Getting a process diagram on the web...

[eviledna]

Hiya,

My dept is implementing a new set of processes and I need to put them on our intranet site. There are 20 or so process diagrams and I need to display them on several different pages. The idea is that the user can click on a process box on one page, and it will take them to a specific box on a different page, or open a description of the process in Word etc etc.

I'm thinking about doing this in Visio, creating hyperlinks between the boxes/to files and then saving each diagram as a web page and embedding it in an intranet page. I was wondering if anyone had done anything similar before and how good/bad they found it to use Visio in this way. I may be pessimistic, but I envisage problems with the hyperlinks once it's all online on several different pages, rather than in one nice Visio doc!
Does anyone have any alternatives I should explore? Maybe an image map?

Thanks a lot!

 

[rvnguy]

eviledna,

I do not fully understand your hesitation on this.

VISIO can generate the diagrams you might use, while there may be other apps to do the same.

I have saved VISIO files as JPEG's and placed them in a web page. You can then create the link on the image. If you find a need to change the diagram you can simply replace the image file, the reference & link will still be functional.

If you mean by, "Image Map", an overview of the full process with multiple links at specific sub-processes that link to a more detailed diag of that process, then I might agree this would be a somewhat slick presentation and remains fully graphical for navigation. If not Please explain with additional detail.

If you use Visio to generate images of your diagrams I would think that this would be a pefectly fine use. I have not utilized Visio to generate an HTML doc as this would necessarily have to be manually edited to add any specific functionality.

Your idea of "one nice Visio doc" is also not out of the question as long as all clients can read/open it, but it does not utilize the power/functionality of the "Intranet" concept.

Let us know how you are progressing


rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[eviledna]

Thanks for your suggestions and comments. In the end I went down the route of using Visio to create the diagrams, saving them as gifs, and then producing image maps from them. It seems to be working OK so far and means all users can access the process diagrams easily and move between them (using hyperlinks) in a way that is most natural/logical for them.

 

[rvnguy]

eviledna,

Thank you for posting back.

I have not been visiting this forum until just recently and noticed that many posts go un-replied to.

Creating an image (gif or other)is exactly how I have used this in the past.

I am glad that you choose to use the web to deploy this and I hope that you remain satisfied with the results.

Having had user groups in transition(new to PC's), as I assume you might have, using a total graphical interface assists them in accessing the relavent information. This eases their experience.


rvnguy
"I know everything..I just can't remember it all

 

[ISOConsultant]

I have used Visio to produce a Quality Management System website. It was fine it produced a toolbar at the side with pan and serch functions which was very good. The only problem I encountered was links to external non-visio documents which were lost when saving as web pages.

ISOconsultant