Visio Cross-Functional Flow Chart - Process Step shared by multiple Swim Lanes

Question

I am working in a Visio Cross Functional Flowchart - I read some old posts from 10+ years ago recommending that if a task is performed by multiple swim lanes (A & B), then you should create a new swim lane for the shared task (A + B). This is not the preferred way to handle this. I am hoping that some new functionality has been added in the 10+ years to allow a task to span multiple swim lanes. I am also trying to find out that if I have 3 swim lanes, A, B and C, if I drag the process step borders down across multiple swim lanes, can I somehow flag that the middle swim lane is NOT part of that step. For example, A, B, and C are swim lanes in that order. I stretch the step to cover swim lanes A, B, and C, but B isn't really NOT performing that step, only A & C. I have used other software that allows you to drag the process step across multiple swim lanes, for example across function A, B, and C and then designate that B is not part of that task by flagging it and then the software sets up dashed lines on the edges of that step in the swim lane B. Does any functionality like this exist today in Visio??

Answer 1

Kathy,

As Cliff said, Visio does not provide a way to show that a shape sits on top of a lane but isn't part of that lane. (I am intrigued by your description of software that provides dashed lines for this purpose. I'm curious -- what product does this?)

There is an alternative that could work because Visio supports the idea of a shape that lives on the border between two lanes. (Note that this doesn't work across an intervening lane but it's very easy to relocate swimlanes: just click and drag the header of a swimlane to move it above or below other lanes.)

For example, normally when you drag a shape into a swimlane you'll see a green line appear on all four edges of the lane:

However, if you position a shape along the border between lanes, only that border will light up:

If you can position lanes A and C to be adjacent, the location of the shape on the border will convey the idea that it's part of both lanes.

BTW, one of the sample diagrams provided with the Cross-functional flowchart template (click once on the template thumbnail to see the sample diagrams) uses this feature:

Answer 2

I realized when I made my suggestion that assuring adjacent lanes would not always be possible, but it can help in some cases.

I don't create that many swimlane diagrams -- I prefer a map style that my company created years ago -- but in the ones I've created for clients, I haven't encountered situations like the ones you describe that involve multiple activities that span multiple lanes. Interesting.

Thanks for the iGrapfx screenshot, Kathy. I agree with you that the dashed lines are pretty intuitive. Feel free to recommend the idea to the Visio team using Cliff's suggestion above. Another path that leads direct to the Visio product team is to send an email to ****

Answer 3

Thanks Scott for your reply. The software I had used in the past with the functionality I suggested was iGrafx Flowcharter. I had used this feature in the past for some rather complex processes that involved a lot of swimlanes. Sometimes, it was next to impossible to get the swimlanes to be sequentially lined up when you are dealing with many swimlanes and a large complex process. You might get them in sequence for one cross-functional task and then several steps later, there may be another cross-functional task that would require another ordering of swimlanes! It becomes a real chore to manage without the suggested functionality.

I appreciate your suggestion. I think that it works well for tasks that are relatively simple. I will certainly keep that in mind going forward. But, I still think my suggestion would be useful for more complicated efforts. Here is an example of what a task that crosses multiple swim lanes looks like along with the dashed lines that represent that the swimlane is not part of that step. This seemed to be an easy concept for the average user to understand and relate to.

Answer 4

Dear Kathy,

I'm afraid that Visio does not have the functionality to allow a task to span multiple swim lanes or to flag a swim lane as not part of a task currently.

You can use dashed lines or other visual cues to indicate that a swim lane is not directly involved in a particular task. You can also use annotations or comments to provide additional context or clarification.

I also see some users requiring the similar features on our community several years ago and I understand that it is a good practice when using a shared task. I hope that there will be soon a new related feature released in Visio by the product developers.

Given the situation, as the product developers are still willing to hear users' requirements, I suggest you submit your feedback and convey your suggestions to our new Feedback platform mentioned in the following article for the product developers to know your suggestions and opinions for product improvements. More votes are welcomed and you can keep close eyes on the feedback you submitted. If they have some updates on it, the latest information may be posted. Sorry for that we may have limited resources on contacting the related team directly.

Introducing Feedback for Microsoft 365 - Microsoft Community Hub

Please note the platform page will be loaded after some time based on the network environments.

You may access the page as follows to submit the feedback as well.

You may use a personal account or a Microsoft 365 business work or school account to submit the feedback.

Thanks for your understanding.

Have a nice day!

Sincerely

Cliff | Microsoft Community Moderator