Avis clients sur Microsoft Visio

Avantages

As a Business Analyst cum Product Manager in Software Engineering, tremendous amount of documentation including business process diagrams, and flowcharts were part of my role in my previous product organization. Before learning Visio, I have tried many free apps, and capabilities with in word and struggled a lot.

While we make enterprise solutions by offering customization in our product suite, it is quite normal to study and analysis complex business processes of every new customer. To make a case - the process to be automated, solution, estimation, and design, diagrams and flowcharts were inevitable. Making diagrams eat a lot of time before Visio. Visio helped us to streamline this particular activity. It is pretty simple to copy an old diagram, make a few modifications and use it in another document. Another advantage in using vision is scope for modifications and less time to edit the diagrams.

The beauty of Visio is stencils and drag and drop feature to build diagrams. Also it is awesome to have an excellent repository of shapes.

Couple of times, I have used the organization chart feature. The import feature is very much helpful when we have a comprehensive reporting hierarchy.

Live data overlay which enables us to visualize live data in the context of a org structure, a business process, or a manufacturing process flow to get the big picture in one glance.

Once you master Visio, it is less likely that you switch to any other tool for diagrams and process flows.

Provision to collaborate on diagrams simultaneously is a big relief when many users work on a diagram

Inconvénients

It is a fantastic tool and no doubt on its capabilities. However pricing is heavy and the solution is subscribing to online version.
If the shapes show some meaning or suggest the purpose, Visio can be a bit more intuitive.

Avantages

There are a few strong points in MS Visio. First is its ability to work with vectors. It can easily import SVG graphics, edit their individual lines and then being able to export the SVG again. The export can also be done in PDF. This makes the whole experience of working with graphics like icons so easy. There is no need for programs like Illustrator or Inskscape. Another good feature is that Visio contains thousands of symbols from various categories like electrical engineering, mechanics, etc. That is also useful while building the flow charts and diagrams.

Inconvénients

One annoying part in Visio is combining the lines into a single plan so that it can be filled with a color. When you select all of the connected lines and click Join or Combine ( in Operations), the task is done without an error. But then when you try to fill a pattern or color into that area, it does not work, just because it did not really join the lines. I could never find a way to get this resolved. The only way is to keep trying by reconnecting the line again and again.

Avantages

Microsoft Visio is the best software for serving the purpose of diagrams designs. It's capabilities to provide the best diagram templates for data flow diagrams, floor plans, building plans are among the best features.
I have been using this software for preparing DFD's and flowcharts as part of my regular job requirements and I can say this is best software for such accomplishments since it offer varities of templates that I can just pick and go for doing my job with ease.
According to me what makes this software stand out is its ability to pick the data from the MS Excess and MS Access which makes it best piece of software for working on diagram requirements in an organization.

Inconvénients

Though it is very easy to use for those who have a little bit of experience using the Visio, however if you are starting with the software the you may find it little bit difficult to understand and get going so I would recommend anyone who is planning to use the software to spend some time with the software and get used to it and then you will find it easier and very useful and effective to accomplish your requirements.

Avantages

the simplicity and effectiveness of use, are characteristics that distinguish this powerful office tool.

Visio has themes that you can select for the realization of particular diagrams of both form and objects. This office tool can be included from the editable mode in other tools of the office itself.

Visio integrates all conventional office options into an ideal tool for diagramming. It has a simple menu like what we are used to with office, also of options that add value to the design.

You should not be afraid to insert images or elements because the tool easily allows it. I include a simple edition

Inconvénients

When I try to insert the editable visio in power point, the visualization is difficult to handle elements from there.

From visio to include an image the size can get to be very small, it is necessary to be attentive to the size with which you are designing from visio.

If you want to open a visio file in tools in the cloud, it is not an easy task, since the particularity of this tool is directly with Microsoft Office.

