Flowchart symbols
What the oval, rectangle, diamond, and parallelogram mean.
The shapes people actually use
Flow chart symbols, flowchart shape meanings, and 'what a flowchart is' all land on the same small set. You can read most workplace charts with four shapes. The oval or rounded rectangle is a terminator: start or end. The rectangle is a process: do something. The diamond is a decision: a question with more than one arrow out. The parallelogram is input or output: data entering or a document leaving.
Arrows are symbols too. An arrow is the order, not a suggestion. Two arrows leaving a rectangle mean the order is undefined. Two arrows leaving a diamond are correct if each one is labeled.
- Terminator (oval): start or end
- Process (rectangle): one action
- Decision (diamond): a question, with labeled exits
- Input or output (parallelogram): data in or a result out
- Arrow: the next step, in one direction
Shapes you can skip until you need them
A rectangle with double bars on the sides means a predefined process described on another page. A wavy-bottom rectangle means a document. A cylinder often means a stored file. Use them when the extra precision stops a question. A chart that uses twelve shape types to describe a five-step approval is harder to read than four shapes used consistently. For a full procedure, start from the flowchart template.
These symbols are not data-flow diagram symbols. A data-flow diagram shows where data moves, and it does not show yes or no decisions. Mixing the two sets on one page confuses both readers.
Questions
- What do flowchart shapes mean?
- Oval: start or end. Rectangle: an action. Diamond: a decision. Parallelogram: input or output. Arrows show the only direction of travel.
- Is a diamond always a yes or no?
- It is a question with mutually exclusive answers. Yes and no are the common pair. Three exits are allowed if the labels cover every case and do not overlap.
- Are flowchart symbols standardized?
- ISO 5807 describes many of them. Teams still read the four common shapes without looking the standard up. Consistency inside one chart matters more than using every official shape.