Basic Flow Chart Symbols Meaning for Engineering Presentations
Of course, these basic symbols will help engineers to present well their method statements, procedures etc
A flowchart is a picture of the separate steps of a process in sequential order. It is a generic tool that we can adapt for a wide variety of purposes. So, we can describe various processes, such as a manufacturing process, an administrative or service process, or a project plan.
Elements including in a flowchart are a sequence of actions, materials or services entering or leaving the process (inputs and outputs), decisions that must be made, involving people, time involved at each step, also and/or process measurements.
The two most common types of boxes in a flowchart are:
- A processing step, usually called activity, and denoted as a rectangular box.
- A decision, usually denoted as a diamond.
Basic Flow Chart Symbols for Engineering Presentations
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) set standards for flowcharts and their symbols in the 1960s. Later, The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) adopted the ANSI symbols in 1970. The current standard, ISO 5807, was revised in 1985.Generally, flowcharts flow from top to bottom and left to right.
Indicates the beginning and ending of a program or sub-process. So, they usually contain the word “Start” or “End” .Represented as a stadium, oval or rounded (fillet) rectangle. Otherwise, another phrase signaling the start or end of a process, such as “submit inquiry” or “receive product”.
Shows a conditional operation that determines which one of the two paths the program will take. Hence, the operation is commonly a yes/no question or true/false test. Represented as a diamond (rhombus).
Shows the process’s order of operation. A line coming from one symbol and pointing at another. Arrowheads are added if the flow is not the standard top-to-bottom, left-to right.
Indicates the process of inputting and outputting data, as in entering data or displaying results. Also, Represented as a rhomboid.
Represents a set of operations that changes value, form, or location of data. Represented as a rectangle.
