BPMN ( Business Process Management Notation )

BPMN Basics

		Event
		Activity
		Gateway
		Flow

Data

Data Object       Data Object Collection       Data Input       Data Input Collection       Data Output       Data Output Collection       Data Store

Artifact

Group       Text Annotation

Swimlane Basics

Lane       Pool

Lane

Horizontal Lane       Vertical Lane

Pool               Horizontal  Pool       Horizontal Pool - with Multi Instance Participant       Vertical Pool       Vertical Pool - with Multi Instance Participant                 Event

Start Event       Intermediate Event       End Event

Start Event

None Start Event       Interrupting - Message Start Event       Non-interrupting - Message Start Event       Interrupting - Timer Start Event       Non-interrupting - Timer Start Event       Interrupting - Conditional Start Event       Non-interrupting - Conditional Start Event       Interrupting Signal Start Event       Non-interrupting - Signal Start Event       Interrupting Multiple Start Event       Non-interrupting Multiple Start Event       Interrupting - Parallel Multiple Start Event       Non-interrupting - Parallel Multiple Start Event       Interrupting - Escalation Start Event       Non-interrupting - Escalation Start Event       Interrupting - Error Start Event         Interrupting - Compensation Start Event

Intermediate Event

Interrupting - None Intermediate Event       Catch - Message Intermediate Event       Interrupting - Boundary - Catch -  Message Intermediate Event       Non-interrupting - Boundary - Catch - Message Intermediate Event       Throw - Message Intermediate Event       Timer Intermediate Event       Interrupting - Boundary  - Timer Intermediate Event       Non-interrupting Boundary - Timer Intermediate Event       Conditional Intermediate Event       Interrupting – Boundary - Conditional Intermediate Event       Non-interrupting - Boundary - Conditional Intermediate Event       Catch - Signal Intermediate Event       Interrupting - Boundary - Catch - Signal Intermediate Event       Non-interrupting - Boundary - Catch - Signal Intermediate Event       Interrupting - Boundary - Throw - Signal Intermediate Event       Catch - Multiple Intermediate Event       Interrupting - Boundary - Catch - Multiple Intermediate Event       Non-interrupting Boundary - Catch - Multiple Intermediate Event       Throw - Multiple Intermediate Event       Catch - Parallel Multiple Intermediate Event       Interrupting - Boundary - Catch - Parallel Multiple Intermediate Event       Non-interrupting Boundary - Catch - Parallel Multiple Intermediate Event       Catch - Escalation Intermediate Event       Interrupting - Boundary - Catch - Escalation Intermediate Event       Non-interrupting - Boundary - Catch - Escalation Intermediate Event       Throw - Escalation Intermediate Event       Boundary - Catch - Error Intermediate Event       Boundary - Catch - Compensation Intermediate Event       Throw - Compensation Intermediate Event       Catch - Link Intermediate Event       Throw - Link Intermediate Event       Boundary - Catch - Cancel Intermediate Event

End Event

None End Event       Message End Event       Signal End Event       Multiple End Event       Escalation End Event       Error End Event       Compensation End Event       Cancel   End Event       Terminate End Event

Activity

Task       Sub Process       Call Activity

Tasks

Abstract Task       Service Task       Send Task       Receive Task       User Task       Manual Task       Business Rule Task       Script Task

Sub Process Basics

Sub Process       Adhoc Sub Process       Transaction       Event Sub Process

Sub Process

Collapsed Sub Process       Expanded Sub Process

Adhoc Sub Process

Adhoc Collapsed Sub Process       Adhoc Expanded Sub Process

Transaction

Collapsed Transaction       Expanded Transaction

Event Sub Process

Non-interrupting Message - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Interrupting -Message - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Non-interrupting - Timer - Event Sub-Process -Collapsed       Interrupting - Timer - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Non-interrupting - Conditional - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Interrupting - Conditional - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Non-interrupting- Signal -  Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Interrupting - Signal - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Non-interrupting- Multiple -  Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Interrupting - Multiple -  Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Non-interrupting  - Parallel Multiple - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Interrupting - Parallel Multiple - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Non-interrupting – Escalation - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Interrupting  - Escalation Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Interrupting - Error - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed       Interrupting – Compensation - Event Sub-Process - Collapsed

