After opening Visio select the type of drawing you want to create from the Category list. For this project we will focus on creating organizational charts. Click Organization Chart from the Category list. Instructor: Robin Wood - robin 'at' wctrain dot net
Goal: To use Visio to create organizational charts.
Visio uses shapes and connecting lines to create an organizational chart that shows the relationships among staff members.
Open Visio
After opening Visio select the type of drawing you want to create from the Category list. For this project we will focus on creating organizational charts. Click Organization Chart from the Category list.
You will see two available templates, Organization Chart and Organization Chart Wizard.
Select the Organization Chart Template.
A new blank grid will appear. You will draw your organizational chart on this grid.
You should see a Shape Window on the left-hand side of the Visio screen. If the Shapes Window is not visible, click View > Shapes Window.
Adding an ExecutiveFrom the Shape Window select the top position in the organization, typically Executive. Drag and drop an instance of the Executive shape to the grid. Try to position the executive in the center of the page.
Double click the Name|Title text on the shape. Type the Position and the name of the manager/employee.
Drag and drop the Manager/Position icon from the shapes panel on top of the existing Executive or Manager (superior position). This will create a subordinate manager/position. Double click the Name|Title and to enter the position and name of the manager. Continue this process to add all of the organizations managers.
Adding Multiple Staff Members
You may want to add multiple Staff members or Positions to your organizational chart like the layout to the left. Drag and drop repeatedly the number of staff members that you need to the appropriate manager. An easier method is to drag and drop the Multiple Shapes icon onto your Manager or Executive. A dialog box will appear, from this dialog box you can select the subordinate type and the number of shapes. I have found this to be the easiest way to add multiple shapes. Using this method tends to keep things aligned properly.
Re-aligning Shapes Vertical/HorizontalSelect the staff member's Manager. From the Organization Chart toolbar select the vertical layout icon and then select the desired alignment (Staff Align Left or Right). You can also select the parent shape and click Organization Chart > Arrange Subordinates for more alignment options. If the Organization Chart menu is not on, click View > Toolbars > Organization Chart. You can select the entire chart by pressing CTRL+A on the keyboard.
Simply click the shape once with your left mouse button to select it. To select multiple shapes hold down the shift key as you click.
Adding Space Between Staff Members/Nudging Shapes I found when I added staff members in a vertical layout they tended to overlap each other. You can add space between staff members by clicking once to select the staff member shape and either pressing the down or up arrow on your keyboard to move the staff member. You can use the Up/Down or Left/Right arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge any shape.
You may find that the shapes start to fall off the grid. This is easy to fix, from the menu select Organization Chart > Re-layout. You will need to repeat this process as you are building your chart. You can also use Organization Chart > Best Fit To Page.
While you can use Re-layout and Best Fit To Page to spread the shapes out when they overlap, it doesn't do the greatest job of creating a pleasing layout. You can move multiple branches of your organizational chart by using the Team Frame shape. Click Team Frame in the Shape Window and drag a box around the shapes you want to reposition. This will select all of the shapes; with your left mouse button position your cursor over the border and drag the shapes to a new location.
You may find that the text flows outside of the shape area. To fix this, click once on the shape. Eight green resizing handles will appear. Position your cursor over either of the width (left/right) or height (top/bottom) handles to resize the shape. When the double headed arrow appears drag to resize the shape. To resize both the height and the width at the same time select and drag one of the corner handles. You can resize shapes before or after you type the shape contents. I found that it was best to use the resize handles that were opposite the line. Using this method tends to keep things aligned properly. If you try to resize the shape on the line side the line will change shape.
Repositioning ShapesYou may not want to follow the exact layout positioning that Visio provides. Add your shape as normal, select the shape and drag it to a new location. The connecting line will adjust appropriately.
Your organization chart may be larger than the allotted page size. To resize all of the shapes to fit the page click Organization Chart > Best Fit to Page.
Click the shape you want to delete and press the Delete key on your keyboard.
Click a line to select it. Press the Delete key on your keyboard.
Drawing Lines/Connectors
Click the Connector Tool 
. Move your mouse over the shape that you want to draw a line from, the shape should 
turn red. Hold down your left mouse button and draw a line from the shape to the line. 
Make sure to draw a straight line. I would recommend that you set your zoom value to 200% when you're dealing with connector lines.
Inserting ImagesYou can insert staff member images. Right click the shape and select Insert Picture. Navigate to the desire picture and double click. The image will automatically be resized to fit the box.
Select the shape or shapes (use shift+click to select multiple shapes) that you want to format. From the menu select Format > Line.
From this dialog box you can remove the lines, adjust the pattern (line style), weight, color, cap, transparency, and corner rounding.
Formatting text is very straightforward. You can either format all of the text in the shape by selecting the shape or format individual words. A formatting toolbar is available by clicking View > Toolbars > Formatting.
You can also format the shapes. There are many formatting options that can be accessed by selecting a shape or multipe shapes (hold down the shift key as you select each shape) and selecting Format from the menu.
Format > Shadow - You can apply shadow to shapes (the top shape has shadow by default). From this dialog box you can select the shadow style, color, pattern, transparency, size, position, direction, offset, and magnification.
Format > Fill - Add fill color, patterns, shadows, and customize shape fill settings.
Format > Text - Select fonts, adjust size, casing, positioning, color, transparency, and other font style settings. From this dialog box you can also add bullets, tabs, set margins within each box, and change the vertical alignment.
Backgrounds
You can add a variety of backgrounds to your organizational chart. In the Shapes Window you'll find a button for backgrounds. Click the background button and the available backgrounds will replace the shapes. Drag the desired background onto the organizational chart and position it as desired.
Borders and shading work the same as backgrounds. Select the Borders and Titles category in the Shapes Window. Drag and position the desired border/title to the 
organizational chart window. You can change the title text by double clicking the text.
The title will probably appear on top of your organizational chart. You can send it behind the org chart by right clicking the border shape and selecting Shape > Send to Back. You can also change the stacking order by selecting Shape > Order > Send to Back from the menu.
Size and Position WindowThe Size and Position window shows the exact size and position of each shape. This window can be accessed by clicking View > Size and Position Window from the menu.
By default Visio uses landscape orientation and .25 margins. You can make adjustments to the setup of the page by clicking File > Page Setup. From this menu you can change the page orientation, page size, margins, the drawing scale, layout settings, and shadow settings.
While this class is only an introduction to the Organizational Chart features, you can access additional shapes to add to your charts. Click the Shapes icon 
to access additional shapes.
Remember to Right ClickMost of the menu options listed here can be accessed via the right click menu. Simply select the shape or shapes you want to modify and right click on the shape. The context sensitive menu will appear.
Copying a Branch of the ChartYou may want to copy an entire branch of your organizational chart. Shift click to select each shape and shift click on the connecting line. With the line and shapes selected. Hold down the CTRL key (to copy a plus will appear) on the keyboard and drag the group of shapes under the appropriate manager. Hover the mouse under the new manager for a minute and a duplicate copy of the shapes will appear. Release the mouse button, then the CTRL key to paste the shapes.
Warning: While this method works to copy branches I really wouldn't recommend it if you plan to use the best fit or re-layout features. I got rather unexpected results when I attempted it.
A quick introduction to organization charts
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