Avantages

Granted it was purchased by Microsoft from Visio Corporation in 2000 but it hasn't lost a thing, which is quite unbelievable. In fact, it has gotten better over the years. I have to say it is truly one of the most "beautiful" pieces of software I've ever used. From the flow of the user interface to the creation of almost any type of diagram, Visio has been there for me since day one. The ability to layer diagrams and images can not be beat. With some additional VBA work in the tool, it can not be beat for ease of use and flexibility. It can also connect to a database and create ER diagrams. It also has UML which can almost turn directly into code. Almost. It's not quite there. Yet.

Inconvénients

It will come as no surprise that the price is what is the most absurd. The pricing of the product lines will take this software out of reach of casual users. For doing any truly useful work, the Professional version is almost double the Standard version. Microsoft needs to lower the cost to increase its market penetration in some sectors. Otherwise, a solid all-around product.

Avantages

Visio 2013 has raised the bar for the challengers. While I already enjoyed using Visio 2010, I now really enjoy Visio 2013. The addition of the ribbon interface now makes it easier to set up and enter frequently used features along with providing a very workable interface to add drawings, pictures and any other diagrams needed to make business flow. I use this tool almost every day to produce and refine presentations to staff and managers. I particularly like the workflow diagrams which allow me to get my point across as to where the resources are used most heavily in day to day business.

Although I've looked at other tools, I still believe this tool is the best value for the money and for interoperability with other systems.

Inconvénients

While there is not much to dislike about this software, there are some features which leave something to be desired. An example is the ease of placing headers and footers on the diagram. Now, it seems that we have to use the title feature which only allows headers and footers as background layers for the Visio diagram. I'm not sure I like this feature. I think there needs to be functionality that allows the user more flexibility in designing and entering headers and footer with ease. The current functionality permitted by Visio 2013 is somewhat clunky. There should be an easier way.

Avantages

It's pretty powerful and full of features and niceties. Using this software, we've been able to fully document our existing network, document all upgrades and changes. We've even used it to integrate into our Active Directory network to build out organizational charts. It has shapes and templates for just about everything we've needed: org charts, switching and routing diagrams, individual switch cabling, diagrams for documenting our server racks, our phone system, work flows, and building layouts. We recently more than doubled the size of our building, and this software has helped us to document everything in the new building, and keep track of upgrades in our existing buildings. Software is easy to use, so our interns have been able to jump right in and start working with all of its features.

Inconvénients

It does seem to use a lot more memory than other Office programs, so it does tend to crash a lot on us. Mostly when we're using some of its more advanced features like integrating it into Exchange/Active Directory. Even still, it works well at what it does, we just need PCs that have a lot of memory to ease the user experience.

Avantages

Capabilities to go beyond simple diagramming, including the ability to use macros with layers to switch views within a single diagram. This alone once saved me the effort of producing multiple diagrams for the same workflow process, reflecting how groups of users with different permissions would "see" the same flow.

Inconvénients

1) Shapes only offer one text block. Classic example: database "cans", where I'd like to have a "name" text block within the oval and a "description" text block within the body. After all these years, surely Microsoft could work out a way to have two or more text blocks in a single shape (or on a single connector)!
2) Connectors love to re-route and are hard or impossible to "lock down" in complex diagrams, including both diagrams built "from scratch" and those using templates (e.g. organization charts).
3) Temperamental Templates. All of the templates I have used (organization charts, database relationships and home room layout in recent memory) have been almost as much trouble as they were useful. Apparently room layout is a particularly challenging task as I couldn't find a good non-Microsoft tool elsewhere either.

I'm fairly widely experienced creating business graphics with a number of tools, but not a full-time graphics professional. I use Visio to visually document systems and databases with which I work in software development and maintenance.

As such, I'm technical enough to understand something about the shape system, but with only a rare opportunity to "tinker" with Visio to try to "get it to behave". I'd really like more ability to "lock" connectors and shapes and richer text capabilities for both shapes and connectors.

Bottom line: Visio's ease of use has barely changed in years and is the single area that Microsoft should address next.

