How to Create an Org Chart in PowerPoint

Creating an org chart in Microsoft PowerPoint is an old-school, but trusted way to organize both your internal team and help new hires get onboarded smoother. PowerPoint offers pre-made templates and even a smart org chart building tool with lots of custom options.

The best part of making an org chart in PowerPoint is that it can be created in any version, whether it's Powerpoint 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 or Office365. If you or your company has access to Microsoft Visio, that’s another option available to you

Follow along in this guide and discover the best way to make an org chart in PowerPoint.

What is an org chart?

An organizational chart—or an org chart—is a diagram that shows every team member in an organization and who they report to.

An accurate and updated org chart is essential to any growing business. Its main benefits all center around information and communication. A company org chart acts as the source of truth for all of the roles and responsibilities within an organization–the DNA of a company.

What should an org chart look like?

Most org charts will give each employee an icon with their name, photo, and job title. Some org charts will also include contact information and a brief bio. These icons are then linked together by lines, much like the names on a family tree.

At a glance, you should be able to see:

• Which employees are assigned to different teams
• How reporting structures flow
• Who is ultimately responsible for various tasks and duties

The most typical org chart businesses use is an hierarchical—or pyramid—design. In this well-known structure, a founder or CEO sits at the top of the org chart and all teams report directly to that person. The result is a diagram that resembles a pyramid shape, and information at these orgs tends to flow from the top down.

Not all org charts have to follow this design. There are several different kinds of reporting structures out there that businesses follow according to their needs. For example, Google Cloud follows a flat organizational structure, where there are little to no management positions, while Microsoft uses a divisional structure, distributing power among different product teams.

Create an org chart in Powerpoint using a template

The simplest way to create an org chart in PowerPoint is to use a premade template.

1. In PowerPoint, click on the File tab, then click New.

2. In the search for online templates and themes box, type org chart and then click on the search icon.

3. Choose an org chart from the search results that fits your business type the best. Don’t worry too much about colors or the layout, both of those things are customizable.

4. Click Create

5. To replace placeholder text with your own, click inside each shape. Highlight the text you want to change and then type in your text.

To change the design, color or layout of an org chart…

1. Select the Design tab on the top ribbon and choose a theme from the gallery.

2. Click a shape in the org chart and SmartArt Tools should appear on the top ribbon. Click either Design or Format
3. On the design tab…

• Add more shapes to your org chart
• Change the style in SmartArt Styles
• Change the org chart colors with Change Colors
• Change the layout in Layouts

4. On the format tab…

• Reformat text with in WordArt Styles
• Change the shape styles in Shape Styles
• Rearrange the order of the shapes in Arrange
• Change the size and shape by clicking Size or Shape

Create an org chart in Powerpoint using SmartArt Graphics

Another option PowerPoint offers is org chart templates through its SmartArt tool. SmartArt are slightly more sophisticated graphics that come with a variety of custom design options. SmartArt graphics are also available in Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook.

Things you can do with SmartArt:

• Add pictures to position boxes
• Turn a solid line into a dotted line
• Easily change the hanging layout of your org chart
• Add hierarchy SmartArt

To get an org chart set up with SmartArt in PowerPoint:

1. On the Insert tab, click SmartArt (found in the Illustrations group)

2. In the SmartArt Graphic gallery that pops up, click Hierarchy. Browse through the different layout options and choose one you like. Then click OK.

3. Click on a box in your SmartArt graphic to add text. Microsoft suggests filling in your text after all the boxes you need are added. Click [text] in the text pane and paste in your text.

That’s all there is to it! Once all your positions have been added and the layout has been adjusted to your liking, make sure you go ahead and hit File → SaveAs to make sure you don’t lose any of your progress.

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