AI swimlane diagram generator
Wavelength is an AI swimlane diagram generator. Describe a process out loud, paste text, or upload a transcript. Wavelength makes one lane for each person or team and puts each step in the lane of its owner. One button switches the flow between a vertical layout, a horizontal layout, and swimlanes. Export the lanes to BPMN 2.0, or share a link.
New to swimlanes? The swimlane process map guide explains what a swimlane map is and when to use one. This page explains how the generator builds the lanes.
The demo needs no account. The free plan needs no card.
How the generator sets the lanes
- Each actor is a lane. The name of the person or team is the lane header.
- Each step goes to its owner. When you say who does a step, the step goes in that lane.
- A step with no owner follows its neighbors. It goes to the lane of the nearest owner before it or after it. If there is none, it goes to a lane named Unassigned.
- A system goes where it is used. A system or data store with no owner sits in the lane of the person who uses it, not the person who feeds it.
- Lanes follow the process. The lane of the first step comes first. Steps at the same point in the process line up across the lanes.
How it works
- Describe the process. Hold the mic, type, or upload a transcript. Say who does each step.
- Check the flow. Wavelength draws the actors, steps, systems, and decisions. Dashed amber lines are links it inferred.
- Switch to swimlanes. Click the layout button until it shows swimlanes. The tip on the button says which layout comes next.
- Move a step to another lane. Change the owner of the step, or say the change: "Finance does the approval."
- Export. Export BPMN 2.0 to get one lane per owner in your BPMN tool, or share a read-only link.
A worked example: an access request
An IT lead described the access request process:
With an owner on each step, the generator makes four lanes:
| Lane | What sits in it |
|---|---|
| Employee | Request access. ServiceNow, because the employee uses it to make the request. |
| Manager | Approve request? (decision) |
| Security Team | Payroll data? (decision) and Security sign off |
| Service Desk | Add to group, Active Directory, Close ticket, Email employee |
The description does not say what happens when the manager rejects the request. The "No" branch has no next step. Ask that question before you share the diagram.
By hand or with Wavelength
| Task | By hand | With Wavelength |
|---|---|---|
| Set up the lanes | You draw a lane for each role and size it. | Each actor becomes a lane. |
| Place the steps | You drag each step into a lane. | Each step goes to the lane of its owner. |
| Handle a new role | You add a lane and move every shape below it. | Say the new step and its owner. The lanes update. |
| Change the layout | You redraw the diagram. | One button switches between vertical, horizontal, and swimlanes. |
| Hand it to a BPMN tool | You redraw it in the modeler. | Export BPMN 2.0 with one lane per owner. |
Tips for clean lanes
- Name the role, not the person: "Service Desk", not "Priya".
- Say the owner of each step. A step with no owner can land in the wrong lane.
- Keep to six lanes or fewer. Group small roles into one team.
- Check the Unassigned lane. Each step in it needs an owner.
To turn the lanes into a BPMN model, read text to BPMN with AI.
When a swimlane diagram is the wrong choice
Use swimlanes when two or more roles hand work to each other and the handoffs matter. When one person does every step, the lanes add nothing. Use the vertical layout for that flow. When the question is how data moves between systems, a data flow diagram is clearer than lanes by role.
Related
- Swimlane process map: guide and examples
- Text to BPMN with AI
- Transcript to process map
- Wavelength for business analysts
- AI process map generator
Common questions
Is there a free AI swimlane diagram generator?
Yes. The Wavelength Free plan saves up to 5 flows and needs no card. Every new account starts with 7 days of Pro.
How does Wavelength decide the lanes?
Each person or team in the process becomes a lane. Each step goes to the lane of its owner. A step with no owner goes to the lane of the nearest owner in the flow.
Can I switch back to a normal flowchart?
Yes. The layout button switches between a vertical layout, a horizontal layout, and swimlanes. The steps and links stay the same.
Can I export the swimlane diagram to BPMN?
Yes. When the flow has two or more owners, the BPMN 2.0 export puts each owner in its own lane.
What if a step is in the wrong lane?
Change the owner of the step, or describe the change in plain English. The step moves to the lane of the new owner.
Every new account starts with 7 days of Pro. No card needed.