Activity An activity is represented with a rounded-corner rectangle and describes the kind of work which must be done. End event Represents the result of a process indicated by a single thick or bold border, and can only Throw, so is shown with a solid icon. For example, a task could flow to an event that throws a message across to another pool, where a subsequent event waits to catch the response before continuing. Intermediate event Represents something that happens between the start and end events is indicated by a double border, and can Throw or Catch (using solid or open icons as appropriate). Start event Acts as a process trigger indicated by a single narrow border, and can only be Catch, so is shown with an open (outline) icon. Events are also classified as Catching (for example, if catching an incoming message starts a process) or Throwing (such as throwing a completion message when a process ends). Icons within the circle denote the type of event (e.g., an envelope representing a message, or a clock representing time). BPDs also permit making new types of flow object or artifact, to make the diagram more understandable.įlow objects and connecting objects įlow objects are the main describing elements within BPMN, and consist of three core elements: events, activities, and gateways.Įvent An Event is represented with a circle and denotes something that happens (compared with an activity, which is something that is done). These four categories enable creation of simple business process diagrams (BPDs). For both business users and developers, they simplify understanding of business activities' flow and process.īPMN's four basic element categories are:įlow objects Events, activities, gateways Connecting objects Sequence flow, message flow, association Swim lanes Pool, lane Artifacts Data object, group, annotation In addition, while BPMN shows the flow of data (messages), and the association of data artifacts to activities, it is not a data flow diagram.īPMN models are expressed by simple diagrams constructed from a limited set of graphical elements. Examples of modeling excluded from BPMN are: Other types of modeling done by organizations for non-process purposes are out of scope for BPMN. Two new standards, using a similar approach to BPMN have been developed, addressing case management modeling ( Case Management Model and Notation) and decision modeling, the ( Decision Model and Notation).īPMN is constrained to support only the concepts of modeling applicable to business processes. It is suggested that in time, this could help to unify the expression of basic business process concepts (e.g., public and private processes, choreographies), as well as advanced process concepts (e.g., exception handling, transaction compensation). While the current variety of languages may suit different modeling environments, there are those who advocate for the development or emergence of a single, comprehensive standard, combining the strengths of different existing languages. BPMN can therefore be used to support the generally desirable aim of all stakeholders on a project adopting a common language to describe processes, helping to avoid communication gaps that can arise between business process design and implementation.īPMN is one of a number of business process modeling language standards used by modeling tools and processes.

īPMN has been designed to provide a standard notation readily understandable by all business stakeholders, typically including business analysts, technical developers and business managers. The BPMN specification also provides a mapping between the graphics of the notation and the underlying constructs of execution languages, particularly Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). The objective of BPMN is to support business process management, for both technical users and business users, by providing a notation that is intuitive to business users, yet able to represent complex process semantics.

5 Comparison with other process modeling notationsīusiness Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a standard for business process modeling that provides a graphical notation for specifying business processes in a Business Process Diagram (BPD), based on a flowcharting technique very similar to activity diagrams from Unified Modeling Language (UML).

2.5 Examples of business process diagrams.

2.3 Flow objects and connecting objects.

Business process modelling software