Visio Reviews

I am working as a business analyst and I used Visio for process mapping.

I like Visio because you basically do anything you want.

The templates are useful, for example, because we can implement a project using the BPMN template. It's very good that you have got that option.

This is a very straightforward product and I don't think that anything needs to be simplified.

It integrates with other products reasonably well.

I would like to see the project planning element improved, although it won't happen because Microsoft deliberately made it worse. They did not like the idea that you could actually plan a project with it, so they greatly diminished the capability because it was competing with Microsoft Project.

Back in the days before Microsoft got their hands on it, it was quite a capable system for managing small projects. If you were doing something that only had half a dozen people and runs for up to a year or something, Visio was perfectly adequate for doing all of the project planning. Whereas, from what I have seen of it now, you could not project plan making a cup of tea with it. They have completely emasculated the project planning capability.

I have been using Visio since it first came out, perhaps 35 years ago.

Stability-wise, it is absolutely fine. I have had no problems with it at all.

We have had no problems with scalability.

I have never needed to contact technical support. I've never had a problem.

For anything other than project planning, Visio seems to be absolutely fine and I recommend it. This is an excellent product. As it can do everything that I want it to do, I have not really considered any room for improvement.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

I find it really easy to use. 

You can customize the process very easy. 

You can also communicate with people ad they don't even need to have the tool. They can see the processes on the internet which makes it easy to collaborate with people that don't actually choose to use the tool. 

It's easy to use generally, due to the fact that it's really basic. 

It has also a lot of Planteria, I know how to paint in it, however, you can use different samples, depending on the structures that you want to draw. It has a lot of possiblities.

I'm working with Visio Plan 2. I find some lags on this tool. For example, I cannot manage the attributes. For example, for each figure of the process map, I cannot add any further information about it. I can't add the activity or the role that I'm using to relate to other activities. It is very limited by the information that I can use. Managing data is quite limited.

I would love to see five samples for each attempt that I include in my process. I would like to be able to add some extra information. For example, to be able to add some attributes for each item. 

To be able to extract a report for business project management notations would be ideal. Another solution, ARIS, lets you configure each item that you add to the Visio model process, and you can add some attributes that we cannot currently add. For example, calls to activity, main indicators, or a lot of descriptions, etc.

After that, to be able to export a report that shows the relation between the functions and the roles that you have related would be great. If it were possible to see different functions for each role and export it, that would be ideal.

I've been using the solution for a very, very long time. It's been about ten to eleven years at this point. 

The solution is quite stable. We haven't had any issues in that respect. It doesn't crash or freeze and it's not buggy or have glitches.

I haven't needed to reach out to technical support the entire time I've used the product. It's very basic and very simple, and therefore I've never run into any issues I haven't been able to deal with personally.

I'm actually currently looking into different options as I am finding Visio's capabilities a bit dated and limiting.

I'm just a customer. I don't have a business relationship with Visio.

For how I use the solution, it's quite good and does what I need it to do. It's unique in terms of drawing processes. That said, it is getting a little bit old. There are other solutions out there that offer many more functionalities and users can work with more information on them. That's really useful. Visio, on the other hand, doesn't have the same kind of capabilities.

That's why I'm currently looking for another application to use. I want to be able to export more information from the business process management notations. Visio could potentially improve on this, and, if they don't I will have to look elsewhere for a solution that can handle this.

Overall, I would rate the solution at a six out of ten due to its general limitations at this point.

As process improvement professional I map out current state processes either at the value stream or swim lane level, at times both. With current state I identify pain points and bottlenecks do root cause analysis, identify possible solutions, and make recommendations on which ones I think would be the most effective. Then incorporate them into a proposed future state. 

Once we developed custom templates and shape libraries it provided a common look and feel that our stakeholders have come to understand, which is helping them to develop a continuous improvement mindset. 

We are all familiar with it, and it is easy to use. There is a lot of flexibility, and you can create custom templates with standard shapes. 

It would be nice if we could develop a custom database. We have looked into this functionality, but all of the other solutions that have a database are very locked down, and you have to use them their way. You can't define your own systems, tools, and inputs etc. For example, if we have systems that are used in multiple processes, and we want to know what processes use those systems we should be able to query the database for processes that include a specific system. A uses case could be system X being phased out so we need to know what processes will be impacted, so that we can ensure that those processes are all taken into account in any decisions to replace that system.

