Organimi is the top pick for growing teams that need an easy, affordable way to create and keep org charts current—it supports imports and auto‑updates. If you need collaborative diagramming or shared templates, choose Lucidchart (or Miro). If tight HR-system integration and automated sync are your priority, pick Pingboard.
1LucidchartBest when you need collaborative diagramming, templates, and spreadsheet/CSV linkages for shared updates; great for teams that edit visuals together but may cost more.70%
2OrganimiBest for startups and growing teams that want fast, low‑cost org charts with easy imports and auto‑updates; good balance of affordability and automation.44%
For a growing company, I’d use an org-chart tool that can import your employee spreadsheet and automatically maintain reporting lines, rather than manually moving boxes.
Simple + collaborative:lucid.co — templates, real-time collaboration, and CSV/Excel data connections.
More HR-focused:organimi.com — imports employee data and supports ongoing updates/integrations.
Very lightweight:simpleorgchart.co.uk — browser-based, CSV import, automatic layout, and free PNG export.
My practical setup: keep employee data in one authoritative spreadsheet/HR system, generate the chart from it, and assign one person to review changes monthly.
For a growing company, I’d keep the org chart data-driven rather than manually drawing boxes. That makes hiring, promotions, and reporting-line changes much easier to maintain.
For a growing company, the best approach depends on whether you want a quick visual graphic or a living directory that updates automatically as you hire.
Here are the best, simplest ways to create and maintain an organizational chart, ranked by company stage and needs:
Dedicated Visual Tools (Best for Collaboration and Clean Design)
Lucidchart - A cloud-based diagramming tool that features a simple drag-and-drop interface. You can even import data directly from a spreadsheet (like CSV or Excel) to automatically generate the chart and update it as things change.
Organimi - A platform built explicitly for building, sharing, and maintaining org charts. It handles large or rapidly changing teams smoothly and lets you export or share live links easily.
SmartDraw - Features powerful automation that automatically realigns and connects shapes when you add or remove people, saving you from manual redrawing.
All-in-One Workspace Templates (Best if you already use these apps)
ClickUp Whiteboards - Offers pre-built organizational chart templates where you can easily duplicate nodes, add names/titles, and link elements visually without formatting headaches.
Google Workspace / MS Office - If you want zero new software, you can use Google Sheets/Slides or Microsoft Word's SmartArt (Hierarchy) tool. The text-pane feature lets you type out an indented outline using the Tab key, and it auto-generates the chart graphic for you.
HRIS / People Platforms (Best for Automated Maintenance)
BambooHR or HiBob - If your growing company is starting to use HR software for payroll or onboarding, these platforms generate and maintain a live, automatic org chart based on your active employee database so you never have to update it manually.
To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:
How many employees do you currently have?
Do you want something free and quick just for presentations, or a live tool tied to your HR data?
Keep one source of truth in Excel or Google Sheets with columns such as:
Employee name
Job title
Department
Manager
Location
Optional: email, photo, employment status
Generate the visual org chart from that data.
Lucidchart is a straightforward choice if you want a collaborative, browser-based chart. It can import CSV/Excel/Google Sheets data and can refresh linked data.
Microsoft Visio is a good fit if your company already works heavily in Microsoft 365. It can generate an org chart from Excel or other data sources.
Miro is useful if you want the org chart to live alongside other collaborative planning/whiteboarding work; it supports CSV import and automatic layout.
Keep the chart deliberately simple. For most companies, each box only needs:
Name → Title → Department
Use solid lines for direct reporting and, if necessary, dotted lines for secondary relationships.
Establish an update routine. For example, HR/operations updates the employee spreadsheet whenever someone joins, leaves, or changes managers, and the org chart is refreshed immediately or once a week.
My practical recommendation
If you don't already have a preferred ecosystem, I'd start with Lucidchart + a simple Google Sheet/Excel employee roster. It gives you a visual chart without making the chart itself the database, which becomes increasingly valuable as the company grows. Lucidchart also provides ready-made org-chart templates.
If you tell me roughly how many employees you have and whether you use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, I can suggest the simplest setup for your situation—including a spreadsheet structure you can copy.
Keeping an org chart updated when a company is growing can feel like trying to fold a fitted sheet—it starts simple and quickly turns into a mess if you aren't using the right approach.
The secret for a growing company is automating the maintenance so you aren't manually dragging boxes around in a drawing app every time you hire someone.
Depending on your tech stack and budget, here are the simplest ways to set one up:
The HRIS Route (Hands-Free): If you already use an HR platform like BambooHR or Rippling , they usually build and auto-update your org chart based on your employee database and direct-report settings. Zero extra work once it’s set up.
The Microsoft 365 Route (Built-in): If your team lives in Teams and Outlook, you can use SmartArt in Excel/Word/PowerPoint to whip one up quickly. Better yet, if your company uses Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), an interactive org chart is already generated automatically inside Microsoft Teams.