Avantages

Visio allows to the users to make a conceptual map of their ideas, through the creation of schemes what can show the actual condition of the company, where the changes has to be do, how we can improve our markket sector, how we are spending our money and how we are managing our budget, we can also fixed the key points to evolve or to resolve some probles of our company or business. We can do all this with a massive quantity of elements to show a precise image of our ideas and show how the thing are, and how the things could be in our company.

Inconvénients

The many disadvantage for many companies or little business it is the price, maybe some companies does not want to spend a great amount of money in a software who they think can be replace with a free software, another limitation it is associated with the team work, to represent a perfect image of the company you have to hear a every person involve or even the most of them, if you do not do that you can show a personal image, a personal problem and this cannot be the idea of all the company, that it is going to be your personal opinion of the problems of the company, you have to be beware of this.

Avantages

Visio is a software for diagramming from Microsoft, among its main features They highlight its intuitive interface according to Microsoft applications, the variety of available tools that allow the presentation of information effectively graphs and diagrams of different types, including flow diagrams, diagrams processes and flow charts. Its drag-and-drop functionality makes the activities to make them faster and more efficient by saving time and effort. Your integration with Office 365 facilitates the use of the diagrams developed in the other applications and has layout a variety of templates that simplify the work to its users.

Inconvénients

The only disadvantage I get in this software is that even though the various available templates may be necessary to turn to third parties to obtain some forms specific that are not included in them. In general this is a very program stable and with a wide range of tools and resources available that allow make and customize the graphics so that the user presents the information of a visually attractive and adapted to the needs of each project.

Avantages

One of the tools that I use with great frequency is the Microsoft Visio, it has helped me to capture or draw different aspects of the projects that I have the responsibility to lead or assign to my team.
The tools incorporated within Microsoft Visio allow giving that professional touch that allows to group flow of information and descriptions at the same time and end user is easy to understand.
Equally the different stencil that can be incorporated, facilitates and integrates the information, I have had the experience of searching for stencil of proprietary brands to be able to work with the hardware of my professional environment without any kind of problems.
And when presenting or exporting it is very easy, the incorporated help is very useful when clarifying a doubt.

Inconvénients

This wonderful tool to graphically capture ideas, projects, information flow and even design of structures, has its sales it is possible that it also has its point against, which is not much in micaso that could be for a person with little knowledge in really what If you want to capture, it could be a problem to know that there are thousands of stencils available that help create a more professional document.
Another one of the few points against could be that the tools of left side are hidden and it can be difficult to stop the novice user to obtain them again.
Of the rest I recommend 100% the use of Microsoft Visio

Avantages

It is a very stable software with time in the market that has been evolving in a fast and positive way, it likes a lot because it has multiple templates defined online, from different areas, in my case I use more than flow diagrams, network diagrams. , Organization charts and Work Breakdown Structure, the latest versions can be opened from the browser.
The advantage of making diagrams in visio is that we work on a grid sheet which allows us to order efficiently the components of the system we want to build.
Additionally the shortcuts help to optimize the designs because the elements are presented in a visual way.

Inconvénients

Visio presents several points of improvement as it should be the integration to the microsoft office package, because it is acquired with an additional license, which has an impact on Opex increase of our company, also the handling, multilayer must be improved being able to integrate designs of Printed circuit board in an easy way, or simple construction or industrial plans without getting the complexity of CAD software.

Avantages

I began my self-education as a graphics designer (and animator) on Visio. It is extraordinarily easy to use, once you familiarize yourself with the options, what things can do, how to arrange and adjust and manipulate shapes. It was quite easy to learn and some of the clunky features of the earlier Visio versions I was learning on have been improved with time. It's modernized with a ribbon bar and I find it easier to navigate and locate what I'm looking for. It doesn't overwhelm you with so many options with strange names that could intimidate new users, like Photoshop and programs like that can do. Although I'm not a fan of them, there are templates, which I understand can sometimes be balky when trying to use. I always preferred a new blank to work with. (I don't use templates in any of the software programs I have that offer them. It's just my weird thing.) If you can use it for free through your school or work, that's a bonus, because it is on the expensive side, which I'll address under the Cons of Visio.

