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Founder at AC Lean
Real User
Extremely agile, user friendly with many useful templates
Pros and Cons
  • "It's very agile and user friendly with a lot of templates."
  • "Lacks the ability to analyze the different relations between activities, positions and roles."

What is our primary use case?

I analyze and model processes for optimization. We are customers of Visio and I'm a founder of the company, working as a process consultant.

What is most valuable?

It's a very agile product because I can map and model a process extremely quickly. It's user friendly and there are a lot of templates I can use that are really useful. I like very much that I can publish the different models I've created with my clients and they can view the entire process, it's really useful. It provides a lot of advantages because you can see the inefficiencies visually, and it's really easy to analyze and to detect different inefficiencies in order to improve the process.

What needs improvement?

I'd like to be able to extract different data from different relations between the objects I create and I'd like the ability to analyze the different relations between activities, positions and roles. Visio can't give me this functionality. I would also like to be able to introduce more information in each object. For example, to include some codes or name or description of the activity, to be able to introduce more data in the object. To have this information in the objects would be great. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for six months.

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Visio
November 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

From my clients' perspective, it's really scalable. It can be used in any type of company. I think it's really useful for any person that is working for a company with a wide range of processes. I'm the only person in my company who uses it and I'll continue to do so because it's so user friendly. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used Aris for a short period of time several years ago. It was a good experience but a more expensive solution. I'm evaluating it again and depending on the conditions the company offers, I might start using it again. I can keep using Visio even if I start using Aris as well.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy. With 365 it's very fast. It's good. I think I was able to deploy in 30 minutes. I did it myself although I was in contact with the chat bot at the beginning to ask some questions.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I pay a monthly fee to Visio.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend the product and I think it's very useful for any person that works in a company where you need to visualize the process you work in and to analyze ways of improving. 

I would rate this solution more highly if it was easier to extract data but for now I rate Visio an eight out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Real User
Top 20
Creates impressive diagrams that we use in digitalization projects, but its initial setup is a bit complex
Pros and Cons
  • "The diagrams Visio creates are quite impressive in the sense that we can cooperate with more colleagues in one task and see the flow of the process."
  • "The solution's initial setup was a bit complex for me."

What is our primary use case?

We use Visio for some digitalization projects we have.

What is most valuable?

The diagrams Visio creates are quite impressive in the sense that we can cooperate with more colleagues in one task and see the flow of the process.

What needs improvement?

The solution's initial setup was a bit complex for me.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio for two to three months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution a seven out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Visio is a scalable solution. Around ten users, including the major project manager and their colleagues, use Visio in our organization.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have some minor experiences with monday.com. Although its pricing plan and features were quite impressive, it was not good for us.

What other advice do I have?

When we have to estimate for the annual budget planning to control costs, it is very important, as a government agency, to have some kind of KPIs, like total ownership costs and different types of efficiency KPIs. We were able to monitor our processes in a custom-made dashboard. At the moment, we would like to improve the level of integration because the solution is used very isolated and needs a lot of workaround.

Around two to three people, including engineers and IT specialists, are required to deploy and maintain the solution.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Visio
November 2024
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Process engineer at Siemens Industry
Real User
Top 5
Basic process diagramming tool
Pros and Cons
  • "The valuable feature about Visio is it has all the basic tools for creating processes."
  • "Visio's scalability could be improved. I had a license through my school and it would have been great to be able to collaborate with more people."

What is our primary use case?

My primary use case of Visio is diagramming. It's useful for diagramming any type of process you would want to describe. 

What is most valuable?

The valuable feature about Visio is it has all the basic tools for creating processes. 

What needs improvement?

Visio's scalability could be improved. I had a license through my school and it would have been great to be able to collaborate with more people. 

As for additional features, all these tools differ and Visio has the basics. I don't think it needs to be something more because it's Visio, it's a Microsoft product. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is okay. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability could be improved. When I was in school, it wasn't possible to collaborate with others. 

How are customer service and support?

I have never contacted Microsoft's technical support. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation was straightforward and I had no problems. It's the same installation process as other Microsoft software: you pay for it, a few clicks, and you're there. 

What about the implementation team?