Dedicated Visual Tools (Drag & Drop + AI): If you want something visual that isn't tied to an HR system, tools like SmartDraw or Creately have auto-formatting features. You just type in a name and who they report to, and the software snaps it into place without messing up your layout.
The Wiki / Notion Approach (Transparent & Flat): If you have a looser, more modern company culture, a structured database page in Notion can list teams, leads, and roles clearly without a rigid corporate tree structure.
To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:
What software tools (like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or an HR platform) does your company already use daily?
Do you want something that updates automatically from employee data, or a visual chart you design manually?
For a growing company, the key is not just making the chart—it’s making updates easy. Current org-chart tools generally fall into two approaches: diagramming tools that you update manually, and systems that generate the chart from employee/HR data.
A simple setup I’d recommend
Small team / occasional changes: Use Lucidchart, SmartDraw, or draw.io. Start with a template, enter each employee and manager, and export the finished chart for presentations or your company handbook.
Growing team with frequent hires/moves: Use a dedicated org-chart tool such as Organimi or a people-management platform that can generate the chart from employee records. This reduces the problem of having a chart that becomes outdated after every hiring change.
Already using an HR system: Check whether it can generate an org chart from your employee directory before buying another tool. That's generally the lowest-maintenance approach because the employee data remains the source of truth.
Keep the underlying data simple
I'd maintain one table with:
Employee
Title
Department
Reports To
Location
Status
Jane Smith
CEO
Executive
—
Houston
Active
Alex Lee
VP Sales
Then have the org-chart tool generate the visual hierarchy from the Reports To field.
That gives you a much easier maintenance process: hire/promote/transfer someone → update one employee record → regenerate the chart, rather than manually rearranging dozens of boxes.
If you tell me roughly how many employees you have now, what you use for HR/payroll (if anything), and whether you need the chart mainly for internal use or polished presentations, I can narrow this down to 2–3 practical options and explain how I'd set one up.
For a growing company, the simplest approach is usually to avoid treating the org chart as a drawing and instead make it a living people directory that can update as teams change. The best choice depends on your size and how often your structure changes.
Simple options
1. Spreadsheet + auto-generated chart (best for small teams)
Use a Google Sheet or Excel file with columns like:
Employee
Title
Department
Manager
Location
Jane Smith
VP Engineering
Engineering
CEO
Remote
Alex Lee
Engineer
Engineering
Jane Smith
NYC
Then generate the chart using a diagram tool.
Good when:
You have fewer than ~50–100 people
Changes happen occasionally
You want something inexpensive and easy to own
2. Diagram tools (best balance of simplicity and polish)
Tools such as:
Lucid Software — good for importing employee data and collaborating on diagrams.
Miro — useful if leadership teams regularly redesign structures or plan future teams.
Microsoft Visio — a strong fit if your company already uses Microsoft 365.
Good when:
You want a clean visual chart
Multiple people need editing access
You don't need deep HR automation
3. Dedicated org-chart/people platforms (best as you scale)
If you expect frequent hiring, reorganizations, or hundreds of employees, consider tools that sync with HR systems. Examples include:
ChartHop — focuses on people data, org design, and HR integrations.
Organimi — designed specifically around creating and maintaining org charts.
A lightweight process that works well
Create one source of truth
Keep employee names, roles, managers, and departments in one place.
Avoid manually editing multiple versions.
Assign ownership
HR or Operations owns updates.
Managers submit changes when someone joins, leaves, or changes roles.
Review monthly or quarterly
Check reporting lines.
Remove outdated roles.
Confirm department names.
Create multiple views
Executive view: leadership only
Department view: team-level detail
Full company directory: everyone
For a growing company, I’d typically start with a spreadsheet feeding a visual chart tool, then move to an HR-integrated org chart platform once updates become a weekly task rather than a monthly task.
If you share your approximate company size (e.g., 20, 100, 500+ employees) and whether you already use an HR system like BambooHR, Workday, Gusto, or Rippling, I can suggest a more specific setup.
The simplest and most sustainable way to create and maintain an organizational chart for a growing company is to use dedicated, auto-updating org chart software linked to your HR or directory system , or utilize built-in diagramming tools if you prefer a free, manual approach.
As a company grows, manual charts in static documents quickly become outdated. Choosing the right method depends on your team's size, budget, and need for automation.
Watch this quick guide to see how you can rapidly generate a clean hierarchy using standard workplace tools:
Dedicated Org Chart Software: Tools like Orgchart Now, Lucidchart , or Miro connect directly to data sources (like Google Workspace, BambooHR, or Excel) to automatically update when staff changes occur.
Built-in Office Tools (SmartArt): Use Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint's built-in SmartArt Hierarchy feature to type out names and use tab indentation to automatically map reporting lines without needing external software.
HRIS/Payroll Integrations: If you use platforms like Gusto or Rippling , an elementary organizational chart is often already built-in and updates automatically based on your employee directory.
