A flowchart is a very effective way of presenting ideas in a visual way. Before tools like Microsoft Office 2007, you had to have some basic graphic design skills and a lot of free time to create professional-looking flowcharts. However, using the tools in Word 2007, you can create them quickly and without any skill or effort!

What is a flowchart? Here is an example! This was done using Microsoft Word 2007. This explainer article explains how to create a flowchart this way.

Let’s build a flowchart for ourselves! But before we get started, familiarize yourself with the tools and get our copy of Word ready for the task at hand.

There are several tools that we will use to create a flowchart. The first tool is the Shapes tool located under Insert > Shapes . The second is the Format tool, located at the end of the ribbon, but only when an object is selected.

For more convenience when creating flowcharts, I like to add the shape tool to the Quick Access Toolbar .

To do this Click on the Office Button then Click on the Word Opt i ons . Now in the Word Options window Click on Customize then Click on then Select commands from the list and Select Chart Tools | Layout tab . Then scroll down the list below and Click on Shapes then Click on the A dd button. Now for convenience, Check the box that says S h ow Quick Access Panel under the Ribbon. NowClick OK .

It should now be added to the toolbar and the toolbar should now be located below the main ribbon menu.

Ok now that we have to set up the tools lets make a real flow chart!

How to Create a Flow Chart Using Microsoft Office Word 2007

1. Click onthe Shapes and select the shape you want to use.
2. Most people who create flowcharts will want their graphs to maintain consistency in size. The easiest way to do this is to use copyand paste. Right-click the Shape you just created and Select Copy , and then Right-click an empty space and Select Paste to create a duplicate. Do this as many times as you need to create as many duplicate shapes as you need.
3. Add some text to your fields, Right-clickA shape and Select Add Te X t. Then simply type and format it.
4. Now that you’ve added a few rows to make your chart work, there’s a range to choose from. Click onthe Shape and select the line you want to use. Now Click and drag to Draw a line with the mouse.
5. You could call it done at this point, but it honestly looks pretty clear. Let’s spiceit up a bit using the Format tool. Click on the Format tool from the ribbon and let’s start styling. Manually select additional shapes Hold Ctrl and Click on each additional Box . This works on both boxes and arrows.
6. Next, you can add even more effects or keep it as it is. Shadow or 3-D effects can really make your chart stand out.
7. This is optional, but you can Embed Smart Art. Smart Art is just a preset set of graphics that makes the job easier. Click onthe Insert ribbon and then Click on the Smart Art button. Select A graphic that suits you and then Click OK to insert. If you’re having trouble moving a Smart Art graphic in your document, then use the Format > Position tool.

Everything is done!

Pretty groovy eh !!! So get out there and create some groovy flowcharts using Microsoft Word 2007! If you have questions about this or any other topic, please go to the free technical support and groovyPost community forum.