I implemented this solution myself. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Visio is the cheapest solution because it has the basics. Everyone starts with Visio for designing processes because doing it in PowerPoint is a mess. I'm still a student, so I don't pay for licensing. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Visio a five out of ten. When I need to do something simple, Visio is okay. I would recommend this solution to others. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Managing Director at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Customizable, and integrates well with SharePoint, but the database modelling has deteriorated
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are that the user experience is simple, and it's customizable."
  • "The database modeling has deteriorated significantly in the more current versions."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are that the user experience is simple, and it's customizable. You can customize it and connect it to data.

It has also many features that allow it to integrate Visio with SharePoint, which might be very useful in many applications.

What needs improvement?

In earlier versions, there was better database modeling. The database modeling has deteriorated significantly in the more current versions.

In Version 2000, the database modeling was pretty decent. Since then, it has deteriorated and a lot of the functionality has disappeared from Visio.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio for five years.

I am working with the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Now it is stable. In the past, it wasn't perfectly stable. with richer functionality, at least for the databases, but right now it's pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability has limitations. It could not model large sets of entities. 200 is probably a reasonable limit.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. It took a maximum of 15 minutes to deploy but it can be less. 

Yesterday when I installed it, it only took five minutes.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It's cheaper than other solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution as a starting point and as a benchmark to evaluate other tools because it is much cheaper. Also for starting modeling, database modeling, other UML, as well as other templates for modeling and business process modeling.

It integrates well with SharePoint.

It's a good tool to start working with and to use it as a benchmark with some more expensive tools. If those tools don't provide more features than Visio then they are not worth investing in.

I would rate this solution a six out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1446360 - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Has a good interface but it needs better third-party integration
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface is the most valuable aspect of this solution."
  • "When you use a BPA solution you can open an end-to-end process in one window, go down, or go up between layers to different places. You should be able to see descriptions of the steps of the process."

What is our primary use case?

We use Visio for process diagram. 

What is most valuable?

The interface is the most valuable aspect of this solution. 

What needs improvement?

My colleagues are not satisfied with this solution for many reasons. They don't see end-to-end processes or the layers of one process.

When you use a BPA solution you can open an end-to-end process in one window, go down, or go up between layers to different places. You should be able to see descriptions of the steps of the process.

Integration with third-party vendors is another aspect that needs improvement. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio for three to four years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We don't have any stability problems. 

How are customer service and technical support?

We have local technical support. We have an IT department and the department solves all of our problems. They contact local support if need be. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price will always be high. It depends on the organization size, how many processes there are, and what requirements you have for the solution. If you require additional features like analysis, it will be a different price. It's a balance between requirements and price.

What other advice do I have?

My recommendation would depend on a few factors like the size of the organization. If it's a small organization and it does not have so many processes, I think Visio is a good solution. For larger organization solutions like Segnavio and Orbus would be better. Those are more complex solutions. 

I would rate Visio a six out of ten. We don't have a holistic vision of our processes so I can't open a process. If I open a process in Visio, I can't see how it's connected to other processes. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1288554 - PeerSpot reviewer
Integration Architect at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Flexible and easy to use in architectural modeling, but it needs better integration with external data sources
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the things that I like is the automation from external data."
  • "I would like to see better integration with external data sources."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is modeling architecture requirements.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are ease of use and flexibility.

One of the things that I like is the automation from external data.

The user interface is fine.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see better integration with external data sources.

Sharing work with colleagues is sometimes an issue with this product.

I would like to see integration with Microsoft Teams.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio for the past fifteen years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Visio is a very stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Given that it's a desktop application, you can't scale it. You can't do much and sometimes, sharing is an issue.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have never used technical support.

They do have lots of videos and everything is available online.

How was the initial setup?

As it is a Microsoft product, the installation is easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The yearly cost is approximately $400 CAD ($300 USD). 

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is implementing Visio is to establish the right templates for your project. Templating the models is very important so that everybody has the same ones.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
IT System Engineer at a recruiting/HR firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
we have been able to put on paper our network design, server room setup, and network connections

What is most valuable?

The feature that I like the most, as simple as it may seem, is the addition of the vendor's vectors and shapes. I'm able to utilize the actual brands of our network appliances as devices to have a more accurate picture of our actual network and the server room setup.

How has it helped my organization?

By utilizing Visio, we have been able to put on paper our network design, server room setup, and network connections. It makes things a lot easier to troubleshoot and figure out where the issues, errors, or disconnects may be happening. This also helps when explaining to the upper management any questions in regards to our network environment.

