flowchart-standards

name	flowchart-standards
description	Process flowchart standards guide. Notation and patterns referenced by the flowchart-designer agent when visualizing business processes in Mermaid. Used for 'flowchart standards', 'process diagram' requests. Note: BPM engine implementation is out of scope.

Flowchart Standards — Process Flowchart Standards

Standardizes the flowchart-designer agent's process visualization quality.

Standard Symbol System

Symbol	Mermaid	Meaning	Usage
Rounded rectangle	([text])	Start/End	Process entry/exit
Rectangle	[text]	Processing/Task	Unit work activity
Diamond	{text}	Decision/Branch	Decision point
Parallelogram	[/text/]	Input/Output	Document/Data
Cylinder	[(text)]	Data store	DB/System
Subgraph	subgraph	Area grouping	Department/Phase

Process Type Patterns

Pattern 1: Approval Process

flowchart TD
    START([Request received]) --> DRAFT[Create document]
    DRAFT --> CHECK{Review}
    CHECK -->|Acceptable| APPROVE{Approval}
    CHECK -->|Unacceptable| REVISE[Revise]
    REVISE --> DRAFT
    APPROVE -->|Approved| EXECUTE[Execute]
    APPROVE -->|Rejected| REVISE
    EXECUTE --> DONE([Complete])

Pattern 2: With Error Handling

flowchart TD
    INPUT[/Input data/] --> VALIDATE{Validation}
    VALIDATE -->|Valid| PROCESS[Process]
    VALIDATE -->|Invalid| ERROR[Error handling]
    ERROR --> LOG[(Error log)]
    ERROR --> NOTIFY[Notify owner]
    PROCESS --> OUTPUT[/Result/]
    OUTPUT --> END([End])

Pattern 3: Parallel Processing (Swim Lanes)

flowchart LR
    subgraph Sales
        A[Receive order] --> B[Quote]
    end
    subgraph Logistics
        B --> C[Check inventory]
        C --> D[Ship]
    end
    subgraph Finance
        B --> E[Issue invoice]
        D --> F[Record revenue]
    end

Complexity Management Rules

Rule	Threshold	When Exceeded
Node count	15 or fewer	Split into sub-processes
Branch depth	3 levels or fewer	Create sub-flowcharts
Swim lanes	4 or fewer	Split the process
Crossing lines	0	Rearrange layout
Text	Verb + object, 5 words max	Abbreviate

Process-Document Mapping

Flowchart ↔ Manual mapping:
  Each rectangle (task) in the flowchart = 1 procedure in the manual
  Each diamond (decision) in the flowchart = Decision criteria in the manual
  Each subgraph (area) in the flowchart = 1 chapter in the manual

Quality Checklist

Item	Criteria
Start/End	Exactly 1 each must exist
Dead ends	None (all paths reach an endpoint)
Branch labels	Conditions specified for all paths
Exception paths	Includes error/rejection/timeout
Number mapping	Matches manual procedure numbers