Create an organization chart without external data

An organization chart (org chart) is a diagram that shows relationships among employees, titles, and groups.

You can draw an org chart from scratch by using the org chart shapes and connecting them.

Tip: If you have all the employee information in a document like an Excel worksheet or in an Exchange Server directory, Visio can generate a diagram that adds the shapes and connectors for you. For details, see Create an organization chart automatically from employee data.

1. To start with a template, go to File > New > Categories > Business > Organization Chart (don't click Organization Chart Wizard), and then click Create.

2. From the Organization Chart Shapes stencil, drag the top-level shape for your organization, such as Executive, onto the page.

3. With the shape selected, type a title for the shape, press Esc, select the Name text field, and type a name. For example, you might have an executive with the name Tosh Meston who holds the title of President.

4. Get a shape for the first subordinate person and drop it onto the center of the shape that's already there. This automatically links the two in a hierarchy.

5. To complete your org chart, continue to drag subordinate shapes onto superior shapes, and type a name and title for each one.

Change layout, change shapes, and insert pictures

The Organization Chart templates add an Org Chart tab to the ribbon. Use the tools on this tab to make large changes to the way the diagram looks.

The Layout and Arrange groups have tools for changing the layout and hierarchy of the shapes.

Use the Shapes gallery to choose the style of shapes in the chart. Use the tools in the Picture group to insert a picture into the selected shape, delete the placeholder picture, and change the picture after it has been inserted into a shape.

The Organization Data group has tools for importing data from an external source using the wizard, exporting organization data to Excel or a text file, and comparing the data in the diagram with an external data source.

Show teams by using the Team Frame or dotted lines

After you create an org chart, you can rearrange the information to reflect virtual team relationships. Move related shapes near each other, and then add dotted-line connectors to show secondary reporting structures, or use the Team Frame shape to highlight a virtual team. The dotted-line report behaves like an ordinary connector. The Team Frame is rectangular shape that you can use to visually group and name teams.