Diagram template

Swimlane diagram template

A flowchart with one lane per team or role. Swimlanes show not only what happens, but who does it and where the work changes hands.

Use this template for free All templates
  • One lane per team or role
  • Decisions and handoffs in place
  • Lanes that grow with the process
  • Export or embed anywhere
A swimlane diagram in Starlex with customer, support and engineering lanes and a bug report moving between them

What is a swimlane diagram?

A swimlane diagram, also called a cross functional flowchart, divides a flowchart into lanes, one for each person, team or system. Each step sits in the lane of whoever does it. The format makes handoffs visible, and handoffs are where most processes slow down or lose information.

When to use it

  • Mapping a process that involves several teams, such as support escalation or employee onboarding.
  • Finding delays and duplicate work between departments.
  • Explaining a process to new team members.
  • Agreeing on a workflow before you set it up in a tool.

How to make one

  1. List everyone involved and give each of them a lane.
  2. Place the start of the process in the lane where it begins.
  3. Add each step in the lane of whoever performs it, in order from left to right.
  4. Connect the steps. Every arrow that crosses a lane is a handoff: check that it has a clear trigger.
  5. Add decisions and the paths that leave them.

Example

The template follows a bug report through three lanes. The customer reports a problem, and support triages it and decides whether it is a bug. If it is not, support answers the customer. If it is, engineering fixes and releases it, and the customer confirms the fix.

Tips

  • Count the handoffs. Removing one often saves more time than speeding up a step.
  • Draw the process as it is today before you design the better one.
  • Once the team agrees, model the same steps as statuses and transitions in a Starlex workflow.

Use this template in Starlex

Open a project, go to Notes, then Diagrams, choose New diagram and pick Swimlane process. To add it to a diagram you already have, use Insert, then From template.

  • More than a hundred shapes, with connectors that stay attached when you move things.
  • Pages and layers for large diagrams, and automatic tree, grid and circle layouts.
  • Import draw.io files and Mermaid flowcharts, and export to PNG, SVG or draw.io.
  • Embed the diagram in an issue or a note, where it always shows the latest version.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a swimlane diagram and a flowchart?

A swimlane diagram is a flowchart split into lanes, so it also shows who is responsible for each step.

Should lanes be horizontal or vertical?

Either works. Horizontal lanes suit wide screens and processes with many steps, and vertical lanes suit processes with many roles.

Can I share the diagram with other teams?

Yes. Embed it in an issue or a note, or export it as a PNG, an SVG or a draw.io file.