Instructions for how to use and personalize Organization Chart templates

Note: These instructions apply to any Systems2win template that uses the Organization Chart toolbar, including the classic Organization Chart, and the various Six Sigma Tree Diagram templates.

System requirements: Systems2win org chart templates require Excel 2002 XP or Excel 2003.

Tip: Organization charts are less intuitive than most of the other Excel drawing templates. To master this tool, it is a good idea to review these instructions thoroughly - while playing with a practice organization chart.

Open the Organization Chart Toolbar

Click anywhere on the organization chart drawing space. The Organization Chart toolbar should pop up.

If this toolbar ever gets closed (perhaps by mistake), you can bring it back by right-clicking anywhere on the drawing space, and selecting Show Organization Chart Toolbar.

Suggested work flow - to "make your chart look pretty"

1) Insert primary shapes (without worrying at all about colors or fonts)
2) Resize workspace as needed (see instructions & warnings below)
3) Apply formatting (as the last thing you do - after size and placement are finalized)

To change the size of your work space

You need to resize:

1. The drawing space
2. The underlying cells
3. The print area, (which is defined by the underlying cells; not the drawing space)

To resize the underlying cells, first look to see if there are any hidden row or columns that can be unhidden. If not, then Insert > Columns or Rows.

To reset the print area, simply drag the thick blue borders. (Assuming that you are viewing in View > Page Break Preview mode)

To resize the drawing space

Caution: Resizing the drawing space is the most unintuitive and bug-susceptible aspect of working with organization charts. We highly recommend that you a) play around with a test worksheet, and b) back up your live worksheet frequently. (The bugs are inherent within Excel. Systems2win doesn't write Excel. We are just trying to help you get the most out of your software.)

There are 3 ways to resize the drawing space: (and you need to know how to use all 3)

1) Organization Chart Toolbar > Layout > Fit Organization Chart to Contents.

You will want to Fit Organization Chart to Contents fairly frequently as you create your chart. This is the only way we have found to eliminate the annoying space that keeps growing between the shapes on your chart and the edge of the drawing space.

Tip: You will lose most or all of your formatting whenever you Fit the Organization Chart to Contents. So:

a) Apply your final formatting as the very last thing that you do - after size and placement are finalized.

b) In order to be able to read your chart in the mean time, however, you may need to:
1) use the other resizing techniques described next, and
2) perhaps change the font size for the entire chart
(right-click any white space on the chart, then select Format Organization Chart > Font tab).

2) Organization Chart Toolbar > Layout > Expand Organization Chart

This will increase the size of your entire chart by a small amount each time that you do it.

Tip: Notice that the margin between the shapes on your chart and the edge of the drawing space keep growing even faster than the chart expands. To get rid of this margin, run Organization Chart Toolbar > Layout > Fit Organization Chart to Contents.

3) Organization Chart Toolbar > Layout > Scale Organization Chart

This is your power tool for resizing the drawing space.

Tip: To resize the drawing space - don't just drag the edges of the drawing space, or you will be in for some rude surprises. In the Organization Chart Toolbar, select Layout > Scale Organization Chart. The edges of the drawing space can NOW be dragged.

To insert a branch

Select a nearby node. Choose Insert Shape from the toolbar, then choose the type of node: Subordinate, Coworker, or Assistant.

Caution: It is difficult to move or rearrange the sequence of "co-worker" boxes - so think ahead to arrange your upper level co-workers in your desired sequence.

To move or rearrange boxes

Systems2win preferred option: Quickly insert a new box, then copy the text from and delete the old box.

Caution: If you are sure that you are completely done, and will never again run AutoLayout - then you can toggle AutoLayout off, which will allow you to move and rearrange boxes. (But if you ever toggle AutoLayout back on, all of your moving and rearranging will be lost.)

To resize a box

Organization Chart Toolbar > Layout > AutoLayout.

AutoLayout is a toggle. When you turn it off, you can resize boxes.

Caution: When you toggle AutoLayout back on, any new boxes that you insert will be the same size as the last box that you changed (at the same level). Systems2win recommends waiting to perform all final formatting functions as the very last thing you do - after all shapes have been added and positioned, and the drawing space has been properly sized.

To change a branch layout

In the toolbar, select Layout, then choose a layout option. (This is pretty intuitive.)

To format your diagram colors, fonts, and shapes

Tip: Wait until your organization chart is fully laid out before applying formatting. (Because when you resize your drawing space, it is not uncommon for your formatting to be overruled.)

Option 1: Use the Format Painter ( on the Standard Toolbar) to apply a style that is already on your template

Tip: If you want a consistent "corporate style" for an organization chart template...
then personalize your template with:

1. Your desired Autoshape formats (boxes and lines are called Autoshapes)
2. A personalized instruction textbox on the Sample worksheet

And whenever you customize any template, be sure to make an entry into your Customization Log to make upgrades easy.

Tip: If you somehow lose some desired formatting on the worksheet you are working on, simply open another blank copy of your personalized template, and then use the Format Painter to apply the desired format.

Option 2: Define your own desired formatting

Select the shapes that you want to format.

(To choose multiple shapes, either hold down the Control button as you left-click, or use Organization Chart Toolbar > Select)

To call up the Format AutoShape window, hover your mouse around the outside edge of any one of your selected shapes until your mouse cursor turns into a four-sided cross arrow.    Then right-click and select Format AutoShape.

The Format AutoShape window will pop up with options for how to format your selected shapes.

Tip: If only the font tab is available for formatting, then you were hovering over the middle of the shape, rather than the edge of the shape when you right-clicked.

Option 3: Select a pre-defined style (NOT recommended)

Caution: Many formatting options are restricted if you start with any pre-defined style other than Default. For this reason, Systems2win recommends always using the Default style, and then applying your own desired formatting choices to the various Autoshapes.

Caution: When you apply a style to any element on your chart, it will change the format of every element.

To apply a style...

In the toolbar, select the AutoFormat icon that looks like this.  

Choose a style that you like, then select Apply. (Systems2win recommends using ONLY the Default style.)

To format connecting lines

In the toolbar, choose Select > All Connecting Lines

Then right-click on any connecting line, and select Format AutoShape.

The Format AutoShape window will pop up with options for how to format your connecting lines.

Text boxes, pictures, and AutoShapes within the drawing space

Text boxes, pictures, and AutoShapes within the drawing space can cause your worksheet to become unstable.

Tip: Keep these elements off to the side of your drawing space until you are ready to do your final formatting.

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