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An organizational chart is one of the most valuable tools you can give your company. Org charts offer a wide variety of benefits, from attracting investors to boosting productivity.

There are a number of tools available to help make the process as easy as possible. But which org chart creator is best?

While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to that question, there are principles that can help you find the right answer. Here’s how to choose the right org chart creator for your company.

1. Know your goals

The first step when choosing an org chart creator is to determine how you want to use your org chart. Creating an org chart can help you:

• Increase transparency
• Attract more investors
• Hire better employees
• Speed up the onboarding process
• Boost productivity
• Build stronger teams

Which benefit is most important to you? Some org chart creators will be more useful than others in certain areas. Knowing what matters most to you can help you make the right choice.

2. Choose between a manual or automated org chart creator

Different org chart creators will require different time commitments. This includes both the time needed to build an org chart and to adjust it later. The biggest determining factor in this is whether the process is manual or automated.

Some org chart creators will generate an org chart automatically using an existing source, such as an HR management system or a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Most of these automated org chart creators will also update the org chart each time you make a change to your source database.

Other org charts are manual. This means you must set up and maintain the org chart yourself. (Though you will still have the option to work with a template if you choose.)

It’s worth noting that automated org chart creators aren’t always better. For example, most automated options can only draw data from a single source. Of course, many companies have their information spread out over multiple HR systems and collaboration tools.

If this is the case for your company, compiling this information to generate an automated org chart could be as time-consuming as manually building your own. Plus, if your organizational structure rarely changes, having an automated update feature may not be worth the extra investment.

Start by considering the unique needs of your organization, then determine whether an automated or manual org will best meet your needs.

3. Decide how employees will access the org chart

There are a few options for how employees can access an org chart, such as:

• In a browser
• Through a desktop application
• Through a mobile application
• Embedded into an intranet system

Some org chart creators only have one or two of these capabilities, while others offer them all. This can help you narrow down your options.

For example, if you want your employees to be able to access your org chart through a mobile application, this will exclude any org chart creators without that feature.

For added value, consider setting up a public org chart. This will provide you with even more benefits than a private, internal org chart.

4. Pick your features

Org chart creators come in all shapes and sizes, from lean, free tools to robust platforms bursting with features. These features may include:

• Scrolling and zooming for navigation
• Search function
• Employee profiles
• Department and team overviews
• Public job listings
• Newsletter capabilities
• Automatic chart updates
• Extensive options for customization

But when it comes to org chart features, more isn’t always better. Too many features can make things more complicated than they need to be. Sometimes, a bare-bones approach is best for everyone.

Once again, your unique needs and goals will determine what’s right for you.

5. Determine what information you want employees to share

Employee profiles are an especially useful way to enhance your company’s org chart. Letting employees share personal information will help streamline workflows and strengthen your teams.

In an org chart profile, you may find an employee’s:

• Headshot
• Job title
• Department
• Team
• Direct reports
• Indirect reports
• Bio
• Contact info
• Social media links
• Education
• Work history

Of course, not all org chart creators offer detailed employee profiles. By deciding how much information you want your employees to share on their org chart profile, you can exclude platforms that don’t meet your needs.

6. Define customization needs

Do you want a ready-made org chart from a template? How important is it to you that you can customize the design of your org chart?

Designing your own custom org chart may be your dream. Maybe you’re ready to sift through chart templates and scour libraries of icons and lines — then bring it all together with the perfect color scheme. If so, there are plenty of highly customizable org chart creators available.

On the other hand, customizing may be more trouble than it’s worth for you. If that’s the case, there are great org chart creators that will make it easy to set up a stylish, effective org chart in no time.

(Those products will typically cost less, too. You may even find a free platform that works for you.)

7. Set a budget

Org chart creators come with a wide variety of price tags. For example, starts at $8 per month, starts at $119 per month, and The Org is completely free.

Depending on your needs and goals, it may be worth investing in an org chart maker. However, if you don’t need all of the features that a more expensive tool may offer, you could end up paying for a host of options you never use. A cheaper alternative might suit your company better.

And when possible, nothing beats free. Operating a company is already expensive enough without adding extraneous costs. If there’s a free platform that meets your needs, why add unnecessary strain to your budget?

8. Find the org chart creator that works for you

As we’ve seen, there are plenty of variables to consider when picking an org chart creator. There’s no definite “right answer” for the best choices, either. But by following these steps, you can find the right option for your company.

Best of luck! We’re rooting for you.

Try The Org free today!

The Org is a free platform that lets you create a public org chart and share it with the world. That way, you can demonstrate your commitment to building a more transparent company. You can also browse the org charts of other companies to see how they’re structured. This includes global brands such as:

• Google
• Tesla
• Amazon
• Apple
• Microsoft
• Uber

Plus, The Org doubles as a job posting platform, letting you advertise job openings and attract better employees. Job seekers can see how you’ve structured your company and who they might be working with. Then, interested candidates can apply directly through The Org itself.

The Org has an intuitive, user-friendly design that makes it easier than ever for companies to enjoy the benefits of an org chart. Employees can fill out their own profiles with whatever details they choose to include, helping them show off their talents and connect with their colleagues.

Best of all, The Org is completely free. There are no paid plans or hidden fees. You can embrace all the benefits of a public org chart without spending a dime.