Flowcharting the Future: A Visual Guide to Sankey Charts

Sankey charts are a type of flowchart that are used to visualize the flow of materials, energy, or information through a process. They are useful for understanding the inputs, outputs, and transformations of a system, and for identifying opportunities for improvement or optimization.

In this guide, we will explore how to create Sankey charts and the various applications of this powerful visualization tool.

What is a Sankey Chart?

A Sankey chart is a type of flowchart that shows the flow of materials, energy, or information through a process. It is named after its creator, Arthur Sankey, who was a British engineer and statistician.

One key feature of Sankey charts is that they allow you to see the relative volumes or flows of different inputs and outputs in a process. This makes it easy to identify opportunities for improvement or optimization, such as reducing waste or increasing efficiency.

Sankey charts are often used in sustainability and environmental studies to help visualize the flow of materials and energy through a system, and to identify areas where improvements can be made to reduce waste and increase efficiency. They are also used in finance and economics to visualize the flow of funds and investments through a system, and to identify areas where improvements can be made to reduce risk or increase returns.

How to Create a Sankey Chart

Creating a Sankey chart is relatively simple, requiring only a few pieces of information and a flowcharting tool such as Microsoft Visio or Lucidchart. Here are the steps for creating a Sankey chart:

1. Identify the inputs, outputs, and transformations of the process that you want to visualize.
2. Organize the information into a table or spreadsheet, with the inputs and outputs on one side and the transformations on the other.
3. Draw a flowchart in a flowcharting tool, using the inputs and outputs as nodes and the transformations as arrows.
4. Label the nodes and arrows with descriptive text, such as the source and destination of each input or output, and the type of transformation that takes place.
5. Connect the nodes and arrows to create the flowchart.

When creating a Sankey chart, it can be helpful to use different symbols or colors to distinguish between different types of inputs and outputs, or to highlight specific areas of interest.

Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts are a powerful visualization tool that can be used in a wide variety of contexts and applications. Here are just a few examples:

1. Sustainability and Environmental Studies: Sankey charts are commonly used in sustainability and environmental studies to visualize the flow of materials and energy through a system, and to identify areas where improvements can be made to reduce waste and increase efficiency.
2. Finance and Economics: Sankey charts are used in finance and economics to visualize the flow of funds and investments through a system, and to identify areas where improvements can be made to reduce risk or increase returns.
3. Supply Chain Management: Sankey charts are useful for visualizing the flow of materials and information through a supply chain, and for identifying bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.
4. Manufacturing and Production: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of materials and products through a manufacturing or production process, and to identify areas where improvements can be made to increase efficiency or reduce waste.
5. Quality Management: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of materials or information through a quality management process, and to identify areas where improvements can be made to increase consistency or reduce defects.

Conclusion

Sankey charts are a powerful visualization tool that are widely used in sustainability and environmental studies, finance and economics, supply chain management, manufacturing and production, and quality management. By flowcharting the future, they can help us better understand

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