An organisation chart shows who does what in a company and who reports to whom. HR teams need one for onboarding and policies, owners need one for a bank, a tender or an investor, and every company profile looks more credible with one.
This guide shows you the standard organisation chart format, three ready examples (a small trading business, a manufacturing plant and an IT company) and a free Excel template you can fill in and turn into an editable PowerPoint chart in a couple of minutes.
What an organisation chart is called
The same diagram goes by several names: organisation chart (British and Indian spelling), organizational chart (American spelling), organogram, org chart or hierarchy chart. They all mean a diagram of roles and reporting lines.
The standard format
Every organisation chart, simple or detailed, follows the same rules.
Each box shows:
- the person’s name
- their designation (job title)
- optionally the department, as a colour or a label
- optionally a photo, for team introductions
The structure:
- The top person (managing director, CEO or plant head) sits alone at the top.
- Each level below sits on one row, so the reporting levels are easy to read.
- A solid line joins each person to the one manager they report to.
- A dotted line, if used, shows a second, informal reporting line.
- People in the same department share a colour.
The information behind it is just a list. If you can fill in four columns, you can make any organisation chart:
| Name | Job title | Reports to | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajesh Mehta | Managing Director | Management | |
| Sunita Rao | Sales Manager | Rajesh Mehta | Sales |
| Arjun Nair | Sales Executive | Sunita Rao | Sales |
| Imran Khan | Accounts Manager | Rajesh Mehta | Accounts |
| Neha Gupta | Accounts Assistant | Imran Khan | Accounts |
“Reports to” is the manager’s name, written exactly as it appears in the Name column. Leave it empty for the top person only.
The four common types
- Hierarchical (top-down): the classic tree. Most Indian companies use this one.
- Functional: the same tree, grouped clearly by department such as sales, accounts and operations.
- Flat: few levels, many people reporting to one leader. Common in small teams and startups.
- Matrix: people report to a department head and also to a project lead. Draw the second line as a dotted line.
The three examples below are hierarchical, coloured by department.
Example 1: a small business (12 people)
A trading or distribution business with a managing director and four departments. Things to notice:
- The managing director has four direct reports: sales, accounts, operations, and HR and admin.
- Sales includes customer support, because in a small business they usually sit together.
- Operations covers purchase, the warehouse and delivery. The delivery executive reports to the warehouse supervisor, not directly to the operations manager.
- With only 12 people the whole company fits on one slide, easily readable.
Example 2: a factory or manufacturing plant (15 people)
A plant led by a plant head, with the functions most factories have. Things to notice:
- Production has the shift supervisors and the planning engineer (PPC).
- Quality, maintenance, and stores and purchase each have their own head, because they need to be independent of production.
- Safety (EHS) reports directly to the plant head. Many plants keep safety outside production, so it can stop unsafe work without pressure from output targets.
- HR and admin and accounts are usually small teams at plant level, often linked to head office.
Example 3: an IT company (15 people)
A software services or product company led by a CEO. Things to notice:
- Technology is led by the CTO, with an engineering manager for the developers and QA, and DevOps reporting to the CTO.
- Product (product manager and designer) sits apart from technology, so priorities and building are balanced.
- Sales and delivery are separate: one wins clients, the other keeps them happy.
- HR reports to the CEO, which is typical while a company is this size.
Get the free template
Download the free organisation chart template (Excel)
The file has five sheets: the three examples above, a blank “Your team” sheet and a short “Read me”. In “Reports to” you can pick the manager from a drop-down list, which avoids spelling mistakes. The names in the examples are made up.
Turn the list into an editable PowerPoint chart
Drawing boxes and lines by hand takes a long time, and redrawing them every time someone joins is worse. There are three ways to do it faster:
- Free Org Chart Maker (fastest). Open Org Chart Maker, upload the template (or paste your list), pick the sheet, choose to colour the boxes by department, and download the PowerPoint. Every box and line is a normal PowerPoint shape, so you can edit it later. It is free with no sign-up for charts of up to 15 people (with a small “Made with Bundle Slide” line); any pass removes the limit and the line. Your list is read in your browser and never uploaded.
- PowerPoint’s own SmartArt. In PowerPoint, choose Insert, SmartArt, Hierarchy, Organization Chart, and type each name into a box. It works well for small teams, but you build and update it by hand.
- A designed template. If you want a more decorative chart, with photos or icons, browse the org chart PPT templates and type over the names.
For a company introduction, the Company Profile PPT template includes a leadership slide, and the Employee Onboarding PPT template has a “how we are organised” slide for new joiners.
Common mistakes
- Spelling a manager’s name two ways, such as “Sunita Rao” and “Sunita R.”, which breaks the reporting line. Pick the name from the list.
- Two people with the same name. Add an initial or surname to tell them apart.
- Too many levels on one slide. For a large company, put the top levels on one slide and give each department its own slide.
- Forgetting vacant posts. Show an open position as a box such as “Vacant – Sales Executive 2”, so the chart reflects the real plan.
- An out-of-date chart. Update it whenever someone joins, leaves or moves, and put the “as on” date in the slide title.
Frequently asked questions
What is the format of an organisation chart? A top-down tree: the head of the organisation at the top, each reporting level on its own row, and a line from each person to their manager. Each box shows the name and designation, and often the department as a colour.
What is the difference between an organisation chart and an organogram? None. Organogram is another word for organisation chart, used often in India and the UK.
How do I make an organisation chart in Excel? Make a list with four columns: Name, Job title, Reports to and Department. Excel’s SmartArt (Insert, Illustrations, SmartArt, Hierarchy) can draw a small chart by hand. To turn the list into a chart automatically, upload it to the free Org Chart Maker and download it as PowerPoint.
Can one person report to two managers? On paper, yes, with a dotted line. Most tools, including Org Chart Maker, use one manager per person; add the dotted line by hand in PowerPoint afterwards.
How often should an organisation chart be updated? Whenever the team changes. Many companies also review it every quarter, before audits, tenders and annual reports.