Org charts in Google Sheets - Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Org charts help you show who works where in a company or group. They make it easy to see who reports to whom and how teams are organized. This is useful for understanding roles and relationships at a glance.

When you want to show the manager and team structure in your company.

When you need to explain who reports to whom in a project team.

When you want to visualize the hierarchy in a school or club.

When you are preparing a presentation about your organization.

When you want to quickly find who is responsible for a certain area.

Steps

Step 1: Open

- Google Sheets document

You see your spreadsheet ready to enter data

Step 2: Enter

- two columns in the sheet

First column has employee names, second column has their manager's name

💡 Use clear names and make sure every employee except the top boss has a manager listed

Step 3: Select

- the range of cells with your employee and manager data

The data range is highlighted

Step 4: Click

- Insert menu, then select Chart

Chart editor panel opens on the right

Step 5: In Chart editor, click

- Chart type dropdown

List of chart types appears

Step 6: Scroll and select

- Organizational chart

Chart preview shows the org chart based on your data

Step 7: Adjust

- Chart editor options if needed

Org chart updates with your preferred style or size

Before vs After

Before

A list of employees in column A and their managers in column B, no visual chart

After

A clear organizational chart showing employees connected to their managers visually

Settings Reference

Chart type

📍 Chart editor panel > Setup tab > Chart type dropdown

Choose the type of chart to display your data visually

Default: Organizational chart

Data range

📍 Chart editor panel > Setup tab > Data range field

Specify which cells contain the data for the chart

Default: None

Chart style

📍 Chart editor panel > Customize tab

Change how the chart looks to fit your presentation style

Default: Standard style

Common Mistakes

Leaving the manager cell empty for employees who are not the top boss

The chart cannot build the hierarchy properly without knowing who manages whom

Make sure every employee except the top-level boss has a manager name filled in

Selecting the wrong data range including empty or unrelated cells

The chart may show incorrect or confusing information

Select only the two columns with employee and manager names without extra cells

Summary

Org charts in Google Sheets show the reporting structure visually.

You create them by entering employee and manager names in two columns.

Use the Insert > Chart menu and pick Organizational chart to see the hierarchy.