Organisation Charts
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Organisation Charts

Abstract

Create an organisation chart with a labelled hierarchy. (Use a built-in organisation chart feature)

Impress does not have a built-in feature for creating organisational charts. To create one, you will need to use OpenOffice.org Draw.

  1. File->New->Drawing

  2. Format->Page. Select the Page tab. Click the Landscape radio button and click OK.

The icons on the Main toolbar that are relevant are shown in the following table.

Text: Use to insert a text box. A long click displays a floating text toolbar.

3D objects: Use to insert 3D objects. A long click displays a floating 3D objects toolbar.

Rectangle: Use to insert a rectangle. A long click displays a floating rectangle toolbar.

Curves: Use to insert curves. A long click displays a floating curves toolbar.

Ellipse: Use to insert an ellipse. A long click displays a floating ellipse toolbar.

Effects: Modifies the orientation, shape and fill of objects.

Lines: Use to insert lines. A long click displays a floating lines toolbar. See additional note below.

Connectors: Use to insert connectors between objects. A long click displays a floating connectors toolbar. See note below.

Lines and arrows: Long-click to open the Lines and Arrows floating toolbar, where you can add straight lines, lines with arrows, and dimension lines to the current slide. If you want, you can add an arrow after you draw a line by choosing Format->Line, and then selecting an arrow style from the Style box.

Connector: Long-click to open the Connectors floating toolbar, where you can add connectors to objects in the current slide. A connector is a line that joins objects, and remains attached when the objects are moved. If you copy an object with a connector, the connector is also copied.

There are four types of connector lines:

  • Standard (90-degree angle bends)

  • Line (two bends)

  • Straight

  • Curved

  1. Click the Rectangle icon on the Main toolbar.

    This will display a hairline.

  2. Click the position of the top left hand corner of the rectangle, hold down the left mouse button and drag to the bottom right hand corner. Release the mouse button when you have the correct size.

  3. The handles should still be still be displayed. If not, click on the rectangle to display them.

  4. Edit->Copy or Ctrl-C.

  5. Edit->Paste or Ctrl-V.

    This will paste a copy of the original rectangle on top of the first.

  6. Click on the top rectangle and drag it to the side of the first.

  7. Repeat the process till you have a number of rectangles as shown in the following screen.

  8. Long click on the Connector icon and select the first connector.

  9. Create a connection between the top rectangle and the rectangle on the far right of the second row as shown in the next screen.

    Using the connector: As useful way of adding connectors is to create them in a blank area of the diagram and drag them to where they need to be inserted.

    There are three handles on a connector. The two round ones at the end allow you to reposition the end points. The middle square handle allows you to reposition the central line without changing the position of the end points.

    Using connectors can be tricky at first and needs practice.

  10. Now repeat the process until you have the following structure on your screen. Some of the parts of the diagram are best create by using a number of straight lines.

    [Note] Note

    To create a uniform symmetric organisational chart, use the same method of copying and pasting for lines and connectors that you used for rectangles. Using the position of the lines and connectors, you can reposition the rectangles.

  11. File->Save as. Give it a name such as OrgChart1 or some other name of your choice. Draw will add an extension .sxd.

    [Note] Note

    Saving a number of outlines of organisational charts will save you a lot of time if you need to use them on a regular basis. You could even create a number of templates of organisational charts.

  12. Click on each of the rectangles in turn and select Invisible as the Fill color on the Object bar.

  13. Click on the Text icon on the Main toolbar and drag a text box into each of the rectangles.

  14. Enter details as shown on the following screen. The font used was 14 pt bold for the title and 14 pt for the name. Centre the text within the text box.

  15. File->Save as and give the file the name StaffOrgChart.

  16. File->Close.

  17. Window->Andromeda.sxi.

  18. Go to the last slide.

  19. Insert->Slide. Give the name Staff to the slide and use the Title only layout.

  20. Enter the words Staff Structure into the Title text box.

  21. Insert->Object->OLE Object.

  22. Click Create from file.

  23. Click the Search button and locate the file StaffOrgChart.sxd that you have just created and Click OK.

  24. Click and drag the chart so that it is correctly positioned on the screen as shown below.

  25. Click outside of the chart.

  26. File->Save

View the slide show

At this stage, you are probably wondering how the slide show appears.

  1. Go to the first slide.

  2. Press F9.

  3. Press Enter to go to the next slide.

Create a chart in Impress

In the description above, you opened Draw and then created an organisational chart. This has many advantages. You may, however, create the chart in Impress itself as follows:

  1. Insert a new slide using the Title, Object layout.

  2. Click on the Object icon in the slide.

  3. Select OpenOffice.org Drawing.

  4. Click OK.

    You may now create a chart in the drawing area in exactly the same way as you did using Draw.

The advantage of this method is that you are able to construct a table more accurately for the dimensions of the slide.

  • Recreate the Staff slide using this method.

Change the hierarchical structure of an organisation chart

Changing the hierarchical structure of an organisational chart involves selecting and dragging the components of the chart to their new positions. The easiest way of dragging an element is to click on it and hold down the left mouse button. Then drag the object to its new position and release the left mouse button.

Group objects

In moving items on a chart, it is useful to be able to group several at once. This will allow you to work with the set of objects as if it were a single object. This makes repositioning of several objects that much easier.

In order to create a group, you will need to select all the objects in the group.

  1. Hold down the Alt key and click each of the items making up the connectors, rectangles and text boxes of the two demonstrators on the second level. A good way of finding out the individual elements is to click on part of the structure until you have a clear idea of the individual elements.

  2. Modify->Group or press the Group icon, .

    The selected objects will now be treated as a single object.

  3. Drag the group to a new position as shown below. Notice that the anchor of the one connector is still attached to the top level.

  4. Keeping the previous group selected, Modify->Ungroup.

  5. Select the the text box and rectangle of Development and group them with Modify->Group.

  6. Drag this item so that it is positioned symmetrically under the top level.

  7. Adjust the positions of the rectangles, text boxes and connectors so that you have a diagram such as the one shown below. You can make the process simpler by using Modify->Group freely.

  8. Click outside the chart.

  9. File->Save

Using the features of Draw to create and modify organisational charts will take practice. Once you become familiar with the process, it is quite straight forward, but it is important that you practice it repeatedly until you can work fluently.

Add, remove managers, co-workers, subordinates in an organisation chart

Remove an element

  1. Go to the Staff slide.

  2. Double click on the organisational chart.

  3. Hold down the Alt key and click all the elements comprising the Accounts element.

  4. Press Del.

  5. File->Save

Add a subordinate

Suppose we wish to add a subordinate for the two Demonstrators.

  1. Click on any rectangle.

  2. Edit->Copy.

  3. Edit->Paste.

  4. Drag the copy to midway below the two Demonstrators.

  5. Insert a text box inside the rectangle and enter the word Assistant in 14 pt bold. Centre the text in the rectangle.

  6. Add connectors as shown in the next screen.

  7. Click outside of the chart.

  8. File->Save

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