How to create an org chart

What do you need before creating an org chart?

To create an org chart, start with a clean people table: name, job title, department, direct manager, and any dotted-line manager. Asana’s May 4, 2026 guide lists names, current titles, reporting relationships, departments, and optional headshots as the core inputs.

A small company can build the first version from 5 columns. Example row: Maya Chen, Head of Marketing, Marketing, reports to Priya Shah, no dotted-line manager. If your chart has 80 employees, 80 rows should exist before you draw a single box.

Which org chart type should you use?

Choose the org chart type before picking a tool. Asana’s 2026 guide names 4 common types: functional top-down, matrix, divisional, and flat. The right choice depends on how people actually report, not which layout looks best.

For a 12-person startup, a flat chart may fit on 1 row under the founder. For a 300-person company with Sales, Marketing, Product, Engineering, Finance, and HR, a functional top-down chart is usually easier to scan.

How do you create an org chart step by step?

The fastest reliable process has 7 steps: define the scope, gather the table, verify managers, choose a chart type, draw the hierarchy, add role details, and schedule updates. This works whether you use PowerPoint, Google Sheets, Visio, or AnyGen.

• Step 1: Define scope. Decide whether the chart covers the whole company, one department, or one project team.
• Step 2: Gather 5 fields: employee name, title, department, direct manager, and dotted-line manager if needed.
• Step 3: Verify that every employee except the top leader has exactly 1 direct manager.
• Step 4: Pick 1 of 4 structures: functional, matrix, divisional, or flat.
• Step 5: Draw top-down from the highest accountable leader, then add departments and direct reports.
• Step 6: Add useful details only: title, department, location, and optionally headshot or email.
• Step 7: Set an update rhythm, such as monthly for fast-growing teams or whenever roles change.

Use a quick data check before drawing: if 48 employees are in the table, the finished org chart should have 48 people boxes. If there are 47 or 49, the chart and data do not match.

For naming, prefer title plus name in the box: VP Sales, Jordan Lee. That keeps the chart useful even when someone scans it for responsibility rather than recognition.

How do you make an org chart in PowerPoint or Word?

In Microsoft Office, use SmartArt when you need a quick editable org chart. Microsoft Support says to go to Insert, Illustrations, SmartArt, choose Hierarchy, select an organization chart layout such as Organization Chart, then click OK.

• Open PowerPoint, Word, Excel, or Outlook.
• Go to Insert.
• In Illustrations, choose SmartArt.
• In Choose a SmartArt Graphic, select Hierarchy.
• Pick Organization Chart, Picture Organization Chart, or Circle Picture Hierarchy.
• Enter names in the boxes or paste text into the Text pane.
• Use SmartArt Design, Add Shape to add boxes above, below, before, or after the selected box.

Microsoft Support also notes that Add Assistant exists for organization chart layouts, not generic hierarchy layouts. Use it for executive assistants or chief-of-staff roles that should sit beside the manager relationship rather than below it.

To show a dotted-line relationship in SmartArt, Microsoft’s instructions are to right-click the line, choose Format Shape, open Line or Line Style, then choose a Dash type. Use that only for secondary reporting, not regular direct reports.

How do you create an org chart in Google Sheets?

Google Sheets can create a basic org chart from 2 columns: Employee and Manager. Google Docs Editors Help shows examples where Alice, Burt, and Mary all report to Carter, and another example where Marketing, Finance, Ops, and HR report to CEO.

• Create a Google Sheet with 2 required columns: Employee and Manager.
• Leave the top leader’s manager cell blank.
• Select the data range.
• Choose Insert, Chart.
• Set the chart type to Organizational chart.
• Edit labels if duplicate job titles make the chart unclear.

Google Sheets is useful when the source data already lives in a spreadsheet. Its 2-column model is simple, but it means duplicate labels such as Team lead can become confusing unless you add names, teams, or locations.

How do you create an org chart with AnyGen?

Use AnyGen when you want to turn a rough people list into an editable org chart draft without manually positioning every box. Give AnyGen the same 5 fields: name, title, department, direct manager, and dotted-line manager.

A good AnyGen prompt is concrete: Create an org chart for a 28-person SaaS company. Use a functional top-down structure. CEO is Priya Shah. Departments are Product, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Finance, and HR. Show dotted-line reporting for 3 project leads.

• Paste your people table or upload the source file.
• State the chart type: functional, matrix, divisional, or flat.
• Tell AnyGen the output use: onboarding doc, executive slide, team wiki, or printable chart.
• Ask for an editable hierarchy, not a flattened image.
• Review every manager line against the source table before sharing.

AnyGen helps most when the chart has 20 or more boxes, because manual alignment becomes slow. For a 6-person team, a template may be faster. For a 50-person department, an AI-generated first layout can save the repetitive work of arranging boxes and grouping teams.

How do you keep an org chart accurate and accessible?

An org chart stays useful only if it is updated and readable. Asana’s 2026 guide says teams should update org charts whenever roles, reporting lines, or team structures change, with many teams checking monthly or every few months.

Use one owner, one source table, and one update cadence. Example: HR owns the source table, department heads review changes by the 25th of each month, and the company wiki chart is updated by the last business day.

Accessibility matters because an org chart is a complex image. W3C WAI guidance for complex images says a 2-part text alternative is required: a short description that identifies the image and a long description that gives the essential information conveyed visually.

• Add a short alt description, such as Org chart for the Product department, June 2026.
• Provide a text outline below the chart: CEO, then each department, then each manager and direct report.
• Do not rely on color alone for departments; use labels too.
• Keep box text short: name, title, and department are usually enough.
• Archive dated versions when restructuring is sensitive or legally relevant.

Frequently asked questions