Building an Organizational Chart in Visio from Excel

Creating an organizational chart in Microsoft Visio from pre-populated Excel data offers a streamlined approach to visually representing an organization’s structure. This guide explains the steps to set up Excel data, import it into Visio, customize layouts, and export it as an accessible PDF.

Video Guide

Introduction to the Process

Microsoft Visio simplifies organizational chart creation, especially when starting with a well-structured Excel sheet. By setting up key information—such as employee names, reporting structure, titles, and departments—in Excel, you can quickly import this data into Visio, generating an organized chart in just a few steps. After importing, you can adjust the layout and prepare the chart for accessible sharing as a PDF.

Setting Up the Excel Sheet

In the Excel sheet, organize your data with these essential columns:

• Name: Employee name.
• Reports To: Name of the direct supervisor, which dictates hierarchy.
• Title: Job title.
• Department: The department or team associated with the employee.

Each row should contain a unique employee entry. The “Reports To” field must exactly match names to ensure the chart correctly reflects the organization’s structure. For example:

Name	Reports_To	Title	Department
John Smith	CEO	Manager	Sales
Jane Doe	John Smith	Analyst	Sales
Mark Brown	CEO	Director	Marketing

With this setup, Visio will automatically build the hierarchy based on each employee’s supervisor.

Starting the Organizational Chart in Visio

1. Open Microsoft Visio.
2. Select the Organizational Chart template.
3. Choose Create to start a new project.
4. Navigate to the Org Chart tab for import and customization options.

Importing Data from Excel

1. Begin Import: In the Org Chart tab, click Import. Choose Excel as the data source and locate your Excel file.
2. Map Fields: Visio will guide you to map fields:
   • Map the Name field in Excel to the Name field in Visio.
   • Map Reports To to establish the chart’s hierarchy.
   • Map Title and Department as desired.
3. Complete Import: Skip any photo-related steps if not needed, then select Finish to generate the chart.

Customizing the Chart Layout

Once the chart is generated, you can explore layout options to improve readability or align with your organization’s visual style:

1. Change Layout Style: Use the Layout button to explore vertical, horizontal, or staggered layouts.
2. Adjust Formatting: Change colors, shapes, and fonts to match branding or improve contrast and readability.
3. Manage Hierarchy View: For larger charts, use the expand/collapse functions to control how much of the structure is visible.

Exporting to PDF and Ensuring Accessibility

While Visio allows easy PDF exports, additional steps improve accessibility:

1. Check Color Contrast: Verify that colors meet accessibility standards. Adjust in Visio if needed.
2. Add PDF Tags: Use Adobe Acrobat Pro to manually add accessibility tags to the exported PDF.
3. Test Accessibility: After exporting, open the PDF in Acrobat and run the Accessibility Checker. Review tags, reading order, and alternative text for any graphical elements.

With these steps, you’ll have a PDF that better meets accessibility standards, though manual adjustments in Acrobat are recommended to ensure compliance.

Here’s how to create an organizational chart using a list in Microsoft PowerPoint.

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