Book Image

Visualize Complex Processes with Microsoft Visio

By : David J Parker, Šenaj Lelić
Book Image

Visualize Complex Processes with Microsoft Visio

By: David J Parker, Šenaj Lelić

Overview of this book

Every business has process flows, but not all of them are fully described to or verified for accuracy with each stakeholder. This not only presents a risk for business continuity but also removes the ability to make insightful improvements. To make these complex interactions easy to grasp, it’s important to describe these processes visually using symbology that everybody understands. Different parts of these flows should be collaboratively developed and stored securely as commercial collateral. Visualize Complex Processes with Microsoft Visio helps you understand why it is crucial to use a common, systematic approach to document the steps needed to meet each business requirement. This book explores the various process flow templates available in each edition of Microsoft Visio, including BPMN. It also shows you how to use them effectively with the help of tips and techniques and examples to reduce the time required for creating them, as well as how you can improve their integration and presentation. By the end of this book, you’ll have mastered the skills needed to create data-integrated business flowcharts with Microsoft Visio, learned how to effectively use these diagrams collaboratively, but securely, and understood how to integrate them with other M365 apps, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Power Automate.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)

Considering accessibility

It is possible that some users or viewers of the process diagrams are visually or cognitively impaired, or it may be a legal requirement that the diagrams are accessible. Both online and desktop Visio include a Check Accessibility button on the Review ribbon tab. The Visio for the web version is shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 7.23 – Running the online Visio accessibility checker

Figure 7.23 – Running the online Visio accessibility checker

Note that some accessibility fixes cannot be done within online Visio, so the diagram may need to be opened in desktop Visio. The Check Accessibility feature in desktop Visio is shown as follows:

Figure 7.24 – Running the desktop Visio accessibility checker

Figure 7.24 – Running the desktop Visio accessibility checker

There is a free guide to best practices for Visio accessibility available at https://bvisual.net/resources/vision-up-your-visio-diagrams/, but in summary, we need to be aware of the following:

  • The contrast between any text and its background...