Skip to main content

 How do i draw in a dotted line to a box that is superior to another box to show a secondary reporting relationship? 

Hi Kirsten


Thanks for your post. If you draw a line between your boxes you can change it to a dotted line by selecting the line options at the top of your editor and selecting the dotted option.



What about a direct reporting line and a dotted line for parallel reporting? How to do that? 


Hi Tapan

You can draw several lines from one object and connect those to the same or different objects. These lines can be styled individually meaning you can make one dotted. You can read more about this in the Add and style lines article in the Help Center. I hope this answers your question!

RlPDorleZxnmONYBG5CccA.png


I have the same issue but don't have access to draw another line it just adds a box? Is it because I'm using a template org chart?


Hi Jackie! As you pointed out the red dots on employee org chart shapes behave differently than the ones on other shapes as they will add another employee shape to the corresponding side of the original shape. However you can select the lines connecting org chart shapes and change their styling.

You can also add a line between two employees that are on the same level by leaving the Org Chart group (Esc) and then dragging a line between them as with any other shapes. I have added a gif showing how to do this.

 

If you want to learn more about org charts in Lucidchart I would recommend reading the Org Charts Help Center article.

Sk1cDrznRsYtnCDoy8zLWw.gif


Hi Eric


Just to clarify the question. In companies I'm familiar with all employees have a solid report to their direct manager.

*In addition* to that solid report line some employees have a dotted report line to a *different* manager. It could be someone in their management line or on a different branch of the tree.


So the question we are asking here is this:


How can we add a dotted line linking an employee to a *second* manager without breaking the solid-line reporting relationship with their direct manager?


What I'm after is basically what you showed in your video above but pressing Esc does nothing for me. I still see the blue line around the org chart and I can't add non-employee shapes. 


Hi Nico thanks for continuing this thread! If the ESC button is not working for you when you try to leave the editing mode for the Org Chart to add just a line you can double click anywhere on the canvas (not a specific shape that makes up the Org Chart but just the background canvas itself). Once you have done that you should be able to add a line which you can then adjust the style and color of via the formatting bar. I have attached below a gif in which I follow this process of double clicking on the canvas to leave the Org Chart editing mode and I then add a line from the CEO to an employee that is not her direct report.



Hope this helps!


I'm editing this message because Shanna's response solved my problem and I now figured out that double clicking the Org Chart gets me back in Org Chart edit mode. Thank you!


Reply