Microsoft Visio is diagramming software that can be used for many different purposes.  Visio has been around for a number of years, each version differing slightly from the previous one.  Visio 2010 has recently been released and now features the “Ribbon“, a replacement for the menus and toolbars introduced to other Microsoft Office applications in the 2007 version.  All the tutorials in this series feature Visio 2007, although the techniques described will generally work in earlier versions.

Microsoft Visio is sold in two editions; Standard, and Professional.  There is also a Student edition available to those in education and faculty staff, and this is also based on the Standard edition.  The main difference between the versions is the number and complexity of templates, stencils and shapes offered, and the ability to connect a drawing to a data source.

So what is it used for?  It is used as a general purpose business tool by a number of organizations around the world.  The most common uses are for creating flowcharts and organisation charts, but Visio can do much more than this.  It can be used to create:

Process Diagrams
Engineering Drawings
Architectural Drawings
Workflow Diagrams
Network Diagrams
Timelines
Gantt Charts

and many more types of drawings and diagrams.  There are alternatives to Visio available, but the majority of Visio users need the ability to integrate Visio drawings with the other Microsoft Office suite applications, and the advanced data connection facilities which the other titles do not have.

Visio makes life easy for the novice user and the experienced practitioner alike by offering simple “get started” screens on start up, and a wide choice of templates to quickly get your drawing started.  Visit www.visio-tutorial.com for more helpful FREE tutorials.