What is Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)?

Components of BPMN

BPMN comprises several key elements, each serving a distinct purpose in process modelling. There are the BPMN Elements:

Events: Represent occurrences that affect the flow of the process. Events can be start, intermediate, or end events.

• • Start Event: Represents the first step of a particular process. 
    
  • Intermediate Event: Represents any event that occurs between the Start Event and End Event.
    
  • End Event: Represents the final step of a particular process.
  • Timer Event: Represents a time, date or recurring time that triggers a process, aids intermediates processes or completes a process.
    
  • Message Event: Represents a message event (e.g. e-mail or text message) that is sent or received.
    
  • Error Event: Represents an issue.
    
  • Escalation: Represents an event where a higher-up person within the organization becomes involved in the process (e.g. approval process)
  • Cancel: Represents the triggered cancellation of a process.

Activities: Tasks or work performed within the process. Activities can be atomic (tasks) or compound (sub-processes).

• • Task: Represents a specific action. A Task is used when the work in the Process is not broken down to a finer level.
  • Service Task: Represents a task performed by a web service, an automated process or other types of services.
  • User Task: Represents a task performed by a person with the use of a software application.
  • Manual Task: Represents a task performed without the aid of a business process execution engine or application.
  • Receive Task: Represents a task that is designed to wait until a message is received.
  • Send Task: Represents a task that is designed to wait until a message is sent.
  • Script Task: Represents a script that the software can interpret to perform an automated task.
  • Loop Task: Represents a task that repeats over and over again in sequence.
  • Sub-Process: Represents a set of additional tasks categorized together. The “+” sign indicates that the Activity is a Sub-Process and has a lower-level of detail.

Gateways: Decision points that control the divergence and convergence of flows.

• • Exclusive Gateway: Represents an exclusive decision point and determines the direction a process should go next. It is used to create alternative paths within a Process.
  • Parallel Gateway: Represents multiple tasks that can be performed concurrently (at the same time).
  • Inclusive Gateway: Represents one or more tasks that can be performed, meaning that all tasks can be performed or only one of them.

Connecting Objects: Connecting objects are lines that connect BPMN elements in a Process. There are 3 types: Sequence Flow, Message Flow and Association.

• • • Sequence Flows: Used to show the order that Activities will be performed in a process.
    • Message Flows: Used to show the flow of messages between two participants in a process.
    • Association: Used to show relationships between artifacts (e.g. data object) and flow objects (e.g. tasks; events).

Swimlanes: Swimlanes are rectangular boxes that represent the participants (actors) of a Process. Examples of Swimlanes include the customer, employee, work group department or even an information system. There are 2 types of Swimlanes: Pools and Lanes.

• Pools: Graphical representation of a Participant (company or person role) in a business process. The Pool acts as the container for the Sequence flows between Activities.
• Lanes: This is a sub-partition within a Pool that will extend the entire length of the process either vertically or horizontally. Lanes are used to organize and categorize Activities within a Pool.

Artifacts: Artifacts can represent data or notes that describe the process, or they can be used to organize tasks or processes.

• Data Object: Provides information about what Activities are required to be performed and/or what they produce. It can represent a singular object or a collection of Objects.
• Data Store: Represents a place where the process can read or write data (e.g. database). It persists beyond the process lifecycle.
• Data Input: Represents data requirements that tasks in the process depend on (e.g. variable value)
• Data Output: Represents information produced as the result of a process (e.g. variable value)

BPMN in Practice

BPMN is utilized across various sectors to streamline processes, from manufacturing to healthcare. Here’s how BPMN can be applied:

• Process Improvement: Identifying bottlenecks and redundant steps in workflows.
• System Implementation: Aligning business processes with IT systems for better integration.
• Compliance: Ensuring processes adhere to regulatory standards through clear documentation.
• Training: Helping new employees understand organizational workflows quickly and effectively.

Benefits of BPMN

BPMN offers numerous advantages that make it a preferred choice for process modeling:

1. Standardization: Provides a uniform method for documenting processes, ensuring consistency across organizations and industries.
2. Clarity: Enhances understanding by using intuitive and universally recognizable symbols.
3. Communication: Facilitates better communication among stakeholders, including business and technical teams.
4. Efficiency: Identifies process inefficiencies and areas for improvement, driving operational excellence.
5. Interoperability: Supports integration with various BPM tools and platforms, aiding in automation and monitoring.