How to Create an Org Chart in OneNote

It gets pretty confusing to manage roles and responsibilities under a busy team. An org chart keeps things clear, helping teams see where exactly they are fitting and how the workflows connect. This article will take you through the process of creating an org chart in OneNote. We'll explain how you can visually organize your team's structure in OneNote.

We are going to look at how the Shapes feature can help you create an org chart in OneNote. Then, we'll introduce Edraw.AI for more variations, and give you some useful tips to make your chart even better. This tutorial will help managers, team leads, or anyone who wants a flawless org chart creation journey.

Follow these steps to create your org chart and transform the way you visualize and work with the roles on your team. Now, let's get started!

How to Make an Org Chart in OneNote

Next, we take you through creating an org chart directly in OneNote. This process will assist any manager, team lead, or anyone who wants to structure a team's roles clearly and visually. Read the following steps to know how to create an org chart in OneNote without any errors.

Step 1

Open OneNote and log in with your credentials. Upon opening, it will take you to the window where you have opened any notebook or can create a new one by clicking Add Notebook. You will now have an empty page on which you can start creating your organizational chart.

Step 2

To create the structure of your org chart, go to the top in OneNote and click the Insert option. Click on the Shapes button. There, you will find various shapes. Choose the most suitable for your org chart design a rectangle or circle to represent positions within your organizational structure.

Step 3

When you have your shapes ready, you want to add text to them. Left-click anywhere on the canvas and then start typing any label or title you'd want. You can drag this text box and drop it inside the shape to represent specific roles or names. Align as necessary to have it best fit inside the shape.

Step 4

To join these shapes in perfect order, pick the arrow symbol under the Shapes section. Click the edge of one shape and drag the arrow to the other shape. You can draw links between all the different roles within your organization for relationships or reporting lines.

Step 5

You will find a Share button in the top-right corner. Use it, to get a link to your org chart. Send it to friends who can assist you in editing your org chart. In that way, their input will be really valuable for improving the chart and finding out some weaknesses.

Quickly Make a Better Org Chart in Edraw.AI

Although OneNote is capable of creating organizational charts, it does so at a pretty basic level. In OneNote, complicated organizational structures can take quite some time to figure out. Edraw.AI is more straightforward, with its AI tool arsenal coupled with an extended template library.

AI Diagram Generator and AI Mind Map enable detailed org chart creation with just a few lines of input. With over 700 professionally designed templates and 26,000 symbols, Edraw.AI caters to various industries. Its real-time collaboration feature enables multiple users to work simultaneously on the same project. This enhances teamwork and productivity.

Method 1. Using AI Diagram Generator

Step 1

Log in to Edraw.AI with your sign-in details or select the option of Google, Apple, or Facebook. Once signed in, select the AI Diagram Generator on the left panel. This is where you will implement the creation of an org chart by just typing out a prompt and letting the AI create an org chart layout per your needs.

Step 2

Click on AI Selection under the AI Diagram section. In the text box, type something like "Detailed Organizational chart for startup." This will set Edraw.AI going to get the structure you want. After you have typed the prompt, click Start and let AI create an initial layout that you can later edit to fit the needs of your organization.

Step 3

Once your chart is created, customize it using the settings you see onscreen. You can choose to visually represent different roles using different symbols under Brainstorming. On the right panel, choose from one of the themes, colors, and fonts to give a new look and feel to the chart.

Method 2. Using Templates

Step 1

Go to the Templates section. Search for "Org Chart" templates at the top, or filter by Org Chart from the dropdown. This will show the various types of pre-designed templates suitable for different organizational structures.

Step 2

After you choose your template, hover over each shape for the floating toolbar. This lets you change text, adjust layout, and set colors. Use the Style panel on the right to apply more detailed customizations, such as fonts, border styles, and connector lines. That will enable you to have your org chart adjusted for the structural norms of your organization.

Step 3

Click the Share button to collaborate by inviting others. Copy the link provided or invite your team members via email and let them edit. That way, everybody will have an opportunity to contribute and review an org chart and make the updates in real-time. This provides a seamless experience of team collaboration.

Tips for Making Org Charts in OneNote

Quickly Add and Arrange Shapes

If you are tired of manually dragging all the shapes one by one, this tip will help you. Use OneNote's Alt+Shift+Arrow Keys shortcut. This will enable you to move selected shapes or text boxes in small increments. This helps you to align them perfectly without manual dragging.

Align Shapes for a Cleaner Layout

To create a neat-looking org chart, use the alignment guides in OneNote. This will turn on as you drag shapes to align them vertically or horizontally with other shapes. Consistent alignment is very important in terms of readability and visual organization. It ensures that readers can understand your org chart at one glance.

Color-Code Roles

Distinguish roles by right-clicking on shapes and changing their boundary color. Consistent colors for like roles or departments clarify and make it easier for the viewer to see different levels or teams within the organization.

Add Notes for Additional Context

With every shape, you can add text to it. Further text boxes for notes can also be inserted using the Sticky Notes button to add contexts to a particular role. This feature enables the capturing of important details directly on the chart without cluttering the main layout.

Conclusion

It is an easy job to create an org chart in OneNote if you follow our guide. It provides all the basic tools needed to create an org chart that has a clear structure. You can customize it by adding the shapes and then labeling the roles. Alignment guides, color coding, and customization help make your chart readable.

If you want something quicker and more flexible, Edraw.AI might serve as a good option. Thanks to AI diagramming, extensive templates, and real-time collaboration, this tool provides an absolutely seamless experience when creating org charts. It could be just what you need to take your org chart to the next level. Try it out now!