Org Chart Template: 4 Types With Mermaid Code to Copy

An org chart template shows who works in an organization, what each role is, and who reports to whom. Small businesses use one to onboard new hires, startups use one to plan the next few roles, and HR and operations teams use them to explain a reorganization in one picture.

Direct answer. The four org chart templates most teams need are functional (grouped by department), divisional (grouped by region or product), flat (most people report to one leader) and matrix (two reporting lines). Each one below comes with a diagram and Mermaid graph TD code you can copy, edit and paste into a diagram tool to get an editable chart.

What Goes in an Org Chart

Before choosing a template, collect four things for every person:

Field	Example	Why it matters
Role title	Head Baker	The box label; stays when people change
Name	Tom Reyes	Optional; leave off for planning charts
Reports to	Owner	Draws the line upward
Team or group	Kitchen	Decides the color or the cluster

A role-only chart is useful for planning and job descriptions. A named chart is what new hires want on day one. Either way, the structure comes from one column: "reports to". If you can fill that column in a spreadsheet, you can build any of the charts below.

How to Read the Mermaid Code

Mermaid is a plain-text format for diagrams. graph TD means "top down", so managers sit above their reports. Each line is one relationship:

• owner["Owner<br/>Rosa Delgado"] creates a box with an ID (owner) and a label. <br/> splits the label into two lines.
• owner --> baker draws a solid reporting line from the owner to the head baker.
• lead -.-> person draws a dashed line for a dotted-line relationship.
• classDef and class add colors to groups of boxes.

Copy a block, change the labels, and paste it into any tool that reads Mermaid. For the general method behind diagrams like these, see flowchart examples, which use the same syntax.

1. Functional Org Chart Template (Hierarchical)

The functional chart, also called a hierarchical org chart, groups people by what they do: kitchen, front of house, marketing. It is the default for small businesses and for most companies under a few hundred people, because each person has one manager and each department has one leader.

graph TD
  owner["Owner<br/>Rosa Delgado"]
  baker["Head Baker<br/>Tom Reyes"]
  foh["Front of House<br/>Ana Silva"]
  mkt["Marketing & Orders<br/>Lee Park"]
  owner --> baker
  owner --> foh
  owner --> mkt
  baker --> bread["Bread Baker"]
  baker --> pastry["Pastry Baker"]
  foh --> barista["Barista"]
  foh --> cashier["Cashier"]
  mkt --> catering["Catering Orders"]
  mkt --> social["Social Media"]
  classDef top fill:#EDE9FE,stroke:#7C3AED,stroke-width:2px
  classDef lead fill:#E0F2FE,stroke:#0284C7,stroke-width:2px
  class owner top
  class baker,foh,mkt lead

When to use it: one location, clear departments, one manager per person. Watch for: departments that work in silos; if two teams always collaborate, show it with a dashed line.

2. Divisional Org Chart Template

A divisional chart groups the organization by region, product line or customer segment, and each division has its own functions underneath. Companies that sell in several markets use it so each region can run its own sales and operations.

graph TD
  ceo["CEO"]
  ceo --> na["North America<br/>Division lead"]
  ceo --> eu["Europe<br/>Division lead"]
  ceo --> apac["Asia-Pacific<br/>Division lead"]
  na --> naSales["Sales"]
  na --> naOps["Operations"]
  eu --> euSales["Sales"]
  eu --> euOps["Operations"]
  apac --> apSales["Sales"]
  apac --> apOps["Operations"]

When to use it: several regions, brands or product lines that operate fairly independently. Watch for: duplicated roles across divisions; shared teams such as finance or legal usually sit beside the divisions, reporting to the CEO.

3. Flat Org Chart Template

A flat org chart has very few levels: most people report directly to the founder or a single leader. It suits startups, small agencies and project teams of up to about ten people.

graph TD
  founder["Founder & CEO"]
  founder --> product["Product"]
  founder --> eng1["Engineer"]
  founder --> eng2["Engineer"]
  founder --> design["Designer"]
  founder --> growth["Growth"]
  founder --> support["Support"]

When to use it: early-stage teams where everyone talks to the founder daily. Watch for: the point where one person has too many direct reports. When the founder's row passes eight or nine boxes, it is usually time to add a lead and switch to a functional chart; drawing the next version in advance helps plan the hire.