Call Activity

Abstract Call Activity       User Call Activity       Manual Call Activity       Business Rule Call Activity       Script Call Activity

Gateway

Exclusive Gateway - without Marker       Exclusive Gateway - with Marker       Inclusive Gateway       Parallel Gateway       Complex Gateway       Event-Based Gateway       Event-Based Gateway to Start a Process       Parallel  Event-Based Gateway to Start a Process

Flow

Sequence Flow       Message Flow       Association       Data Association

Sequence Flow

Sequence Flow       Conditional Sequence Flow       Default Sequence Flow

Message Flow

Message Flow       Initiating Message Flow with Decorator       Non-Initiating Message Flow with Decorator

Data Association

Data Association

Association

Association       Directional Association       Bi-Directional Association

BPMN Basic Rules

A few basic rules of BPMN:   Sequence Flows i  Are used to show the order that Activities will be performed in a Process x  They cannot cross Sub-Process boundaries x  They cannot cross Pool boundaries   Message Flows i  Are used to show communication between Participants x  They cannot connect objects that are within the same Pool   Boundary Events ✪  Must have at most one outgoing Sequence Flow x  Must not have any incoming Sequence Flow   Sub-Process ✪  A Start Event in a Sub-Process must be of type None

BPMN Clarifications

Following are a few clarifications regarding some common misconceptions in BPMN:   Processes, Models, Diagrams and Files i  In BPMN there is no equivalence between: Process, Model, Diagram and File i  A BPMN Model may contain one or more BPMN Business Process (such as in Collaborations) i  Various portions of a BPMN Model may be saved in various Files i  A BPMN Diagram depicts a subset (maybe complete) of a BPMN Process Model i  A BPMN Model may be depicted using multiple Diagrams   Dataflow x  A BPMN Diagram is not a Dataflow diagram i  Although Data Objects are now first class entities in BPMN. It is not recommended to try to model Dataflow using BPMN   Gateways x Gateway are not decisions i Gateways do not make decisions they only direct the flow ✪  A decision outcome should be determined in an Activity prior to the Gateway   Manual, Automated and Semi-automated Tasks ✪  Use a Manual Task to depict work effort expected to be performed without the aid of any software application ✪  Use a User Task to depict semi-automated work effort where a human performer uses a software application to complete the Task ✪  Use a Service Task to depict an automated work effort   Sending and Receiving Messages ✪  Use a Message Event if the sending or receiving of the Message is considered instantaneous ✪ Message Task if the sending or receiving of the Message can be interrupted i  From a temporal perspective; an Event maps to a time point on a time line and a Task maps to a time interval

BPMN Naming Conventions Best Practices

There are no official naming conventions in BPMN, but here are a few best practices recognized over the years:   ✪  Always use keywords that are meaningful to the business x  Do not use uncommon abbreviations x  Do not use the element type in its name x  Avoid articles and pronouns   Activity ✪  All Activities should be named ✪  Name Activities using a Verb-Noun phrase i  Use the present tense of an active verb of meaning to the business i  Use a qualified noun of meaning to the business x  Do not name multiple Activities with the same name (except for Call Activities)   Gateways ✪ Gateways do not perform any work or make decisions; it is simply a visualization of divergence or convergence of flow x  Do not name converging Gateways i  Associate a Text Annotation when convergence logic is not obvious ✪  Name diverging Exclusive Gateways with an interrogative phrase   Sequence Flows ✪  Name Sequence flows coming out of diverging Gateways of type Exclusive, Inclusive and Complex using their associated conditions stated as outcomes ✪  Name Conditional Sequence Flows using their associated conditions stated as outcomes x  Do not name Default Sequence Flows   Events ✪  All Events should be named ✪  Name Message, Signal, Escalation, and Error Events with a past participle using an active verb ✪  Name Link Event with a noun ✪  Name paired Message, Link, Signal, Escalation, and Error Events using a matching name ✪  Name Timer Events using their schedule ✪  Name Conditional Events using their trigger condition ✪  Name End Events using the name of the end state   Data Objects ✪  All Data Objects should be named i  Name Data Objects using a qualified noun that is the name of a business object or information object of meaning to the business ✪  Name multiple instances of the same Data Object (which are really Data Object References) using a matching name followed by the applicable State in square Brackets   Participants ✪  Name Participants using a qualified noun or a noun phrase   Roles ✪  Name Roles using a qualified noun or noun phrase   Pools ✪  Name Pools using the Participant’s name x  Do not name Pools using the Process Name i  In BPMN a Pool is a depiction of a Participant   Lanes ✪  Name Lanes using the Category’s name i Lanes are often used to categorize elements by Roles

