Flowchart or swimlane?

Use a flowchart when only the order matters and a swimlane when you need to show which department does what. The library has a purchase approval swimlane template.

Can I add document names?

Yes. Add a line break in the node, such as Warehouse receives goods Receiving report.

What happens after a return?

Draw a line from "Return or replace" back to "Supplier ships" to show that the replacement goes through receiving again.

Purchasing and receiving flowchart template

Previewed in the “Indigo” theme; you can switch themes in the editor

When to use it

Use it to write a warehouse work instruction, to train a new buyer, or to check during an internal audit that no step is missing. The two usual trouble spots, a quantity mismatch and a failed inspection, each have a handling branch.

Make it yours

With spending tiers, split Approval into manager, finance and executive nodes.
If you use an ERP, replace "Update inventory records" with the actual document name.
To show who performs each step, use a swimlane template with one lane per department.

Mermaid code

purchase-receiving-flowchart.mmd

flowchart TD
    A[Department submits a requisition] --> B{Approval}
    B -->|Rejected| A
    B -->|Approved| C[Issue purchase order]
    C --> D[Supplier ships]
    D --> E[Warehouse receives goods]
    E --> F{Documents match goods}
    F -->|No| G[Resolve discrepancy with supplier] --> E
    F -->|Yes| H[Quality inspection]
    H --> I{Passed}
    I -->|No| J[Return or replace]
    I -->|Yes| K[Put away]
    K --> L[Update inventory records]
    L --> M[Match invoice and pay]

Ask an AI for one with this structure

Send the prompt below to ChatGPT or Claude, then paste the whole reply into the editor; the code inside is detected automatically.

prompt.txt

Draw a purchasing and receiving flowchart with Mermaid flowchart TD syntax. A department submits a requisition; if rejected it goes back, if approved a purchase order is issued, the supplier ships and the warehouse receives the goods. If documents do not match the goods, resolve the discrepancy with the supplier and receive again. If they match, inspect quality: failed goods are returned or replaced, passed goods are put away, inventory records are updated, and the invoice is matched and paid. Use diamonds for decisions and no parentheses in node text. Output only the mermaid code block.

FAQ

Flowchart or swimlane?: Use a flowchart when only the order matters and a swimlane when you need to show which department does what. The library has a purchase approval swimlane template.
Can I add document names?: Yes. Add a line break in the node, such as Warehouse receives goods<br/>Receiving report.
What happens after a return?: Draw a line from "Return or replace" back to "Supplier ships" to show that the replacement goes through receiving again.

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Updated 2026-11-11