Additionally, Visio should have the ability to capture metrics such as demand, work time, cycle time, .. for each step in the process. Then those metrics should be able to be linked to a spreadsheet to enable data analysis that remains aligned with the process map so that changes remain aligned between Visio and Excel. Other systems attempt to provide this functionality, but the spreadsheet functionality is not as robust as Excel. 

I have been using Visio for six years.

It is stable.

There are no scalability issues. We are a nationwide company, and there are around 5,000 users.

I never had to contact them.

I never used another solution long-term, but I have evaluated various and continue to see Visio as the best option. 

The initial setup was easy. It has been around for so long. All of us have used it before, so it is not like it was new to us. 

Good. 

Most other tools are expensive.  

I was already using Visio for years before evaluating other options.

I advise standardizing the file naming conventions so it is easier to find what you need when you need it. 

I primarily use the solution to make new core designs. I connect the designs to the projects I'm involved with. 

I love that interface a lot. I've been involved with design my whole life, and this solution is an excellent program in terms of assisting with design projects. You can work on quite large projects with Visio.

I've used the solution for so long, and I have so much experience with it, I'm quite comfortable using the technology.

The solution makes it very easy to make exciting pictures and designs. Everything is very intuitive and simple to figure out.

I'm not sure of the features that are missing. It's a pretty complete solution.

In some instances, I do feel that AutoCAD is a better solution to use. I find AutoCAD makes better lines and has a few better capacities.

The maintenance of the solution could be better. It might be better on a PC. I'm not sure.

I'm not sure if Visio is the best for 3D designs. One does have to make a bubble. It's typically better to do such designs in AutoCAD.

I find that, in order to get money, advertisers, etc., AutoCAD is a better solution.

The user interface could be more robust. It can export to AutoCAD, however it doesn't do so very effectively. You really struggle with exports as they end up exporting in different forms. It doesn't translate exactly. What is white in Visio ends up being black in AutoCAD. Ultimately, you have to go and fix everything. It's not that easy. You end up losing quality.

I've used Visio in the past 12 months.

In general, the solution is pretty stable. However, occasionally, we do experience a bug or glitch. 

The scalability of the solution depends on the project. You can only put it on so many devices. We have a rather large company, so we have quite a few people on the solution. Not everyone in our organization uses it. It's just specific departments. We're in telecommunication, and we use it in our department specifically.

I'm a big fan of support. They've been very helpful in the past. I'm satisfied with the level of service they provide to me.

I'm also used to AutoCAD and I can make beautiful designs with it. AutoCAD is more complicated, the final drawings are not better than with Visio. That's the main difference.

However, when you have to sell something like Architectura, the screen isn't as clean on AutoCAD.

The initial setup isn't too complicated. It's straight forward.

You have to spend your time with it in order to funny understand the solution in the beginning. It can be a little crazy at first due to the fact that there are a lot of rules we don't use. That said, it's not difficult to learn.

I'm not sure what the pricing is for the solution. I know that AutoCAD is very expensive, therefore, it's possible Visio is comparable.

I'm using the latest version of the solution.

I use Visio now, and I'll use it going forward. I imagine I'll always use it. I have used AutoCAD, however, I prefer Visio. It's my favorite as I'm so comfortable with all of the aspects of the solution after working with it for so long.

Overall, I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

We primarily use the solution for business process design.

The simplicity of the solution is great. It doesn't have a lot of menus, so it's easy to navigate. 

The fact that it's on-premises allows you to get fantastic speed. It's got a faster response rate, it doesn't lag, and it doesn't have any latency when you're working on it.

The solution has a very comprehensive set of icons. It has a BPMN location and a lot of other different locations you can use at the same time.

Microsoft offers great documentation of the product.

The reason we're moving from Visio to another program is the fact that you can link the library on ARIS or Signavio. These you have to save them on the save drive which as a collaboration. It's not working for us.  There needs to be better configuration at this point. We need something a bit more flexible in that sense.

The scalability is limited.

If you look at ARIS, for example, or Signavio, the flowchart combines all the details and with the click of a button I can create a process manager. That would be something that Visio could add. It would cut my workload in half. Currently, once I'm done with drawing the flowchart, I need to take it and put it in that document and then explain what the flowchart is.

We've been using the solution for four to five years at this point.

The stability is good. It's reliable. It doesn't crash on us, or freeze. I don't recall any bugs or glitches.

The scalability is average. It's not as scalable as other options. Organizations that need to expand it may run into issues.

We have about five to ten users on the solution at our company.

I've never required technical support. I can't speak to the level of service they provide.

That said, there is great documentation, so it's pretty easy to troubleshoot by referencing those if you need to.

