An activity flowchart shows how a criminal endeavor operates. It doesn't include date and time information like a timeline, but does explain the steps the criminals go through to set up shop. By understanding the steps involved in a criminal pursuit, the investigator can decide which areas are vulnerable to detection. Steps vulnerable to detection are then marked with red circles.

If you haven't already done so, first download the free trial version of RFFlow. It will allow you to open any chart and make modifications.

Once RFFlow is installed, you can open the above chart in RFFlow by clicking on meth_activity_sample.flo. From there you can zoom in, edit, and print this sample chart. It is often easier to modify an existing chart than to draw it from scratch.

To draw this chart without downloading it, run RFFlow and click on the More Shapes button. Scroll to the Criminal Analysis folder and click the plus sign to open it. Then click the Activity Flowchart stencil and click the Add Stencil button.

For free training in criminal analysis, see: mctft.org.