Streamlining Workflows with Sankey Charts: A Visual Guide for Optimizing Processes

Sankey charts are a powerful visualization tool that can help you streamline your workflows and identify opportunities for improvement. They are particularly useful for organizations that require complex processes with multiple steps and dependencies.

In this article, we will delve into the basics of creating Sankey charts and explore various applications for optimizing processes.

What is a Sankey Chart?

A Sankey chart is a flowchart that is used to visualize and analyze the flow of material, energy, or information through a system or process. It is named after Russian mathematician and physicist Gustav Helmut Sankey, who developed the first Sankey chart in the late 19th century.

Sankey charts are particularly useful for identifying bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement in complex processes. They allow you to easily see which steps in the process are most important and where the most significant bottlenecks lie.

How to Create a Sankey Chart

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

1. Identify the process you want to visualize.
2. Gather all the steps and inputs/outputs of each step.
3. Create a diagram using a software such as Microsoft Visio or Lucidchart.
4. Identify the starting point of the process and label it as “source.”
5. Label each step and input/output with the corresponding value or flow rate.
6. Use arrows to show the direction and flow of material, energy, or information through the process.
7. The resulting chart will show the flow of material, energy, or information through the process, with the most important steps highlighted and the bottlenecks clearly visible.

Applications of Sankey Charts

Sankey charts are a useful tool for a wide range of industries and organizations, including manufacturing, logistics, energy, finance, and healthcare. Here are some examples of how Sankey charts can be used to optimize processes:

1. Logistics and Supply Chain Management: Sankey charts can be used to visualize and analyze the flow of materials and goods through the supply chain, helping to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement.
2. Environmental Management: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of pollutants through a manufacturing or industrial process, allowing companies to identify and address areas where environmental regulations might be violated.
3. Finance: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of financial instruments, such as stocks, bonds, or derivatives, helping to identify areas of the market that are most active and where risks might be concentrated.
4. Healthcare: Sankey charts can be used to visualize the flow of patients through a healthcare system, highlighting areas where bottlenecks might exist and allowing healthcare providers to identify opportunities for improving patient flow.

In conclusion, Sankey charts are a powerful visualization tool that can help organizations streamline their workflows and identify opportunities for improvement. By following the steps outlined above, you can create a Sankey chart to visualize and analyze the flow of material, energy, or information through your process. With Sankey charts on your side, you can optimize your processes and stay ahead of the competition.

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.