Inconvénients

As I said above, the price is definitely a factor to consider. And I think the templates aren't always as user friendly as they should be, if you're the kind who uses templates. A lot of the things that I now know, as an experienced graphics designer and animator, were clunky and difficult and needed improvement, actually have been improved over the years, so the clunky, hard to maneuver issues from earlier versions is for the most part gone. There are still areas for improvement and a little imagination, but Visio is a solid, reliable, easy to use program, especially if you can use it for free.

Avantages

This tool is useful for me, I need to diagram and show the user the steps without being complex, they are guided quickly because the visual elements are simple.
In the area where I work, standards and procedures are made and our indispensable tool to make flow diagrams is Visio, as well as the company's organizational charts, it has an easy-to-use platform, it has pre-designed templates that help me guide me, it allows me to modify it. In a simple way, objects can be dragged and dropped and shapes can be adjusted.

Inconvénients

Actually not much that I dislike about this tool because I use it frequently, there are only things that I would change as more optimal because it makes the computer a bit slow, It seems that it uses a lot more memory than other Office programs, always We require the IT team to help us, it is also a bit expensive.

Avantages

In the past we were using more complex software packages such as Autocad or Illustrator to do some basic outline drawing for presale sketching (we're in the printing industry). Although we still use those software now for post sale work, we do a lot of presale stekching with Visio. It is simple, and allows to do up-to-scale plans quickly. I have also used Visio to do floor plans (office design, room dimension design) and although it does not have the visual aspect of some design software available today, it is very efficient in terms of planning for space, door placement, windows, furniture, ... Finally, we also have used Visio for flow charts for our quality system (ISO), and others.

Inconvénients

Slightly expensive for personal use. Otherwise for the intended use, I see no real problem with Visio

Avantages

I use Visio for so many things - Floor layout when I renovated my home, network planning, datacenter rack planning, flow charts and others.
It's versatile, easy to use, handles scalable drawings nicely - It's great.
I highly recommend investing the time in learning all the useful keyboard shortcuts, they take a bit of time to learn but pay back in time saved (Thanks VisioCafe for making this available for free:http://www.visiocafe.com/downloads/Mouse&Keyboard-Shortcuts-Visio2002.vsd)

Inconvénients

As always with the tools that are versatile - there's a learning curve, and for every single use case you can think of there might be a more dedicated tool that is easier / cheaper Etc. If you need versatility there's nothing like it, if you need only one area I would look for alternatives.

Avantages

Despite the fact that I work in an IT company and all our employees know how to use modern technologies, it turned out that the easiest Visio program is most convenient for creating graphic objects. Yes, imagine, I and my colleagues use this application in order to draw flow charts, various diagrams. And as I said, I'm personally attracted to the program by the ease of use with pretty serious functionality. Well and one more plus is that Visio enters into some office packages from Microsoft by default, that is the program does not need to be bought separately.

Inconvénients

Perhaps, I note that with extensive functionality you still can not create full-fledged drawings, it turns out that the program is designed only for creating visual graphics that are drawn without observing strict requirements, that is, you get simply colorful pictures at the output.

Avantages

Visio has excellent features that I will mention below.

This software is one of the best platforms we have found for the internal organization of our personnel based on the projection of strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, Visio offers the best scheme for the construction of corporate structures, defined in the hierarchy where each of the positions is defined according to the potential and weaknesses of the work team. In addition, it offers the construction of flow diagrams necessary to analyze the performance and average performance of each of the positions described in the structure.

Inconvénients

It is a somewhat difficult software to use. The times we have had to use it have had to be with the IT Department of our Management.

It would be great if this software could use it all, but for that, an instruction is required.

Avantages

What I like most about MS Visio is the ease of use. I feel that the tabs are well organized and cater very well to the user. The way the program is structured makes it very easy to create and develop with ease. The different tabs and options available are almost intuitive and follow an excellent progression and lay out all of the avaible options to the user. The visuals used are very appropriate and coincide with the program as a very visual based program as a whole.

