What Is a Process Flow Diagram?
A Process Flow Diagram (PFD) is a visual tool that shows how the main parts of an industrial system work together—kind of like a map for engineers. It’s especially common in chemical and process engineering, where it helps teams understand how everything connects and flows. While it’s mostly used in those industries, the idea behind it can be applied to other types of processes too.
What Are the Benefits of the Process Flow Diagram?
A Process Flow Diagram (PFD) comes with several valuable benefits:
- Improves understanding: It clearly outlines how a process works, which is helpful for training and onboarding new team members.
- Supports quality control: By documenting the process, it helps maintain consistency and high standards.
- Boosts efficiency: It highlights unnecessary steps, delays, or bottlenecks that can be streamlined or removed.
- Helps in process improvement: You can use it to tweak an existing process or design a brand-new one from scratch.
Encourages collaboration: A visual diagram makes it easier for teams across departments—or even external partners—to understand and work together.