A Beginner's Guide to Data Flow Diagrams

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Ask any professional athlete or business executive how they became successful, and they’ll tell you they mastered a process. By figuring out which habits led to success and which didn’t, they improved their efficiency and productivity.

But implementing a process into a business, department, or even a team is a completely different animal than honing your personal process. With so many moving parts, how do you track and refine each aspect of your business process?

Data flow diagrams provide a straightforward, efficient way for organizations to understand, perfect, and implement new processes or systems. They’re visual representations of your system, making it easy to understand and prune.

Before we dive into how data flow diagrams can help refine any of your business systems or processes, let’s go over what exactly it is.

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DFDs became popular in the 1970s and have maintained their widespread use by being easy to understand.

There are two types of DFDs — logical and physical. Logical diagrams display the theoretical process of moving information through a system, like where the data comes from, where it goes, how it changes, and where it ends up.

Physical diagrams show you the practical process of moving information through a system. It can show how your system’s specific software, hardware, files, employees, and customers influence the flow of information.

You can either use logical or physical diagrams to describe that flow of information. You can also use them in conjunction to understand a process or system on a more granular level.

The Benefits of Data Flow Diagrams

DFDs are visual representations that can help almost anyone grasp a system‘s or process’ logic and functions. Aside from being accessible, they provide much-needed clarity and improve productivity. Here’s how.

Accessibility

Because visual information is easier to digest, DFDs typically explain complex concepts better than blocks of text can.

Visual presentations of how a process works can also hold people’s attention longer — making it easier to retain the information.

Clarity

DFDs clarify the systems and processes necessary for your team to do their best work. Whether implementing a new company-wide system or refining a department’s existing process, a DFD gets you and your team on the same page.

Creating DFDs will give you clarity about business operations, too. A clearer understanding enables you to refine and track your business processes with less friction.

Productivity

The accessibility and clarity created with DFDs will leave less room for error. Your team will better master systems and processes because they understand them.

Greater understanding — paired with a repeatable process — will likely boost team effectiveness and productivity.

On a broader level, DFDs can help you streamline your business operations. When mapping out your processes, you‘ll gain insights into what does and doesn’t work.

These insights help boost you and your team’s productivity. As a bonus, you can share any best practices across departments.