Creating an Organization Chart

One of the tools available in Excel is the ability to create organization charts. You do this by just choosing Diagram from the Insert menu. Excel displays the Diagram Gallery dialog box, which shows six different types of diagrams you can add to your worksheet. (Click here to see a related figure.) The default diagram type is Organization Chart. Click OK, and the chart appears in your worksheet as a graphic object.

Along with the actual organization chart, Excel displays the Organization Chart toolbar whenever the chart is selected. This toolbar allows you to add different boxes to the chart (using the Insert Shape drop-down menu), as well as to specify how the chart should be organized (using the Layout drop-down menu).

In Excel, organization charts are made up shapes and lines. Lines are automatically added or removed as you add or remove shapes. If you would like to change the formatting of any of the elements in the organization chart, right-click on the element and choose Format AutoShape from the Context menu.