Flow charts
Introductory description
A flowchart is a representation of steps in a process. They are often used to show manufacturing processes, business systems or software processes. The chart is made up from different shaped boxes or sybols for different types of step and they are joined by lines which may have arrowheads to show a direction of flow. The lines are usually drawn as vertical or horizontal, with right-angled bends if needed. The boxes and arrows may be labelled. Charts are usually arranged so that the process flows from top top bottom, or from left to right on a page. Different subject authors may use different symbols, some commonly used symbols are
• • • • • • •
a plain rectangle used for a simple step an oval or bar with rounded ends used for the start or end of a process, called a terminator a diamond shape used for a step requiring a decision or interaction at a point in a process which can continue in more than one way or branch a rectangle with a curved bottom edge representing a document a box with horizontal top and bottom edges but sloping parallel sides used to represent data a bar with only one round end representing a delay or pause a small circle representing a connection to another section of a chart
A simple flow chart for making coffee might have a terminator symbol at the top labelled "start" with a line joining it to a step beneath it labelled "fill kettle". The next step down would be "switch on kettle", followed by a step "add powder to cup". This would be followed by a delay symbol labelled "wait for kettle to boil". The next step would be "make coffee", followed by a terminator symbol. For optional coffee with milk, a decision step would be added after "make coffee", the diamond would be labelled "with milk?" with the option "yes" marked on a line joining it to a step to the side labelled "add milk" and an option labelled "no" on a line which continues down to the terminator symbol. The step "add milk" would have a line leading down then across to meet the line leading down to the terminator.
Flow chart template
This flow chart shows the {process/flow/...} {Optional list of symbols or explain symbols used}
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{Describe overall process and start and end points} {Describe simplest path first, if necessary define subsections and relation to each other, then details of sub-sections.}
Flow chart example 1
From B200, Understanding business: processes, figure 9.4, page 128
Caption
Figure 9.4 Supplier selection Source: Baily, 1983
Description
The flowchart summarizes the decision making process for ordering a product. It uses a document symbol which is a rectangle with a curved lower edge, decision or question symbols which are oval, and step or action symbols which are rectangular. The flow is indicated by straight lines with direction arrowheads. It begins with a document labelled "Requisition" and ends with a step "Place order". There are 4 decisions; each has a YES or NO answer. The most straightforward decision path is described first, followed by alternative steps and an evaluation loop. The first decision is labelled "Is this a regular purchase?” The YES answer leads to the next decision labelled "Is there an annual contract for it?” The NO answer to the annual contract question leads to the question labelled "Was last supplier satisfactory?". The YES answer to the supplier question leads to the question "Is it time to check the market yet?". The NO answer to this question leads to the last step "Place order". A loop indicated by a dotted line leads from the "Place order" step to a step labelled "Evaluate supplier", this leads back to the question "Was last supplier satisfactory?” Returning to the second question "Is there an annual contract for it?” the YES answer to this leads directly to "Place order". The alternative answers to the other questions, NO to "Is this a regular purchase?", NO to "Was last supplier satisfactory?" and YES to "Is it time to check the market yet?" all lead to the start of a sequence of 3 steps.
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These are "Make short list of possible sources" leading to "Obtain quotations and other information" followed by select supplier and agree price and terms". This leads to the final step again "Place order".
Flow chart example 2
From an article by Diana Laurillard to be included in an MA in Open and Distance Learning module H812.
Context
This figure provides an example of an instance where the context needs to be carefully considered. It is a key part of the original paper, but is not the main focus of the course activity which refers to it. It contains detailed information about a sequence of events, with the events grouped spatially in a way which adds meaning. If this was in a context which required students to
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use every piece of information, or required them to construct a similar diagram, it would need a description which explained the layout and provided all the events and their relationships to each other and the concepts in the spatial groupings. In the H812 material, the course author discusses the Conversational Framework which is represented in the figure, but does not consider that a complete description of the figure is necessary to understand the points she is making. Students are not expected to produce similar diagrams. Students do need to refer to the events in the figure and to know what the groupings are. There was some concern that a complete description of all the elements and their spatial positions would be very long and still might be confusing. The description below is still quite long, but is not as complex as a complete description would be.
Caption
Figure 1: The conversational framework
Description
This image shows a schematic of the 12 types of conversational interaction that Laurillard describes in her framework. These are: 1. The teacher's theory and ideas 2. The student's conceptions 3. The student's adaptation of the task or description in the light of the student's description 4. Goals that the teacher sets the student 5. The student's adaptation of actions in the light of theory, goals and feedback 6. The student's actions 7. The teacher's feedback 8. The student's modified actions 9. The teachers reflection on the student's actions, leading to any modification of their descriptions 10. The teacher's re-description 11. The student's reflection on conception in the light of experience, and 12. The student's re-description to the teacher. The numbers refer to the sequence in which Laurillard suggests that these conversations might be expected to happen. Not every one of these will occur in every teaching/learning conversation and the order may be different. Four of those listed (the teacher's theory and ideas, and their re-description, and the student's conceptions and re-description) are grouped together and labelled the
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'Discursive process'. This set of conversations is located within her image to show that they impact on conceptions held by teachers or students. A further four (the teacher setting goals and providing feedback and the student's actions and modified actions) are shown as 'Interactive process' conversations. These impact on what she calls the 'teacher's constructed environment' and the student's actions. You can think of these as the outputs. Ranged to the left and right of this list of eight, are the remaining four types of conversation. These are the teacher’s adaptation and reflection and the student's adaptation and reflection. On the left side of the image (the teacher's axis) Adaptation is shown as a conversation where the teacher's conception acts on the teacher's constructed environment. Reflection is shown as a conversation where the teacher's constructed environment acts on their conception. On the right of image (the student's axis) Adaptation is shown as a conversation where the student's conception acts on the student's actions. Reflection is shown as a conversation where the student's actions act on their conception.
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