What needs improvement?

At this point in time, it serves its purpose. I can't think of something that could be improved as of today. I'm sure there is something that can be improved, but nothing for my current needs.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Visio probably since 2008, so it has been almost 10 years now.

I, primarily, started using it in school to do basic network diagrams, but now I've used it to even draw out full floor plans for our network designs based on our building floor plan.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There were no stability issues experienced.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

There were no scalability issues experienced.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't requested any technical support for this tool. I'm sure it is great as I have used Microsoft Support in the past, and it has been great. So, I don't doubt that it would be the same for this product as well.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, I was using PowerPoint. It was obvious why I switched over to this solution. It is the product that we needed back then when drafting the floor plans and networks.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is just like any other Microsoft program, it is straightforward. Get the software, follow the prompts to install the products and it just works.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

As most Microsoft products, the price is not the cheapest but you just cannot pass this tool. So when you buy it for you/your team, save money and buy only what you need. We installed it in our Techroom computer so that all the members can use and access it. Thus, one license serves the purpose of all three of us.

What other advice do I have?

When using this tool, research your current vendors and manufacturers to get their most up to date shapes and vectors, so you can always design or draft your Visio projects using the most accurate picture.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Mentor at Agricultural Paying Agency
Real User
Good stability, and scales well, but has a lot of patching that you need to keep up with
Pros and Cons
  • "If you are a knowledgeable individual, the initial setup isn't too difficult."
  • "There are a lot of patches that sometimes change how one version will interact compared to another."

What is most valuable?

It's been an extremely reliable solution for me for a very long time. It's quite mature.

If you are a knowledgeable individual, the initial setup isn't too difficult.

There are plenty of very good third-party tools.

The stability is fairly good.

The solution can scale to meet the needs of any project.

What needs improvement?

The issue I have with this solution is the same issue I have with all the products by Microsoft. They depend on many solutions by third parties for too many things, from my point of view. Maybe there should be more basic, fundamental resources incorporated into their products in general - not just this product.

A basic user may have issues trying to install the solution.

There are a lot of patches that sometimes change how one version will interact compared to another.

It would be great if, in the future, we would be able to use numerics and graphics cards. If there already this functionality, they need to make it more publicly known, as I don't see it right now.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Microsoft products for 30 years or so. With this product, I've used it from time to time, when I've needed it. I'm not sure the exact amount of time I've spent with it over the years. It's likely much more than ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution, for the most part, is very, very stable. There is one problem in that there are so many upgrades and patches and so on that are critical and must be applied that it makes for a few issues in terms of practical use. I was facing such a very specific problem. The project was functional in an older version, yet the same code was not functional in the newer version. Therefore, to troubleshoot, I used both older and newer versions of the software and had to acquire all the patches for both. There is no clear answer as to why the same code behaves differently within these two APIs. That's a problem. However, it's not really a stability issue.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is quite scalable, and great to use for any project of any size or scope.

How are customer service and technical support?

I only use the solution for my personal use and therefore don't have access to technical support. I can't speak to how helpful they are, or how responsive, as I do not use them. I don't have any practical experience to speak to.

That said, having dealt with Microsoft technical support in the past with other solutions, I can say that, in general, they are very capable and have many experienced people on staff to assist. I've been satisfied with them in the past on other products.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty simple and straightforward for those with knowledge or training. Basic users may have problems, however.

For myself, with so many years of experience with many types of Microsoft solutions, I found everything very straightforward.

It's not that the process isn't intuitive, it's just that, if you don't know what to do or look for, it can become a bit confusing. You must study many new terms and methodologies before you can get around to beginning the process as a completely new untrained user. There may be ways to watch videos online to learn a few tricks and to help you visualize the process.

What about the implementation team?

I have many years of experience with Visio and Microsoft, therefore, I can handle the installation process myself.

What other advice do I have?

I primarily use the solution myself for my own projects. I'm a customer and end-users.

In general, I would rate the solution at a six out of ten.

I would recommend this product, however, at the same time, I suggest to everybody to know and practically use several tools, so as to keep up their overall knowledge and skills. For some purposes, it is easier and more reliable to use one tool, and for other purposes, it is more reliable to use another. I do not recommend to anybody globally to work alone with one tool, separately from all the world.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Visio Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Visio Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.