff for the people who do the work.
- Treating the org chart as the full stakeholder list. It only shows reporting lines inside one area. Stakeholders outside that line, like customers, compliance or suppliers, still need a place in your stakeholder list.
When a business analyst uses this
At the start of a project, draw the sponsor, managers and team members before the first workshop. The top of the chart tells you who has to approve sign-off. The bottom tells you who to book for current-state interviews, like the team lead who runs the process every day.
Questions people ask
Can I make an org chart in Visio from Excel?
Yes. The Visio desktop app has an Organization Chart Wizard that can build the chart from an Excel list with each person's name and who they report to. For a small chart like this one, drawing it by hand is often quicker.
How can I make an org chart without Visio?
In PowerPoint or Word, use SmartArt and pick an organization chart layout from the Hierarchy group. draw.io is a free option that also works well for org charts.
