Microsoft Visio (all versions)

Overview

With its large collection of pre-defined shapes and intuitive interface Visio makes the job of creating professional looking diagrams easy.

This courses will show you how to use Visio’s extensive features to create and edit a selection of diagrams (such as a floor plan, organisation chart, wiring diagram or process flow diagram).

Duration

1 day per level

Level 1 - New User

• Overview of Visio features and capabilities (including features specific to your version)
• Functional elements of the Visio screen (including task panes and the various mini ‘windows’)
• Creating a new diagram from scratch (including page setup and setting the drawing scale)
• Working with basic drawing tools (e.g. lines, arcs, circles, boxes)
• Using the drawing guides, grid and ruler
• Using pre-defined templates, stencils and ‘shapes’
• Working with text (including using the ‘text block’ tool & formatting options)
• Using the  ‘Pan & Zoom’ window to move around the diagram
• Using the ‘Size & Position’ window to control shape parameters (including the ‘pin’ position for rotating)
• Linking shapes with ‘connectors’ (including using ‘AutoConnect’*)
• Manipulating & editing shapes (including re-sizing, moving, copying, rotating, stacking, aligning, distributing & grouping)
• Applying a design Style or Theme* to your diagram
• Adding a background page to your diagram
• Aspects of good design and layout
• Printing your work (including using headers & footers)
• Practice with a selection of diagrams of your choice
    

* Versions 2007 and 2010 only

Level 2 – Regular User

This courses builds upon the skills covered in Level 1 to allow you to create custom diagrams with a higher degree of automation and visual impact.

• Working with Layers (e.g. to hide details or lock them against changes)
• Creating your own custom Shapes and Stencils
• Merging two or more shapes using shape ‘operations’ (such as union, combine, fragment, intersect and subtract)
• Locking & Protecting shapes from accidental changes
• Sharing stencils with other users
• Using the ‘Document Stencil’ to globally update shapes
• Checking a shapes area and perimeter values
• Adding data to a shape (using the ‘Shape Data’ window)
• Creating your own custom data fields (e.g. to meet your organisations specific requirements)
• Creating a ‘report’ based on shape data (either displayed in the diagram or saved as an external file)
• Importing shape data from an external source (such as an Excel sheet or Access database)*
• Linking data to shapes (both manually and automatically)
• Updating and refreshing your diagram with new data
• Using ‘Data Graphics’ to visually indicate data trends and values**
• Analysing data visually with ‘Pivot Diagrams’**
• Working with multiple pages
• Practice with a selection of diagrams of your choice
    

* Requires Visio Professional
** Visio 2007 or 2010 Professional only