Visio Reviews

With Visio, I create visual representations of business processes, which helps people understand the notation and communicate ideas effectively. I use BPMN templates to depict these use cases.

Visio is used to show processes in a way that people understand easily.

The task sequencing, the process level views, and the ability to communicate between lanes are valuable features in Visio. It is intuitive for users to drag and drop templates and figures, making it easy to use.

In terms of enterprise architecture, Visio is limited. It is also behind in supporting AI-related projects and might need better integration with other products.

I have used Visio for over 20 years.

Visio is stable, although my version is at least five or six years old. Stability can be impacted by the age of the software and whether updates are being applied.

Visio is the poor man's version of a modeling tool, and it does not scale well.

I have never used Microsoft's support for Visio specifically. However, I face challenges with Microsoft for personal systems due to constant new requirements. For Visio, I don't receive updates under my current subscription.

Positive

I used QualiWare in the past, finding Visio to be less complex in comparison. However, the switch was due to the perception that QualiWare was too hard to use and not user-friendly.

Initial setup can be tailored to different levels of complexity, starting with high-level mission statements and breaking them down into business units and value chains.

It usually involves teams, which could range up to twenty, thirty, or forty people depending on the size of the project. Small activity teams handle more short-term deliveries.

I purchased an older version of Visio and pay about twelve or thirteen dollars a month, but this subscription does not include Visio updates. For other solutions like project management or architecture tools, specialized tools would be more effective.

I would prefer an easy-to-use, comprehensive enterprise architecture and portfolio management tool that is integrated. 

There should be a strong linkage between portfolio management and architecture to ensure efficient management of inventories and life cycles. 

Additionally, a multi-disciplinary approach in architecture delivery can help address various requirements promptly.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

I use the solution in my company for Microsoft Active Directory and for monitoring purposes.

The most valuable features of the solution revolve around the ease of deployment it offers. It is also easy to understand about the product and its deployment process. I enjoy the fact that since Visio is a Microsoft product, everything is linked and synchronized in our company's environment.

From an improvement perspective, the setup process needs to be made easy.

I have experience with Visio. My company is a customer of Microsoft.

It is a stable solution.

It is a scalable solution.

In my company, 48 people use the product.

I haven't interacted much with the solution's technical support. I contacted the solution's technical support to deal with an issue with the offline products.

The product's installation phase was okay. The product's installation phase can be a difficult process if you don't have the deployment script with you since it is very important to know what you are doing when you are dealing with the setup process. Visio's setup process is the same as Oracle's installation phase. If Visio is being installed in some company, it is important to have the script to help you know what you need to do since you can't install it on your own and make it work. In general, you need to know what to select to install the product properly.

The solution is deployed using Azure's cloud services.

The product is expensive, but it is cheaper if you buy it as a part of a bundle or an enterprise-level agreement.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. As an IT professional, we don't like to confuse people by giving them multiple options. It is better for people to explore different products, and later on, if, as IT professionals, we find the products are not compatible with the users' requirements, then we might suggest some tool with better features to such users.

It is neither too difficult nor too easy to learn to use Visio.

The product's integration capabilities with other platforms have helped improve our company's overall workflow.

I rate the overall tool an eight out of ten.

Primarily, I employ it for business analysis purposes. In my previous role as a business analyst, I utilized it for process analysis, management, and the creation of visual representations such as flow diagrams. Working in telecom domains and government sectors, Visio proved valuable for presenting processes through flow diagrams and interactive use cases.

The primary functionality revolves around the creation of flow diagrams and diverse Building Information Modeling (BIM) using contemporary and pre-established notations. In my perspective, these ready-made notations prove highly beneficial. Despite being a compact tool, it is effective for tasks such as drawing organizational charts, making it a straightforward and uncomplicated tool.               

Indeed, Visio should progress beyond its current stage of solely drawing diagrams and transition into a more advanced phase, possibly integrating with different packages or aligning with Microsoft's offerings. It could potentially evolve into a comprehensive business process management solution, comparable to tools like Addis or Signavio, thereby competing in the realm of process management tools. It might be advantageous to explore functionalities such as process simulations or benchmarking, introducing simulators to discern potential bottlenecks or errors within complex flow diagrams. This addition would prove valuable for business analysts seeking insights into the intricacies of their diagrams, aligning with the evolving trends observed over the past six years.