Step-by-Step Workflow for Maintenance
Audit existing reporting lines and ensure every team member has a designated manager.
Choose a centralized repository (such as a shared intranet page or HR portal) where the live chart lives.
Assign a single owner in Operations or HR responsible for updating the chart during onboarding and offboarding.
Review the entire chart quarterly to catch structural shifts or unassigned roles.
If you can share how many employees you currently have and which HR or collaboration tools your company uses (like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or a specific HRIS), I can recommend the exact platform or integration that fits your stack.
For a growing company, the biggest trap with an organizational chart is using a static drawing tool (like PowerPoint or Google Drawings) that becomes outdated the second you hire someone new.
Depending on your team size and tech stack, here are the simplest ways to create and maintain an org chart without losing your sanity:
Dedicated Visual Workspace Tools: Platforms like Miro's Org Chart Creator or Creately's Org Chart Tool let you import a simple CSV spreadsheet of your roles and reporting lines and will auto-layout the entire chart for you. They live on collaborative canvases, making them great if you also want to map out team expansions or restructuring plans visually.
Automated Standalone Directories: Tools like Pingboard or Organimi are purpose-built for this. Pingboard can automatically build and update your org chart by syncing directly with your existing tools or HR software (like BambooHR ), meaning it updates automatically when you onboard or promote someone.
Light HR & People Ops Platforms: If you are already outgrowing spreadsheets for HR, an all-in-one platform like BambooHR, Freshteam , or ChartHop has built-in, self-updating org charts tied directly to employee profiles and personnel data.
Quick Office Integrations: If you just need something fast and free within your current ecosystem, you can use Microsoft Visio for the web to import Excel data into clean diagram templates if you're a Microsoft shop.
To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:
Roughly how many employees you currently have (and expect to have in 6 months)
What HR or collaboration software (like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or BambooHR) your company already uses daily
For a growing company, I’d avoid maintaining the org chart manually in PowerPoint or Google Slides. A better setup is to keep employee data in a spreadsheet and have the org chart generated from it.
My top recommendation: Lucidchart
Lucidchart is probably the simplest balance of ease and maintainability.
Keep a master spreadsheet with columns such as Employee, Title, Department, Manager/Reports To, Employee ID.
Lucidchart can import an Excel file, CSV, or Google Sheet and automatically build the hierarchy.
You can customize colors, photos, fields, and different views of the organization.
For larger organizations, Lucidchart's Enterprise functionality can refresh the chart from updated data rather than requiring you to redraw it.
PowerPoint/Excel SmartArt is the easiest no-new-software option. Microsoft supports organization charts directly in Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
That's fine for a small company, but you'll be manually moving boxes and updating names as the company grows. PowerPoint does have ready-made org-chart templates.
If your organization is getting fairly large, Microsoft Visio is a stronger Microsoft option: it can generate an org chart from employee data in Excel and use fields such as employee name, ID, and reporting relationship.
The key is not to make the diagram itself the source of truth. Your employee table should be the authoritative data, while the org chart is simply a visualization of it.
If you tell me roughly how many employees you have now (e.g. 20, 100, 500+) and whether you use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, I can recommend the simplest setup—and give you a ready-to-use spreadsheet structure.
For a growing company, I’d avoid treating the org chart as a one-off graphic. Keep the employee/reporting data in a simple table, and let the chart be generated from that data. That makes reorganizations much easier.
A simple setup
Maintain a spreadsheet with columns like:
Employee
Title
Department
Reports To
Jane Smith
CEO
Executive
—
Alex Lee
VP Sales
Sales
Jane Smith
Sam Patel
Sales Manager
Sales
Alex Lee
Maria Chen
VP Operations
Operations
Jane Smith
Then use an org-chart tool to turn that into the visual hierarchy.
Good options:
Lucidchart — probably my top pick if you want something easy, collaborative, and cloud-based. It can import Excel, CSV, or Google Sheets data and automatically structure the org chart; you can refresh the chart as the underlying data changes.
Microsoft Visio — a strong choice if your company already uses Microsoft 365. Visio can generate an org chart from Excel or other data sources and supports layouts, photos, departments, and dotted-line relationships.
PowerPoint/Excel — fine for a small organization where changes are infrequent, but I'd move away from manually maintaining the boxes once you're growing.
My recommended workflow
Create one authoritative employee list with Name, Title, Department, and Reports To.
Use employee ID rather than names for the Reports To relationship if you have duplicate names or expect the company to get large.
Generate the visual org chart from that data.
Have HR/operations update the underlying list whenever someone joins, leaves, changes roles, or changes managers.
Don't put too much information on the chart. Name + title + department is usually enough.
For a growing company, consider separate views for the whole company, each department, and possibly leadership rather than one enormous chart.
If you tell me roughly how many employees you have, whether you use Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, and whether HR already maintains an employee spreadsheet, I can recommend the simplest setup for your situation—and I can also give you a ready-to-copy spreadsheet template.
