Constructing a flowchart

We used predefined chart types in the prior recipe, Building smart diagrams. If greater flexibility is required, creating custom diagrams from scratch is a viable option. Doing this is simple, and it’s an excellent way to develop your skills in drawing with TikZ.

Just as we observed in the descriptive diagram from the first recipe, we’ll do the following:

1. Define shapes and colors.
2. Place nodes using a matrix.
3. Insert labeled arrows between selected nodes.

Of course, the actions of each step can be adjusted as needed. It’s common to position nodes and arrows initially and later refine the shapes and colors.

Now, let’s dive into it. Follow the following steps, and refer to the graphical output to understand the purpose of each drawing task.

1. Start with a document class:

   \documentclass{article}

2. Load the geometry package, and specify a vertical margin so that our long chart will fit the page:

   \usepackage...