I have been using Visio for 16 years. 

I would rate it 9 for the occasional crashes. Apart from these, it is stable.

I would rate the scalability 8 out of 10.

The ease of use for review purposes is notable. Even individuals lacking technological expertise can navigate it effortlessly. In my assessment, I would rate it a nine, considering that some users may require familiarity with business model notations, which is distinct from the tool itself. This is analogous to the need for background knowledge when using applications like Excel, where understanding equations and formulas is prerequisite. It takes 

no more than one hour for the complete deployment of all packages. Whether it involves Three hundred sixty-five, Outlook, or any other component, the download and installation process concludes within the span of one hour.

The pricing is reasonable and I would rate it 6 out of 10.

The rationale behind its efficiency lies in the seamless integration through plug-ins. You can simply plug in, install, and immediately engage in your business activities simultaneously. It requires minimal expertise, except for a basic understanding of business modelization concepts, allowing you to swiftly implement your own configurations without the need for extensive knowledge.

I would rate it 7 out of 10.

I use Visio for high-level network design, and I use it for home planning since it is easy to use.

With Visio, one of its core features stems from the fact that you can get plugins for Cisco, Microsoft, etc. In general, Visio provides a plugin for sample diagrams, graphs, etc.

It will be a great improvement if Visio gets upgraded to provide its users more in the area of 3D. With Visio, when I plan for a house and the height of its walls, I should be able to view the walls in a 3D mode, which can be a huge product improvement.

SketchUp is a program that is not as easy as Visio to build 3D models. If I want to build a house in 3D mode with Visio, then I should be able to do so with one click that allows me to change the house model from 2D to 3D. I don't have the latest version of Visio, but in the version of Visio I use currently, I don't see any 3D mode provided to users.

There are some issues in Visio with the connectors, and it gets tricky when you want to connect objects with each other. The aforementioned aspect of Visio can be considered for improvement.

I have been using Visio for fourteen years. I don't have the latest version of Visio. I don't remember the exact version of the solution.

It is a stable solution. Stability issues only crop up in Visio when there are some normal issues related to Windows or Microsoft Office, which may arise in cases when the system hangs.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

I am the only person who uses Visio in my company.

Visio is the first solution I have ever used, which is one of the major reasons why I still stick to it.

The product's initial setup is really simple.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

If I want to buy Visio for myself, I think it will be around 80 to 120 USD, though it is important to consider that I am unsure of its actual costs.

I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.

We use the solution primarily for making high-level and low-level diagrams and making any other diagrams that might have some items available that we can quickly turn around architecture with.

I like that I can copy and paste icons and drag and drop items. It has a lot of great features.

It is very stable. It's reliable. 

The solution can scale.

It is easy to set up.

There should be more items available from a variety of other products that can be integrated. 

Architectural diagrams could be enhanced further.

The icon support is limited. We'd like third-party icons available to us.

I've used the solution for five years. I've used the solution for a while at this point. 

The stability is great. I'd rate it nine out of ten. There are no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze. 

The solution can scale. I'd rate the scalability seven out of ten. It could be a bit more scalable. 

We have 4,000 to 5,000 users on the solution.

We have used other solutions in the past. There is a product called Lucidchart that I've used. It's more flexible in terms of icons we can use. 

The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. It is not complex or difficult. 

While we have an on-premises deployment, the cloud is available on Office 365. 

The pricing is fairly reasonable. I'd rate it six out of ten.

We are Microsft partners.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

People should consider the solution. However, there is a lack of customization available. 

We primarily use the solution for products, planning, and scheduling. We're using it with Microsoft BI for analytics.

We use the solution for structured preparation for various functions and with our HR team. We also use it for business process automation. 

The solution is very user-friendly. 

We're using a lot of flowcharts and business process steps. It's quite helpful. We can easily define roles and activities. 

The solution is stable and reliable. 

It's scalable.

Local technical support is helpful.

Instead of pushing the solution to PowerPoint, we'd like to be able to have the same visuals right in Visio instead of moving it to other Microsoft apps. When I create an organization chart in Visio, and I want to show it to management, I shouldn't have to copy and paste it into a PowerPoint presentation or put it into a PDF file. There needs to be better integration with PowerPoint. 

The setup can be a bit complex. 

I've used the solution for two years. 

