Identify which program to use to create an organization chart

Organization charts show the reporting relationships between individuals and groups in an organization. Because organization charts are popular and widely used, you can create them by using the following two options in Office:

• The SmartArt graphic feature in Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word

• Visio

Note: The Organization Chart Add-in for Microsoft Office programs is still available for download. The Microsoft Organization 2.0 tool installs a separate application to create and edit organization charts in Office 2003 applications. It can only be used with Office 2003. This tool is primarily for users who need to edit existing Microsoft Organization 2.0 charts. These charts were created in Office 2000 or prior, where Microsoft Organization 2.0 was the primary tool for creating organization charts.

SmartArt graphics

Organization charts are included in the wide variety of SmartArt graphics that are available when you insert an SmartArt graphic in Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, or Word. By using the SmartArt graphic feature, you can create designer-quality graphics and include them in documents and presentations quickly and easily.

Use the SmartArt graphic feature if:

• You want to create an organization chart with 30 or fewer shapes.

• You want your organization chart to also contain pictures.

• You want to add effects, such as glows, soft edges, or other 3-D effects, to your organization chart.

• You want to take advantage of Office themes, including the ability to pick up color changes when you copy and paste SmartArt graphics from one program to another.

• You want to animate your organization chart.

• You want to create the organization chart quickly by typing or pasting your text and having it automatically positioned and arranged for you.

Create an organization chart by using the SmartArt graphic feature.

Visio

With Visio, you can construct sophisticated diagrams. Visio provides you with the largest number of tools and the greatest flexibility for creating organization charts.

Use Visio if:

• You want to create a small or large organization chart (up to 1000 shapes).

• You want to generate organization charts from existing personnel data stored in Microsoft Exchange Server or Excel data files. Visio includes a wizard that does this.

• You want very precise control over the chart layout.

• You want to add customizable text or numeric fields to shapes and store the fields as custom property data.

• You want to use conditional formatting. Conditional formatting enables you to quickly and easily color-code your information based on parameters that you set.

• You want to synchronize shapes across pages to help manage large organizations.

• You want to display data on your drawing using visual enhancements such as flags, progress meters, and icons.

• You want to compare separate versions of organization charts and generate a report showing the differences.

Create an organization chart by using Visio.