Flowcharting is a powerful technique for visualizing the flow of energy, materials, or information through a complex system. One of the most popular flowcharting tools is the Sankey chart, which is used to show the direction and magnitude of flow in a system.

Sankey charts are comprised of a set of interconnected circles, labeled nodes, and arrows, connecting the nodes to indicate the flow of a particular substance or resource. The arrows can point in either direction, indicating both inputs and outputs, and the magnitude of the flow can be shown by the width of the arrows.

The beauty of Sankey charts is that they allow us to simplify complex systems and gain insights into the flow of energy, materials, or information. By visualizing the flow in a system, we can see where the majority of the flow occurs, which nodes are the source or sink of a particular substance, and which nodes are the most interconnected.

To create a Sankey chart, the first step is to identify the system being analyzed and the nodes and arrows that represent the flow of interest. Once this is done, the chart can be drawn using a flowcharting tool, such as Microsoft Visio, Lucidchart, or Draw.io.

One of the key benefits of using a Sankey chart is that it allows us to identify opportunities for improving the efficiency of a system. For example, if a particular node is a source of a lot of flow, but also has a lot of outputs, this could indicate that there is redundancy in the system, and streamlining this node could lead to overall efficiency improvements.

In addition to efficiency, Sankey charts can also be used to identify potential bottlenecks in a system. For example, if a particular node has a very high input flow, but a lower output flow, this could indicate that this node is a bottleneck in the system.

Overall, flowcharting with Sankey charts is a powerful technique for visualizing and understanding the flow of energy, materials, or information in a complex system. By simplifying complex systems and identifying opportunities for improvement, flowcharting with Sankey charts can help organizations make better-informed decisions and operate more efficiently.

SankeyMaster

SankeyMaster is your go-to tool for creating complex Sankey charts . Easily enter data and create Sankey charts that accurately reveal intricate data relationships.