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- Microsoft Visio Essentials to Advanced (2 days)
Microsoft Visio Essentials to Advanced (2 days)
Delegates leave able to produce clear, consistent flowcharts, organisation charts, process maps and layouts that people actually read and keep up to date.
Procedures, audits, system documentation and restructuring plans all depend on diagrams people can follow. Drawn in PowerPoint or by hand, they are hard to update and look different in every document. This two-day microsoft visio course takes delegates with no Visio experience to confident, professional diagramming in Visio Plan 2 or Visio Professional, and gives experienced users the advanced tools they have been missing.
Day one builds the essentials: the Visio interface, templates, stencils and shapes, connectors, basic flowcharts and organisation charts, formatting with themes, background pages with borders and titles, and printing and exporting large diagrams. Day two moves to advanced work: cross-functional swimlane and BPMN process maps, timelines, brainstorming, network and rack diagrams, office layouts, shape data and data graphics linked to Excel, building diagrams automatically with the Data Visualizer, layers, shape reports, and custom stencils and templates for the whole organisation.
Every topic is practised hands-on, and delegates are encouraged to map one of their own processes or organisation charts on day two, ready for use in procedures, ISO audits, IT documentation and presentations.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Clear, consistent process maps for procedures, ISO audits and training
- Organisation charts and layouts that are quick to update
- Diagrams that stay linked to the data behind them
- One house style for diagrams through shared templates and stencils
For your delegates
- Confidence with shapes, connectors and stencils
- Swimlane process maps that show who does what
- Time saved by generating diagrams from Excel data
- A diagram of your own process to take back to work
What delegates will be able to do
- Choose the right Visio template and work confidently in the drawing environment
- Add, connect, align and format shapes with consistent themes
- Create flowcharts and organisation charts, including from an Excel list
- Use background pages, links, and print and export settings for large diagrams
- Map cross-functional and BPMN processes and validate them
- Produce brainstorming, network, rack and office layout diagrams
- Define shape data, link shapes to Excel and show it with data graphics
- Generate a diagram from Excel data with the Data Visualizer
- Organise complex drawings with layers and run shape reports
- Create custom stencils and templates and share diagrams in Word, PowerPoint and Teams
Who should attend
Process owners, business analysts, quality and ISO coordinators, HR and administrative staff, project managers, facilities planners and IT staff who need to produce flowcharts, organisation charts, floor plans or network diagrams. No previous Visio experience is needed; people who already draw in Visio gain most from day two.
Course outline
Day 1 – Shapes, stencils and everyday diagrams
Introduction to Microsoft Visio
- What Visio is for: flowcharts, organisation charts, floor plans and network diagrams
- Visio editions: Visio in Microsoft 365, Visio Plan 2 and Visio Professional
- The ribbon, Shapes pane, stencils, drawing page and status bar
- Zoom, pan and the Pan & Zoom window
- Starting a diagram from a template
Drawing tools
- Adding shapes from stencils, Quick Shapes and shape search
- Selecting, moving, resizing, rotating and grouping shapes
- Drawing lines, arcs, freeforms and rectangles
- Copying, duplicating and editing objects
Connecting shapes
- Dynamic connectors and AutoConnect
- Connection points and gluing connectors
- Right-angle, straight and curved connectors
- Auto Align & Space and Re-layout Page
First diagrams
- Planning a diagram: purpose, audience and level of detail
- Creating a basic flowchart
- Text in shapes, text boxes and callouts
- Organisation charts by hand and from an Excel list
Formatting drawings
- Formatting text and text blocks
- Fill, line and shadow for shapes and lines
- Themes and variants
- Format Painter and containers
Pages, backgrounds and printing
- Adding, renaming and reordering pages
- Background pages with borders and titles
- Links between pages and to other files
- Page setup and printing large diagrams
- Exporting to PDF, PNG and SVG
Day 2 – Process maps, data and templates
Process and business diagrams
- Cross-functional (swimlane) flowcharts
- BPMN process diagrams: the basics
- Timelines
- Checking a diagram against its rules with diagram validation
Brainstorming, network and space diagrams
- Brainstorming and mind-map diagrams
- Basic and detailed network diagrams
- Rack diagrams
- Office layouts and floor plans
Shape data and linking to data
- Viewing, editing and defining shape data
- Linking shapes to an Excel workbook
- Data graphics: icons, data bars, text callouts and colour by value
- Refreshing linked data
Building diagrams from Excel data
- The Data Visualizer: creating a diagram from a table
- Mapping process steps, owners and connectors in Excel
- Updating the diagram when the data changes
Advanced layout, layers and reporting
- Creating, assigning, showing, hiding and locking layers
- Advanced layout and connection options
- Customising shape properties
- Shape reports and exporting them to Excel
Custom stencils, templates and sharing
- Creating a custom stencil and master shapes
- Saving a custom template for your organisation
- Sharing through OneDrive and Teams, with comments and co-authoring
- Inserting Visio diagrams into Word and PowerPoint
- Final exercise: mapping one of your own processes
How it is delivered
Two days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20, each on their own computer with Visio Plan 2 or Visio Professional 2021/2024; laptops with the software can be supplied on request. Workbook and practice files included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 790+ reviews · word-for-word quotes from signed letters of reference, from clients on this and/or related BOTI courses
“We were particularly impressed by the quality of facilitation and the practical relevance of the content presented. The programme was delivered with professionalism, clarity, and a strong emphasis on real-world application.”
“The facilitator effectively encouraged participation and used practical examples, discussions and interactive activities to ensure that the concepts were understood and could be applied in the workplace.”
“Business Optimization Training Institute facilitated Microsoft Excel Training for our company. The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained on site anywhere in South Africa. We can also run it at a BOTI venue or live online.
Which version of Visio do delegates need?
Visio Plan 2 or Visio Professional 2021/2024 gives the full feature set used on day two. The web version included with Microsoft 365 handles basic diagrams only. We can supply laptops with the software.
Do delegates need Visio experience?
No. Day one starts from the basics. Delegates who already draw in Visio can focus on the day-two topics.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Can we map our own processes?
Yes. Bring a procedure, an organisation chart or a process you need to document, and the final exercise is built around it.
Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.
Related courses
Ask a consultant for a written quote
A BOTI consultant emails you a written quote, usually within 15 minutes (Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00). After hours, we reply on the next working day. To speak to someone now, call 011 882 8853.
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