When Microsoft Office 2007 is released Microsoft introduced a new feature inside of Excel Word and PowerPoint
.
This is a feature that prior to 2007 none of the Office applications had.
And this deals with creating more complex diagrams through basic shapes.
This is called Smart Art.
Take a look through smart art.
We can create very fancy diagrams through a couple of simple clicks of our mouse.
Watch this.
I'm going to go up to my insert tab top of my screen on the Insert tab.
We saw illustrations earlier.
We had pictures online pictures we had Excel shapes that's where you got some of your basic shapes.
Now in the past if I want to create something like an org chart or maybe a process flow diagram.
I'd have to use basic shapes and really start to diagram this myself create all the rectangles in the
organization chart create the connector lines.
It was a huge hassle.
Well no longer now.
Right below the Excel shapes I have smart art and smart art are some canned out-of-the-box fancy diagrams
Tegel.
I'll give that Budnick like this opens up might choose smart art graphic window.
And I've got all these different categories of smart art that I can pick from fancy little diagrams
.
Let's see I'm going to go to a process and I've got all these process diagrams I can pick from.
I'm going to grab this kind of don't circle one here.
It's called The Circle x time line.
So I got some type of process that I wanted to demonstrate to my users over some time line.
Well through this smart our graphic are selected.
OK.
I can now diagram this process this time line process through these nice graphical shapes that give
me this nice little table here on the left.
I can start to manipulate the shapes and the content within those shapes.
So I'd say something like oh you know if I'm going through a document approval process this is over
some period of time.
So my first step in getting a document approved is I got to create the document.
So let's say create documents that spell that the right way which is a DRC creating the document was
called create document.
Now right now see the second step.
Once it's been created I then need to send it for approval and let's say oops I'll spell that right
.
Send for approval.
I'm Aspasia I get my spaces in there.
Now I've got two major steps in here creating the document and sending for approval.
Perhaps but perhaps there's some sub steps within each of those.
Let's say for creating the document you've got to do a brainstorm.
Maybe you're going to hold a meeting with your co-workers and you're going to brainstorm the purpose
or the design of this document then you're going to do the initial draft of the document.
All right.
Initial initial set right at the feel like I'm missing and I in there think I'm missing an I. You
get the point.
So I'm going to create the document that create the creation phase has two sub phases in there.
And now for sending approval.
I've got two steps.
I've got to send the e-mails in and I've got to collect the responses.
All right.
Now this particular diagram gave me two major steps.
But you know what I think I need a third one in this creation and approval of the document.
So what I'm going to do is after you collect responses ass responses I'll hit my enter key.
This creates a third additional subset but I don't want to that subset.
I want the next major step.
So I'm going to do here is up above.
I've got some additional tools with the smart select that I get two new tabs design and format on the
design tab underneath create graphic.
I've got the one sublets selected but I'm going to promote it.
I'm going to move it up in the hierarchy.
And now I've got a next major step and we'll call this line final approval.
All right.
That sounds good.
I've got this really fancy diagram that I could have created through the simple shapes that we were
talking about earlier but this is streamlined.
It's out of the box.
Fancy little diagrams that we can take advantage of just filling in the table a little bowl list to
create your smart graphic.
Now if you want to do some formatting with this you got all sorts of formatting options.
I mean it's like the border.
Not a specific shape but just the border.
I'll go up to my design tab and here I got smart art styles and you got all sorts of styles to pick
from and just hover my mouse over the top of these.
They're pretty slick.
It was Kennedy.
I think I'm going to run with this one here is was kind of neat.
Add some type of dimension to it gives it a little more 3-D effect.
That's a pretty slick one if you want to get into the nitty gritty of formatting your shapes you're
smart are all by yourself.
You not to use styles all of those are quick and dirty and just right away you can format your shape
but you can also go to the Format tab and you can do all your formatting to your heart's content.
Select the shape change the color.
Maybe I want my main shapes here to actually be a different color so I'll make these ones we'll make
an orange like that blue and orange it looks good together Actually scratch that so you can.
You don't have to stick with styles you can really do it on your own as well through the Format tab
.
But you got smart art really quick diagrams fancy diagrams.
Not just this one that you got a whole slew of them to pick from or chart's process flowcharts hierarchy
charts all sorts of stuff for you to work with.
Try it out.
I've just created a blank workbook here went to insert insurors smart our grad one that caught my eye
and now I'm just filling in the basics that make up this diagram and try format it as well.
Use a style or maybe hop over to the Format tab and format it on your own.
Try it out.