The Power of Flowcharts

See how industrial engineers use visual maps to make processes more efficient.

Industrial engineering is all about efficiency. At its heart, it uses the flowchart. By mapping out every single step in a process—like making a sandwich or assembling a car—engineers can spot 'bottlenecks.' A bottleneck is any point in a line that slows everything else down. Once you see the bottleneck visually, you can rearrange the workspace or simplify the steps to ensure that work flows smoothly without people or machines sitting idle waiting for the next task.

Try this at home

Draw a map of your morning routine from waking up to leaving the house. Identify one step that always delays you and see if you can reorganize your room to speed it up.

Background: NASA/ESA Hubble