4. Matrix Org Chart Template

In a matrix organization, people report to a department head for their craft and to a project or product lead for their day-to-day work. The chart needs two line styles: solid for the main reporting line and dashed for the project line.

graph TD
  ceo["CEO"]
  ceo --> eng["Head of Engineering"]
  ceo --> des["Head of Design"]
  ceo --> mkt["Head of Marketing"]
  ceo --> atlas["Project Atlas lead"]
  ceo --> beacon["Project Beacon lead"]
  eng --> e1["Engineer, Atlas"]
  eng --> e2["Engineer, Beacon"]
  des --> d1["Designer, Atlas"]
  des --> d2["Designer, Beacon"]
  mkt --> m1["Marketer, Atlas"]
  mkt --> m2["Marketer, Beacon"]
  atlas -.-> e1
  atlas -.-> d1
  atlas -.-> m1
  beacon -.-> e2
  beacon -.-> d2
  beacon -.-> m2

When to use it: agencies, consultancies and product companies where cross-functional teams form around projects. Watch for: confusion over who sets priorities. Add a legend that explains both line styles, as in the diagram above.

How to Make an Org Chart in 5 Steps

1. List every role in a spreadsheet with three columns: role, name, reports to. This is your source of truth, and HR exports usually have it already.
2. Pick the chart type. One manager per person and clear departments: functional. Regions or product lines: divisional. Under ten people: flat. Two reporting lines: matrix.
3. Write the structure as Mermaid or a list. Each "reports to" row becomes one line, such as owner --> baker. Start at the top and work down one level at a time.
4. Render and tidy it. Paste the code into a diagram tool, then adjust spacing, group colors and label length. Keep labels to a role and a name; move extra detail into a separate directory.
5. Date it and share it. Add "Updated [month year]" in a corner, export a PNG for the wiki or slide deck and a PDF for print, and keep the editable source file next to it.

For large organizations, make one chart per department and a top-level chart that shows only the leadership team. A single chart with 80 boxes is rarely readable on a screen.

Can ChatGPT Make an Org Chart?

Yes. ChatGPT is a fast way to get from a messy list to a structure: paste names, roles and who reports to whom, and ask for "a Mermaid graph TD org chart with role and name on two lines". It will also suggest groupings, catch people with no manager, and rewrite job titles consistently. What it gives back is code or a static picture. To get a chart you can move around, color by team and keep updating, paste that code into a diagram tool that turns it into editable shapes.

Building an Org Chart in Playyy

Playyy is an AI design agent whose Flowchart skill draws hierarchies like org charts as editable diagrams from plain text or Mermaid code. In the AI flowchart generator, paste any of the graph TD blocks above, or describe the structure in words ("the owner manages three leads: head baker, front of house and marketing; each lead has two roles under them"), and Playyy lays it out with native boxes, labels and connectors on the canvas.

Because each connector is attached to the boxes at both ends, you can drag a team to a new spot and its lines follow. Rename a role, recolor a department, or ask in the chat: "add a sous chef under the head baker", "make the marketing team green". Apply your brand kit so the chart matches your slides and documents, then download it as a PNG or PDF. If your current chart lives in a .drawio or Excalidraw file, import it and keep editing it in Playyy. For process maps that go with the org chart, such as onboarding or approvals, the same tool covers the steps in how to make a flowchart.

Tips for a Readable Org Chart

• Role first, name second. Roles change less often than people, so the structure stays valid longer.
• Color by team, not by seniority. One color per department makes groups easy to spot.
• Align each level. People at the same level sit on the same row, so the hierarchy reads at a glance.
• Keep it to one screen. Split large organizations into a leadership chart and department charts.
• Use dashed lines sparingly. Show only the dotted-line relationships people actually need to know about.
• Put the date on it. An undated org chart gets trusted long after it stops being accurate.

Pick the template that matches how your team actually works, copy its Mermaid code, swap in your roles and names, and keep the editable version so next quarter's changes take minutes instead of a redraw.