BPMN Modeling Best Practices

Process Scope ✪  Clearly define the scope of the Process by identifying the Who, What, When, Where and Why of your process (the Process is the How) ✪  Identify what each instance of your Process will represent i  Instances are discreet and identifiable: you can refer to each one of them and can count them ✪  Identify the potential alternative ways to trigger the Process using Start Events ✪  Identify the potential alternative end states of the instances of the Process using End Events   Diagram layouts ✪  Aim for BPMN Diagrams that fit one page ✪  Layout your BPMN Diagrams neatly to ease readability by minimizing flow crossing ✪  Use consistent layout with horizontal Sequence Flows and vertical Data Associations and Message Flows i  BPMN Diagrams are not strict temporal orderings (as it is possible to loop back) but most readers expect a left-to-right ordering ✪  Do not create zigzag layouts of elements ✪  It should be clear what the primary (“Happy”) path of the Process is ✪  Whenever possible, externalize the business rules from the Process to create more concise and more agile Process models using Business Rule Tasks ✪  Create alternative visualizations of the same Process for different communication purposes and stakeholders. For example: ❖  A summary Diagram with all Sub-Processes and Call Activities collapsed and not showing any Data Objects ❖  A verbose Diagram with all Sub-Processes and Call Activities expanded, showing all Data Objects and Annotations   Process Partitioning and Structure ✪  Create hierarchical multi layers of details for your Process ✪  Use Sub-Processes to split your Process into "phases" ✪  Use Call Activities to re-use other Processes   Start and End Events ✪  Always use Start and End Events ✪  Distinguish alternative instantiation of the process as separate Start Events ✪  Distinguish various end states as separate End Events ✪  Flows that end in the same end state should be merged to the same End Event   Gateways ✪  Always use Gateways to depict split or merge of flows x  Do not use mixt mode Gateways (both diverging and converging) ✪  Always place an Activity that will determine the diverging condition(s) just before a diverging Gateway of type Exclusive, Inclusive and Complex i  A benefit ' of this best practice is that this decision Activity can now be interrupted if need be ✪  Abstract multiple daisy-chained diverging Gateways into a Business Rule Task i  A benefit of this best practice is simplification of overloaded diagrams   Collaborations x  Do not model the internal process under focus into a Pool i  Without a Pool to label, one will not have the opportunity to fall into the bad practice of naming the Pool with the Process Name

BPMN Examples

These examples were extracted from BPMN 2.0 by Example (non-normative OMG document). Click the diagram image to view the example.   Order Fulfillment and Procurement       The Nobel Prize       The Pizza Collaboration       Shipment Process of a Hardware Retailer       E-Mail Voting       Incident Management as Detailed Collaboration