It's a stable solution. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

The solution can scale well. Currently, we have 400 users on Visio. We likely will double users in the coming year. 

We have a reseller partner. They offer local support. We raise a ticket and they provide help. If they need to, they can raise a question with Microsoft and we usually will get a solution to our query within a week. 

I did not use another solution previously.

The initial setup is slow. It's not straightforward. There is no standardization. We need to create instances on our own at the outset. 

It is a cloud-based solution, we just have to enable it and can immediately start using it. 

We likely see an ROI after three or four years. 

The pricing is pay-per-use. Initially, we paid monthly. Now we pay about $200, which is maybe $10 per user per month.

I did not evaluate other products before choosing this solution. 

We extensively use Microsoft products. 

I'd recommend the solution to other users. I would rate the solution eight out of ten.

I use this solution for documenting architectures and workflows.

It's a rich-client application, so it's deployed on-premises.

There are about 10 people who use this solution in my organization. We would use it more if the solution were less expensive.

In the future, I will have other licensing models for infrequent users so that they can pay per use for the solution.

The usability in general is good. The integration of uploading custom stencils is also very nice.

Integration with other software would be an area of improvement, so that it's not just used to document but also as a center plane for information sharing. I would like to have the ability to click on things and be redirected to the application all throughout the process flow.

In the next release, I would like them to provide an application store for stencils from different vendors where we can download new icons and drawing elements.

I have worked with this solution for ten years.

The stability is mature.

It's a one-to-one application. I don't think there's a need to scale. It's expensive to deploy too many seats, especially if people only need it a few times a year. 

Initial setup is simple.

Implementation was done in-house.

The price could be more flexible for infrequent users. If it's your main utility that you use daily, then it's a good price.

I would rate the pricing as two out of ten.

We also evaluated Lucidchart. The cost is the main difference.

One is an online solution, and the other is a native application. There are some functionality differences, but it's a big competitor because it scales much easier, and it has a lower cost for infrequent users. 

If your company usually standardizes on one tool and then you try to exchange information with infrequent users, then obviously the power users move to the tool that's also accessible and usable by the infrequent users.

I would rate this solution as nine out of ten. It's a good tool.

I use the tool mainly for project tracking. I also use it for the system design of sequence diagrams and the like. I use MS Visio for crafting my flowcharts and network connectivity mock-ups.

Visio is outstanding because it has features that are useful for project management. However, Visio lacks some features that are available on Jira and Trello. If these features are made available on Visio, then they can make your work easy. I was not guided by a person nor did I use any training for working with Visio. I just picked it up and started using it. Visio is not complex since it is a Microsoft product. Visio is always updated with new features that have made it more robust and enterprise.

The modeling features that aid my flowcharting, sequence diagrams, and project tracking are the most valuable. Creating network architectural diagrams has been made easier for me using Visio.

The Burndown chart for easier tracking of the progress of any task needs improvement. I would also recommend that the components of Visio be made to use colors to denote and differentiate them from each other especially when working with large diagrams. This will help to eliminate or at least reduce any form of confusion.

I have been using the solution for the past ten years.

I have not encountered any stability or performance issues with the tool.

Visio is not as scalable as other tools due to the proprietary restriction. You cannot customize it or scale it up like the way you do with Trello or Jira. Microsoft places restrictions on things that you can do with Visio.

MS Visio Customer Service has so far been incredibly professional. I get spot-on responses to my queries almost immediately.

Positive

I had used Enterprise Architect but I found Visio much easier to use.

Visio is quite simple to set up.

I implemented Visio in-house.

The time I invested in learning how to use Visio has paid off because I can use it to complete my projects quicker. My clients are also happy because the delivery timeline for the projects I did for them using Visio has reduced by 35%.

Cloud-based tools are always cheaper since they are subscription-based. I use the on-premises version of Visio hence the price is quite expensive. However, I believe that the cloud version may not be as expensive as the on-premises version.

Yes, I evaluated Enterprise Architect.

I would rate Visio an eight out of ten. The solution is more linear than Trello. Anyone looking to try the solution should go ahead. Visio comes with a trial version which you can use to learn about the tool. If you get familiar with Visio, it is then easy to use more complex solutions that come with a lot of features. However, the advantageous features can be destructive as well. For instance, you want to do something, but you may get distracted, and end up not doing that thing. Visio is quite straightforward and good for beginners.