Streamlining Processes: The Versatile Sankey Chart

If you’re looking for a powerful and easy-to-use visualization tool to help you streamline processes, you should consider the Sankey chart. This versatile chart type can be used to represent a wide range of data, including flow diagrams, network structures, and more. In this article, we’ll explore the basics of Sankey chart creation, as well as some of the many applications it can be used for.

What is a Sankey Chart?

The Sankey chart, also known as a Sankey flowchart, is a graphical representation that shows the flow of materials, energy, or information through a system or process. It is often used to identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement in a process, as well as to track and measure performance over time.

Sankey charts are named after their creator, Arthur J. Sankey, a British engineer who developed the chart in the late 19th century. They are a type of directed acyclic graph, which means that they do not have any cycles in the graph. This makes it easy to understand the flow of materials or information through the system, as the arrows indicate the direction of the flow.

Sankey chart elements

A Sankey chart can contain several types of elements, including nodes and arcs. Nodes represent the different steps or stages in the process, while arcs indicate the flow of materials or information between these stages.

Nodes in a Sankey chart can be customized to display a variety of information, such as the name of the process step, a numerical value, or a color. Arcs can also be customized to show different types of flow, such as material flow, energy flow, or information flow.

Sankey chart creation

Sankey charts can be created using a variety of tools, including spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel, online diagramming tools like Lucidchart, or specialized flowcharting software like Visio. Many of these tools also offer templates specifically designed for Sankey chart creation, which can save time and simplify the process.

To create a Sankey chart, you’ll need to follow these steps:

1. Choose a chart type: Sankey charts are a popular option, but there are also other types of flowcharts available, such as Gantt charts, Pareto charts, and Kanban charts.
2. Prepare your data: Make sure you have all the necessary data to create your chart, including the process steps, flow rates, or other relevant metrics.
3. Set up your chart: Choose the chart type, add or modify the nodes and arcs as needed, and customize the appearance of the chart to match your preferences.
4. Add annotations: You can add additional annotations or comments to the chart to help explain the flow or highlight important areas.
5. Publish or share your chart: Once your chart is complete, you can save it as a file or share it with others to facilitate communication and collaboration.

Sankey chart applications

Sankey charts can be used in a wide range of applications, from process improvement and optimization to supply chain management and environmental sustainability. Some common use cases include:

1. Process improvement: Sankey charts can be used to identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement in a process, as well as to track and measure performance over time.
2. Supply chain management: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of goods or information through a supply chain, identify potential risks or vulnerabilities, and optimize the flow of materials.
3. Environmental sustainability: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of materials or energy inputs into a system, identify areas for waste reduction or recycling, and track progress towards sustainability goals.

In conclusion, the

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