BPMN Glossary

Abstract Process   A Process that represents the interactions between a private business process and another process or participant.     Activity   Work that a company or organization performs using business processes. An activity can be atomic or non-atomic (compound). The types of activities that are a part of a Process Model are: Process, Sub-Process, and Task.     Artifact   A graphical object that provides supporting information about the Process or elements within the Process. However, it does not directly affect the flow of the Process.     Association   A connecting object that is used to link information and Artifacts with Flow Objects.  An association is represented as a dotted graphical line with an arrowhead to represent the direction of flow     Atomic Activity   An activity not broken down to a finer level of Process Model detail. It is a leaf  in the tree-structure hierarchy of Process activities. Graphically it will appear  as a Task in BPMN.     BPM System   The technology that enables BPM.     Business Analyst   A specialist who analyzes business needs and problems, consults with users and stakeholders to identify opportunities for improving business return through information technology, and defines, manages, and monitors the requirements into business processes.     Business Process   A defined set of business activities that represent the steps required to achieve a business objective. It includes the flow and use of information and resources.     Business Process Management   The services and tools that support process management (for example, process analysis, definition, processing, monitoring and administration), including support for human and application-level interaction. BPM tools can eliminate manual processes and automate the routing of requests between departments and applications.     Choreography   An ordered sequence of B2B message exchanges between two or more Participants. In a Choreography there is no central controller, responsible entity, or observer of the Process.     Collaboration   Collaboration is the act of sending messages between any two Participants in a BPMN model. The two Participants represent two separate BPML processes.     Collapsed Sub-Process   A Sub-Process that hides its flow details. The Collapsed Sub-Process object uses a marker to distinguish it as a Sub-Process, rather than a Task. The marker is a small square with a plus sign (+) inside.     Compensation Flow   Flow that defines the set of activities that are performed while the transaction  is being rolled back to compensate for activities that were performed during the Normal Flow of the Process. A Compensation Flow can also be called from a Compensate End or Intermediate Event.     Compound Activity   Flow that proceeds from one Flow Object to another, via a Sequence Flow link, but is subject to either conditions or dependencies from other flow as defined by a Gateway. Typically, this is seen as a Sequence flow between two activities, with a conditional indicator (mini-diamond) or a Sequence Flow connected to a Gateway.     Decision   A gateway within a business process where the Sequence Flow can take one of several alternative paths. Also known as "Or-Split."     End Event   An Event that indicates where a path in the process will end. In terms of Sequence Flows, the End Event ends the flow of the Process, and thus, will not have any outgoing Sequence Flows. An End Event can have a specific Result that will appear as a marker within the center of the End Event shape. End Event Results are Message, Error, Compensation, Signal, Link, and Multiple. The End Event shares the same basic shape of the Start Event and Intermediate Event, a circle, but is drawn with a thick single line.     Event Context   An Event Context is the set of activities that can be interrupted by an exception  (Intermediate Event). This can be one activity or a group of activities in an expanded Sub-Process.     Exception   An event that occurs during the performance of the Process that causes a diversion from the Normal Flow of the Process. Exceptions can be generated by Intermediate Events, such as time, error, or message.     Exception Flow   A Sequence Flow path that originates from an Intermediate Event attached to the boundary of an activity. The Process does not traverse this path unless the Activity is interrupted by the triggering of a boundary Intermediate Event (an Exception - see above).     Expanded Sub-Process   A Sub-Process that exposes its flow detail within the context of its Parent Process. An Expanded Sub-Process is displayed as a rounded rectangle that is enlarged to display the Flow Objects within.     Flow   A directional connector between elements in a Process, Collaboration, or Choreography. A Sequence Flows represents the sequence of Flow Objects in a Process or Choreography. A Message Flow represents the transmission of a Message between Collaboration Participants.The term Flow is often used to represent the overall progression of how a Process or Process segment would be performed.     Flow Object   A graphical object that can be connected to or from a Sequence Flow. In a Process, Flow Objects are Events, Activities, and Gateways. In a Choreography, Flow Objects are Events, Choreography Activities, and Gateways.     Fork   A point in the Process where one Sequence Flow path is split into two or more paths that are run in parallel within the Process, allowing multiple activities to run simultaneously rather than sequentially. BPMN uses multiple outgoing Sequence Flows from Activities or Events or a Parallel Gateway to perform a Fork. Also known as “AND-Split.”     