Process flowchart examples

The fastest way to build your first process flowchart is to adapt one that already works. Here are five examples from the processes teams chart most, each with its step list, decisions, and lanes spelled out so you can type it straight into the editor and adjust from there.

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Example 1: Order fulfillment

The classic e-commerce flow, three lanes (Sales system, Warehouse, Carrier), one decision:

Start: Order placed (Sales system)
Confirm payment (Sales system)
Decision: Items in stock? Yes → Pick and pack; No → Create backorder and notify customer
Pick and pack order (Warehouse)
Hand over to carrier (Warehouse)
Deliver and confirm (Carrier)
End: Order completed

Example 2: Employee onboarding

A cross-functional flow where the handoffs (HR → IT → Manager) are the usual failure points, exactly what the lanes expose:

Start: Offer accepted (HR)
Send contract and collect signed documents (HR)
Create accounts and prepare equipment (IT)
Decision: Equipment ready by start date? No → Escalate to IT lead; Yes → continue
Day-one orientation (HR)
Assign 30-day onboarding plan and buddy (Manager)
End: Onboarding complete after 30-day check-in

Example 3: Support ticket escalation

A decision-heavy flow: two diamonds, three end states. Decision-heavy processes benefit most from charting because prose versions of them are unreadable:

Start: Ticket submitted (Customer)
Triage and categorize (Support L1)
Decision: Known issue with documented fix? Yes → Send resolution → End: Resolved at L1
No → Investigate and reproduce (Support L2)
Decision: Bug confirmed? Yes → File engineering ticket and notify customer → End: Escalated to engineering
No → Work with customer to resolve configuration → End: Resolved at L2

Example 4: Invoice approval

The approval pattern: a threshold decision routes the flow to different approvers. Swap the amounts and roles and this fits most companies:

Start: Invoice received (Accounts payable)
Match invoice to purchase order (Accounts payable)
Decision: Amounts match PO? No → Return to vendor with discrepancy note → End: Rejected
Decision: Amount over $5,000? Yes → Department head approval; No → AP approves directly
Schedule payment (Accounts payable)
End: Invoice paid

Example 5: Content publishing

A loop example: the revise-and-review cycle is the part most flowcharts draw wrong. The "No" branch flows backward to an earlier step, which is legal and correct:

Start: Draft submitted (Writer)
Editorial review (Editor)
Decision: Approved as-is? No → Revise draft (Writer) → back to Editorial review; Yes → continue
Final proofread and SEO check (Editor)
Schedule and publish (Editor)
End: Published

How to adapt an example to your process

Take the closest example and change it in this order: rename the steps to your vocabulary, fix the lanes to your actual roles, then walk the decisions; your thresholds and exception paths will differ, and the diamonds are where your process is genuinely yours.

In the editor each example is 6–8 typed rows. Type them, watch the chart assemble, then edit toward reality. Charting from a working example takes a quarter of the time of starting from a blank page.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good example of a process flowchart?

Order fulfillment is the canonical one: order placed → payment confirmed → in stock? → pick and pack → ship → delivered. It has a clear trigger, one decision, a handoff between systems and warehouse, and a defined end.

What processes are most commonly flowcharted?

Order fulfillment, employee onboarding, support ticket handling, invoice/expense approval, and content publishing: recurring flows that cross several roles. Those five patterns adapt to most businesses.

Can a flowchart have a loop?

Yes. Revision cycles are drawn as a decision whose "No" branch points back to an earlier step (Revise → back to Review). Loops are correct flowchart grammar; just make sure a "Yes" branch eventually exits.

Can a flowchart have more than one end?

Yes. Multiple end terminators are normal when a process can finish in different states: resolved at L1, escalated to engineering, rejected. Each end should be named for its outcome.

How do I turn one of these examples into a real chart?

Open ProcessFlowchart.app, type the example's steps one per row, set the Decision rows and their Yes/No targets, and assign lanes. The chart renders as you type, and saves in your browser while you work.

Ready to chart your first process?

The editor opens with a starter flowchart. Type your steps one per row, and the chart rebuilds itself as you type. No signup required to get started.

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