We've tried ARIS and Signavio. We're still looking for a solution that can replace Visio for us. We're looking for something that can link our library.

In our organization, the IT department takes care of the initial setup. I wasn't part of the deployment process.

We're just a customer. We don't have a business relationship with Microsoft.

We're using either the 2015 or 2016 version of the solution.

The first question a company needs to determine how complex the processes are and how much depth, how much detail they want to document. If it's simpler and they want to get away from the flow chart and then present it somewhere else (such as on a PowerPoint or a report) Visio is a great option.

However, if you want to actually manage your processor, simulator, have a database, or have workflows in order to get approval within different departments or, for example, create documents after a flowchart, then I'd recommend other programs.

Overall, I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

I am an HRIS (Human Resources Information Systems) specialist. I use Visio for a variety of things.  

• I do work charts on it.  
• I do WiX (Windows Installer XML).  
• I do all swim lane mappings.  
• I do process mapping.  

That pretty much covers it.  

The ability to do my mappings is the most valuable feature in the solution. It is the reason I have and use the product.  

I am fairly happy with the program. That would be about 90 percent happy. There is not really much that is wrong with it.  

The only problem I tend to have is that sometimes when I am moving objects around within the interface I lose the formatting or it changes type or linking. You have just got to get used to the connectors not staying in the right spots or how they behave as you work with it and know how to repair it. When you are moving stuff around the joins sometimes just do not go where you want them to. That is the join arrow or shapes or connectors might intuit what you are trying to do in another way than you might intend.  

It is an issue with learning the user interface and working within the behaviors of the program. When you move stuff around and it might move off the visible page, you just have to know to resize to make it fit in the view again. That part of the interface could be more intuitive or left to the control of the user.  

We have been using Visio for least eight years although I think it is closer to ten, actually.  

It is a pretty stable solution. I do not experience much in the way of bugs or glitches.  

I do not really have experience with scalability when it comes to this solution. In my department, it is just me using the program. Outside my department, I guess our IT department and our business analysts use it. I know because we are involved in doing some work with the IT department and they use Vizio extensively. I would say there are like five or six business analysts in that area who use it. I guess if you need to scale usage, you buy another license.  

I have not had to contact technical support.  

Before using Visio, we did not use to do a lot of process mapping and our work charts were done in Excel. I was already fairly familiar with Visio, so that is why we got a Vizio. Vizio is a part of the package for the Microsoft suite, but it is an additional cost. So Vizio is not in the standard package but it is a product that is very compatible with familiar components in the Microsoft Office suite.  

The initial setup and installation were easy. It was even less than an hour, I think.  

Visio is about a $180 dollars to purchase. It is a one-time licensing fee.  

The only real comment I have for people thinking of adopting Visio is that it is pretty easy to use if you are looking for this type of solution.  

On a scale from one to ten (where one is the worst and ten is the best), I would rate Vizio as an eight-out-of-ten.  

Mostly, we're using the solution for working with objects and network diagrams and all the charts. I'm the deputy manager of quality assurance and we are customers of Visio. 

Most of the time we're dealing with designation so that feature we find very easy and useful because we have a continuation for the required flow symbols. It also provides access for profile pics for the designation. Sometimes there are other options, such as timelines, that I also use but less often. 

The inventory feature could be improved. On projects, there are sometimes inventory tasks that are lacking. Imagery could also be improved. I'd also like to see increased visibility. 

I've been using this solution for 15 years. 

The stability of the solution improves from version to version, although sometimes it doesn't feel very user friendly. Inserting visual formats creates issues with stability. That aside, it is stable. 

Scalability is good. At the project level, we have supposedly 1,000 users that interact with Visio. It's used extensively. 

I'm satisfied with the technical support. The documentation is reasonable.  

The initial setup was not complex because we had support and Visio assisted us with the deployment although it was actually carried out by our own company. 

The fee is per license and there are no additional costs.  

I'm comfortable using this solution and I would recommend it. 

I would rate this solution an eight out of 10. 

The primary use case of this solution is for process mapping, and to streamline simulations.

The most valuable features are process mapping and identifying responsibilities.

The design and the look and feel, need to be improved. Also, the pricing can be improved for organizations.

In the next release, I would like to see simulations capabilities and artificial intelligence included.

I have been using this solution for many years.

This solution is stable, we have not experienced any issues.

It's a scalable product.

Technical support is good.

The price is reasonable for individual use but for an organization, the costs is high.

There is an annual licensing fee.

It's a good product and I can recommend Visio to others.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.