Intermediate Event   An event that occurs after a Process has been started. An Intermediate Event affects the flow of the process by showing where messages and delays are expected, distributing the Normal Flow through exception handling, or showing the extra flow required for compensation. However, an Intermediate Event does not start or directly terminate a process. An Intermediate Event is displayed as a circle, drawn with a thin double line.     Join   A point in the Process where two or more parallel Sequence Flow paths are combined into one Sequence Flow path. BPMN uses a Parallel Gateway to perform a Join. Also known as “AND-Join.”     Lane   A partition that is used to organize and categorize activities within a Pool. A Lane extends the entire length of the Pool either vertically or horizontally. Lanes are often used for such things as internal roles (e.g., Manager, Associate), systems (e.g., an enterprise application), or an internal department (e.g., shipping, finance).     Merge   A point in the Process where two or more alternative Sequence Flow paths are combined into one Sequence Flow path. No synchronization is required because no parallel activity runs at the join point. BPMN uses multiple incoming Sequence Flows for an Activity or an Exclusive Gateway to perform a Merge. Also know as “OR-Join.”     Message   An Object that depicts the contents of a communication between two Participants. A message is transmitted through a Message Flow and has an identity that can be used for alternative branching of a Process through the Event-Based Exclusive Gateway.     Message Flow   A Connecting Object that shows the flow of messages between two Participants. A Message Flow is represented by a dashed lined.     Normal Flow   A flow that originates from a Start Event and continues through activities on alternative and parallel paths until reaching an End Event.     Parent Process   A Process that holds a Sub-Process within its boundaries.     Participant   A business entity (e.g., a company, company division, or a customer) or a business role (e.g., a buyer or a seller) that controls or is responsible for a business process. If Pools are used, then a Participant would be associated with one Pool. In a Collaboration, Participants are informally known as “Pools”.     Pool   A Pool represents a Participant in a Collaboration. Graphically, a Pool is a container for partitioning a Process from other Pools/Participants. A Pool is not required to contain a Process, i.e., it can be a “black box.”     Private Business Process   A process that is internal to a specific organization and is the type of process  that has been generally called a workflow or BPM process.     Process   A sequence or flow of Activities in an organization with the objective of carrying out work. In BPMN, a Process is depicted as a graph of Flow Elements, which are a set of Activities, Events, Gateways, and Sequence Flow that adhere to a finite execution semantics.     Result   The consequence of reaching an End Event. Types of Results include Message, Error, Compensation, Signal, Link, and Multiple.     Sequence Flow   A connecting object that shows the order in which activities are performed in a Process and is represented with a solid graphical line. Each Flow has only one source and only one target. A Sequence Flow can cross the boundaries between Lanes of a Pool but cannot cross the boundaries of a Pool.     Start Event   An Event that indicates where a particular Process starts. The Start Event starts the flow of the Process and does not have any incoming Sequence Flow, but can have a Trigger. The Start Event is displayed as a circle, drawn with a single thin line.     Sub-Process   A Process that is included within another Process. The Sub-Process can be in a collapsed view that hides its details. A Sub-Process can be in an expanded view that shows its details within the view of the Process that it is contained in. A Sub-Process shares the same shape as the Task, which is a rectangle that has rounded corners.     Swimlane   A Swimlane is a graphical container for partitioning a set of activities from other activities. BPMN has two different types of Swimlanes. See “Pool” and “Lane.”     Task   An atomic activity that is included within a Process. A Task is used when the work in the Process is not broken down to a finer level of Process Model detail. Generally, an end-user, an application, or both will perform the Task. A Task object shares the same shape as the Sub-Process, which is a rectangle that has rounded corners.     Token   A theoretical concept that is used as an aid to define the behavior of a Process that is being performed. The behavior of Process elements can be defined by describing how they interact with a token as it “traverses” the structure of the Process. For example, a token will pass through an Exclusive Gateway, but continue down only one of the Gateway's outgoing Sequence Flow.     Transaction   A Sub-Process that represents a set of coordinated activities carried out by independent, loosely-coupled systems in accordance with a contractually defined business relationship. This coordination leads to an agreed, consistent, and verifiable outcome across all participants.     Trigger   A mechanism that detects an occurrence and can cause additional processing in response, such as the start of a business Process. Triggers are associated with Start Events and Intermediate Events and can be of the type: Message, Timer, Conditional, Signal, Link, and Multiple.     Uncontrolled Flow   Flow that proceeds without dependencies or conditional expressions. Typically, an Uncontrolled Flow is a Sequence Flow between two Activities that do not have a conditional indicator (mini-diamond) or an intervening Gateway.