Visio

Pros

Visio provides us with an unbelievably smooth user experience when it comes preparing any kind of flow chart, mind map, hierarchy, process diagram, and anything else you could thing of! Also, you get to export your work in pretty much every usable format available. There's almost zero learning curve with this one if you're familiar with basic MS software packages. I can't ever see myself seeking an alternative to this.

Cons

There's nothing to dislike! Anyone who might think that this is expensive will find that this is worth it after the very first use.

Pros

I like that I can use Visio to easily demonstrate workflows and process improvement ideas. There is a range of understanding for software like Visio. I do not use it to automate at my place of work, but I use it extensively for visual learners when implementing or discussing new processes, procedures, and ideas. Often I have co-workers take these designs and display them for their team as a physical reminder, others are more intuitive and I work with them to develop interactive workflows (with links, actions, etc.)

Cons

There are some elements to how you design that are not intuitive. I usually spend about 15 minutes with users who download the software to demonstrate how they can make their flows and diagrams. The organization chart is particularly more cumbersome than advertised, but even so, I have users who use it for this purpose. Online resources are sparse as well, and I often am troubleshooting when trying new methods.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Visio

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Visio

Pros

Fairly easy to use once you get familiar with the basics. Is a basic drawing package with lots of options. Not like AutoCAD, but better for the rest of us that don't need AutoCAD's special functions.

Cons

Some functions are not intuitive.
Some functions are greyed-out for no obvious reason, and why they don't function is not apparent.
The "Help" function does not provide specific help. It provides a range of things that might be what you are seeking, but finding specific help is difficult.

Pros

The icons were really great! They were split into clear and easy to understand categories. The ability to remove and add the visibility of the categories, made it a lot easier to stay focused on what I'm trying to do.

Cons

It was pretty laggy and slow, I think it may be because it's an older application, but much like Sway there were times it was being difficult.

Pros

The ease and familiar interface of Visio makes it quick for users to document processes.

Cons

The cost is a bit higher than some other products that are out there.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Visio