Decision symbol (the flowchart diamond)
The decision symbol is the diamond shape in a flowchart. It holds a question ("Approved?", "In stock?", "Error?") and each arrow leaving it carries one possible answer. The flow follows whichever arrow matches what actually happened. Decisions are what separate a flowchart from a plain list of steps: they're where the process genuinely branches.
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Create Your Flowchart FreeHow to use the decision symbol correctly
Three rules cover nearly every mistake made with diamonds:
- Phrase it as an answerable question. "Approved?" works; "Approval" doesn't: a reader can't tell what the branches mean.
- Label every outgoing arrow with an answer. An unlabeled branch is a guess, and different readers guess differently.
- Make the answers exhaustive. Yes/No is naturally complete; "Small/Large" leaves medium-sized cases stranded with nowhere to flow.
Two-way, multi-way, and chained decisions
Most decisions are binary, and binary diamonds read best. When a decision genuinely has three or more outcomes (priority P1/P2/P3, region-based routing), a single diamond with three labeled arrows is legitimate and clearer than a forced chain of yes/no questions.
The opposite trap also exists: cramming a compound question into one diamond ("Approved and in budget and under deadline?"). Split compound conditions into chained diamonds so each branch point stays checkable against reality.
Decision branches in practice
Convention keeps decision-heavy charts readable: send the common path straight ahead along the main flow and branch the exception sideways, and color the branches when the tool allows; green for the proceed path, red for the reject/loop-back path is the near-universal scheme.
In ProcessFlowchart.app a decision is a row whose Shape column is Decision; its Line To column lists the target step numbers ("4,6"), and Line Text labels each branch. Branch colors are a column too, no drawing involved.
Frequently asked questions
What does the diamond mean in a flowchart?
A decision: a question with two or more outcomes. Each arrow leaving the diamond is labeled with one answer (Yes/No, Approved/Rejected), and the process continues along the matching arrow.
Can a decision symbol have three outputs?
Yes. Two-way decisions are most common, but a diamond may have any number of labeled outgoing arrows as long as the answers are mutually exclusive and cover every case.
How should I label decision branches?
With the answer to the diamond's question, verbatim: Yes/No, In stock/Backordered, P1/P2/P3. Every branch gets a label; an unlabeled branch is the most common flowchart defect.
What's the difference between a decision and a process step?
A process step always has exactly one next step. A decision has more than one possible next step, chosen by an answer. If two different things can happen next, it's a diamond.
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