Inconvénients

What I like least about this software is that I feel that I can acheive similar results using other MS software. Visio definitely makes it very easy to create, but there are features in other MS software such as MS Word and MS Powerpoint that allow for similiar and oftentimes suffieincient capabiluities for everyday designs. I turn to Visio when I really want something very unique.

Avantages

Being personally responsible for the company organizational charts and flow charts for each department I cannot say enough how much I love Visio! Visio has made the process of making the organizational charts extremely easy and quick. In Visio you can make your own chart without using a standard one that needs to be changed in every aspect. Visio allows you to customize your chart and gives numerous options for different positions, layout, shapes and sizes and all the different perks that you would never be able to get in a Word document or Excel. Also when it comes to flow charts this is the best tool out there! Our flowcharts are pages and pages long and in Visio you can continue your road without separating pages or documents. Obviously when you print it will be on multiple pages but when you are on the computer of a PowerPoint presentation Visio allows you to easily show your flow of production in a manner that is easy to understand, follow and more importantly easy to see.

Inconvénients

There is nothing that I dislike about the software. If you are computer savvy the possibilities of Visio are endless.

Avantages

Visio is a feature-filled diagram and flowchart creation tool. It includes many templates for diagrams, including network, commercial, and telephony device icons in order to aid in the creation of network topology diagrams. It also includes shapes and icons that meet the requirements for ITIL process maps. Visio includes templates for popular basic diagrams and flowcharts to get you started, and once created charts can be connected to real-time data sources such as SQL to display the data. Visio comes as both an installable application and an online web-based app that can be accessed from anywhere with a network connection.

Inconvénients

As Visio is distributed as a standalone install package, it can be hard to install alongside Office packages that have been installed with the 'click-to-run' installer. Although it does provide several pre-made templates, these templates could be re-vamped to look more modern and appealing.

Avantages

It is an excellent software for creating flow charts and flow diagrams. I've used it frequently when creating new programs to explain them to my coworkers, and since it is so easy to use and so intuitive I waste almost no time creating them. Its layout it is really comfortable and for anybody used to microsoft software it should feel really familiar.

Inconvénients

I have absolutely no complaints about visio, using it has been extremely easy and really rewarding, it has allowed me to take my flow diagrams to another level and I always get compliments on them from my colleagues.

Avantages

I am student of Computer science, and I have been exposed to different free software to make flowcharts for the programs I write. None, however, has been as flexible, graphically appealing, and easy to use (once you get the hang of it) as Visio. I like how there are so many objects you can use, how you are able to anchor these objects to ensure the relationships between them will remain as you have defined them, and how you can import images should you find it necessary.

Inconvénients

I would only say that learning how to use it is not necessarily easy, you need to know the meaning of different shapes and objects you are using, so things remain within standard conventions. I took an Information technology class in 2009 where we covered Visio. I am not sure if I would have been able to learn well on my own. Training for proper usage may be needed. This tool may not be intuitively learned.

Avantages

I develop games that are dialogue-heavy and use Visio daily to map out the lines, different branching narrative paths, and write notes to myself for later development at that point.

It's a very nice way to also deliver lines to voice actors as well, because they can see everybody's lines, in the order that they appear, with respect to different options, etc.

I've also used Visio in a professional capacity, as well as an educational capacity when I was pursuing my Master's Degree.

I will likely never stop using it.

Inconvénients

Visio clearly wasn't developed with my particular use in mind, but I can't knock it for that. I don't have anything negative to say, Visio is a great tool that can be used in a large variety of ways.

Avantages

Visio was my first diagramming tool. It enable me put my mental thoughts into diagrammatical flows and charts. Allowing me better critique my mental thoughts and visions.
Visio has got nice icon templates ,which makes the process of diagramming a while lot easier . 80% of my paperwork ,I do with Visio and I like how I am able to export my diagrams in multiple formats like png and jpeg , thereby aiding my ability to share my diagrams with my team.

Inconvénients

I want to see more training videos added to the help section. Visio isn't a very easy software to pick up ,especially for users who haven't used any diagramming program before touching Visio, therefore the need for videos to tutor new users in the act and craft of using Visio.