What is a Deployment Flowchart?
 

TeamFlow uses the Deployment Flowchart methodology created by Dr. W. Edwards Deming and popularized in America by Dr. Myron Tribus to show people, process, and documentation together in a unique single "worksheet" presentation that facilitates team-based collaboration. This unique benefit contrasts with other, general-purpose flowchart programs, which cannot automatically support the "team view" of processes.

The Organization Chart shows the conventional tree-structured view of the organization out of which team members are selected. Members may be added, deleted, or relocated within the organization structure using simple drag-and-drop techniques. Changes made to a member of the organization chart are automatically reflected everywhere that member appears in the TeamFlow model.

The Deployment Flowchart process map occupies the center pane of the TeamView worksheet. A deployment flowchart is a process diagram which shows how the members of the project team are deployed (used) throughout the project. TeamFlow's deployment flowchart graphically details who is involved in each step of the process, as well as which team members must work together to get the job done. How to Read a TeamFlow Process Map.

The deployment flowchart is divided into four "fields":

The Team Field is displayed horizontally across the top of the deployment flowchart. It contains entries for each of the team members responsible for the activities and events described in the work process flowchart. The team members are selected from the Organization Chart, which may be copied from an existing model or created specifically for this model.

The Process Field contains the individual process elements - Tasks, Meetings, Decisions, Milestones - and products created by the process such as Reports, Disk Documents, and Lotus Notes Databases that detail the actual work to be done to accomplish the goals of the project. Process flow arrows describe the flow of information through the process. Each process element is aligned vertically in columns below the team members to which it is assigned.

The Time Field shows the in-progress status of the process and marks the boundaries between the phases of the project. Completed process elements are indicated by a double-cross shading. Process elements that are in progress (that is, they have begun, but are not as yet completed) are indicated by single-cross shading. Process elements that have not as yet begun are not shaded. Phase boundaries are added automatically when you insert a milestone into the worksheet.

The Documents Field contains icons indicating points in the process where on-line documents are attached. Documents such as a meeting agenda, budget spreadsheet, or ISO 9000 guideline may be retrieved and viewed by clicking on its icon.

The Gantt Chart shows a linear representation of the schedule data for each process element in the model. The Gantt chart bars may be aligned with their corresponding members of the deployment flowchart if desired.

TeamFlow is a powerful tool for team-based process management.