Should an org chart contain personal names?

Internal versions usually can; external versions are better with role titles only. Even internally, check whether the audience actually needs to know individuals before dropping the chart into a chat group or a third-party platform, to avoid unnecessary distribution of personal data.

How do I draw a matrix organisation?

Draw the functional tree first, then connect project groups or committees to the relevant roles with dotted lines and annotate the project role on each line. When the matrix gets dense, split into two diagrams — one functional and one project-based. A single chart carrying both logics tends to be unreadable.

What is the clearest way to show one person in two roles?

For a short-term overlap, use a dotted line with the dual role written on it. For long-term parallel duties, merge them into one role box listing both areas — it keeps the same person from appearing repeatedly along a reporting line.

Does the chart need to go down to team level?

It depends on use. Onboarding and external material are fine at department level; scheduling, appraisal, and handover work may need team level. The deeper the chart goes, the higher the maintenance cost and the greater the risk of it being stale.

How to Draw an Org Chart: Levels, Reporting Lines and Dotted Relationships

Org charts look like the easiest diagram to produce and are among the easiest to get wrong. Most people draw reporting lines only and omit cross-team collaboration — technically correct, practically unusable, because in real work about half of all communication happens between people with no reporting relationship.

Decide the audience first

An external chart — website, marketing, bid documents — needs department level only, showing the formal hierarchy. An internal chart — onboarding, responsibility mapping, performance reference — needs roles and often names, plus collaboration lines. The two versions differ enormously in detail, and mixing them causes problems: too much detail externally exposes internal structure, too little internally makes the chart useless.

External: departments plus role titles, no personal names
Internal: departments, roles, names, plus collaboration and dual roles
Transitional: for reorganisations, colour-coded for added, removed, merged units

Solid lines for reporting, dotted lines for collaboration

A solid line means reporting: appraisal, appointment, resource allocation. A dotted line means collaboration: day-to-day coordination and information sharing, without appraisal authority. The two must never be mixed, or the meaning becomes ambiguous — a solid line between two departments leads readers to assume one manages the other.

Solid lines form a tree; everyone has exactly one direct manager
When someone has two solid-line managers, make the primary explicit
Dotted lines may cross and form networks, representing projects or committees
Annotate the line itself with what the collaboration covers

Levels, span of control, and arrangement

Depth reflects management layers; span of control reflects how many people one manager oversees. They trade off against each other: a wide span means fewer layers and a flatter organisation but heavier managers, while a narrow span means more layers, finer control, and longer decision chains. Showing this honestly is worth more than styling the boxes.

Keep boxes on the same level the same size — it signals equality visually
Arrange levels horizontally and align reporting lines vertically, never diagonally
A node with more than eight direct reports may need an intermediate layer
Show headcount as a small badge rather than extra nodes

Flag dual roles, vacancies and acting positions

Real organisations always contain these cases: one person covering two departments, a seat temporarily empty, someone acting in a manager role. Leave them unmarked and the chart misleads. Use distinct styling to encode status rather than explaining it verbally.

Dual role: connect one box to two places, or list both titles in the box
Vacancy: keep the box with the role title and a "hiring" marker, never leave it blank
Acting: annotate the box and emphasise it with a dotted border
In transition: keep the outgoing box with the start date noted so the chart does not churn

Maintenance: an org chart expires

Organisations change faster than charts get updated, so every chart goes stale. Rather than chasing permanent accuracy, stamp the chart with an update date and scope, and name who maintains it. Readers can then judge freshness themselves instead of guessing.

Always include a version date; an undated org chart is not a usable reference
Keep the source file in one agreed location so copies do not proliferate
Before sharing externally, confirm whether names should be included

Frequently asked questions

Should an org chart contain personal names?: Internal versions usually can; external versions are better with role titles only. Even internally, check whether the audience actually needs to know individuals before dropping the chart into a chat group or a third-party platform, to avoid unnecessary distribution of personal data.
How do I draw a matrix organisation?: Draw the functional tree first, then connect project groups or committees to the relevant roles with dotted lines and annotate the project role on each line. When the matrix gets dense, split into two diagrams — one functional and one project-based. A single chart carrying both logics tends to be unreadable.
What is the clearest way to show one person in two roles?: For a short-term overlap, use a dotted line with the dual role written on it. For long-term parallel duties, merge them into one role box listing both areas — it keeps the same person from appearing repeatedly along a reporting line.
Does the chart need to go down to team level?: It depends on use. Onboarding and external material are fine at department level; scheduling, appraisal, and handover work may need team level. The deeper the chart goes, the higher the maintenance cost and the greater the risk of it being stale.