Google Sheets has a ton of built-in chart types that you can use to display a number of different kinds of data.
One such chart type that most people don’t know about is an organizational chart.
These charts allow you to show a simple hierarchy of an organization.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to make an organizational chart in Google Sheets
Table of Contents
What is an Organizational Chart?
An organizational chart (also called an org chart or organization chart) is a diagram that displays the structure of an organization. It usually has a vertical layout the shows the hierarchy of various roles within the organization.
Here is an example of a basic organizational chart:
Creating the Org Chart
Creating an organizational chart in Google Sheets is a pretty simple process.
The most important thing is to make sure your data is in the correct format.
To make an org chart, you will need two columns:
- The first column should have the role/position
- The second column should have who that person reports to within the organization structure
Here is an example of how the data should be formatted:
Once you have your data in this format, we can actually create the chart.
Here are the steps.
1. Select the range of data that will be used for creating the chart. Do not select the header row
2. Selec the Insert chart button in the toolbar or in the top menu select Insert>Chart
3. In the Chart editor, under the Setup tab, go to the Chart type section. Set the Chart type to Organizational chart
4. You will now have created an organizational chart for your data
Creating an Organizational Chart with Names
You can also create an org chart that shows the names if you hover over the role.
To do that the process is the same as the previous method, however, you need to have a column with the names in your dataset.
In this example, I will add a column to the right of my data that contains the names.
Once you have a column with the names, you create the chart the same way:
- Highlight your data
- Select the Insert chart button
- Change the chart type to Organizational chart
Now when you hover over a position it will display the name:
Editing Your Org Chart
Under the Customize tab in the chart editor, you have a few options for editing your organizational chart.
You can change:
- Node size
- Node color
- Selected Node color
This allows you to change the appearance of your chart if you would prefer it to look different than the default settings.
How to Save Your Org Chart
If you want to save your chart you can download it as a PNG, PDF, or SVG file.
To do this:
1. Select the three-dot menu in the top right corner of your chart
2. Select Download, and then select the type of file you want to download it as
Closing Thoughts
Organizational charts are pretty easy to make.
Again, the key step is going to be to make sure your data is formatted properly.
These kinds of charts are useful for creating a visual representation of the hierarchy of an organization, but you can also use them for other uses if you have other data that would make sense with a chart with this kind of vertical layout.
More Google Sheets Tutorials:
How to Make a 3D Pie Chart
How to Make a Combo Chart
How to Make a Radar Chart