Terminator symbol (start and end)
The terminator symbol marks the boundaries of a flowchart: where the process starts and where it stops. It is usually drawn as an oval or a rounded rectangle, and some tools draw it as a circle. Every other shape sits between two terminators, so a reader can tell at a glance what triggers the process and what counts as done.
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Create Your Flowchart FreeWhat the terminator tells the reader
A start terminator answers "what sets this off?". Name it with the triggering event, not a verb: "Order received", "Employee resigns", "Ticket opened". A reader who knows the trigger knows which situations the chart covers and which it does not.
An end terminator answers "what does done look like?". Name it with the end state: "Order shipped", "Request rejected", "Access removed". A vague "End" hides the most useful fact on the chart, namely what the process actually produces.
How many start and end points
One start. If two different events start the work, you are usually looking at two processes that share some steps, and the clearer chart either splits them or starts both at a decision that asks which event happened.
As many ends as there are genuinely different outcomes. A purchase request can end approved, rejected or withdrawn; three end terminators make those outcomes visible and countable. What you should not do is scatter identical "End" shapes around the chart just to avoid drawing a line back to one of them.
- Name the start after the trigger: "Invoice arrives".
- Name each end after its outcome: "Invoice paid", "Invoice disputed".
- Keep the main path running from the start terminator to the most common end in one direction.
- Every step must be reachable from the start, and every path must reach an end.
Terminators in ProcessFlowchart.app
Set a row's Shape column to Start or End and the terminator is drawn for you, as a circle, already connected to the steps around it. A step with no outgoing connection is where a path stops, so every such row should either be an End or be connected onward.
The editor also offers Success and Reject end shapes for charts that need the two outcomes to look different, and a Terminate shape for a stop that ends the whole process rather than one branch of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the terminator symbol in a flowchart?
The oval or rounded shape at the start and end of a flowchart. The start terminator names the event that triggers the process; each end terminator names a way the process can finish.
Can a flowchart have more than one end?
Yes. Use one end terminator per distinct outcome, such as approved, rejected and withdrawn. Keep exactly one start; two starting events usually mean two processes.
Is the start symbol an oval or a circle?
The classic terminator is an oval or a rounded rectangle. Many modern tools, this one included, draw start and end as circles. The meaning is the same: a boundary of the process, not a step in it.
What should I write inside the terminator?
An event or a state, not an instruction. "Customer places order" or "Order received" for the start; "Order delivered" or "Order cancelled" for the ends.
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