BPMN 2.0Introduction to the Level 1 Palette

by Declan Chellar

Scope of this slide deck

• In: an introduction to the shapes of the Level 1 Palette of BPMN 2.0

• In: textual explanations of the purpose of each shape

• In: stand-alone visual examples of the use of each shape

• Out: an example start-to-finish process model

What is BPMN?

• “Business Process Model and Notation”

• A graphical technique for modelling business processes

• Based on flowcharting

• An expressive language with vocabulary, grammar and syntax

• Managed by the Object Management Group

Why use BPMN?

• It is an international standard, the lingua franca of process modelling

• Easily understood by non-technical business people

• Caters well for event-based process modelling

• Caters well for exception scenarios

• Caters well for hierarchical modelling

Why use the Level 1 Palette?

Any of the following is a good reason to stick to Level 1:

• You are not familiar with the shapes of the Level 2 Palette

• You are modelling an initial overview of a process

• You want a simple (non-executable) model of a process

• You don’t need to model event-triggered behaviour

First some symbols

• Instructions appear with this symbol:

• Handy tips appear with this symbol:

• Warnings appear with this symbol:

• Quotes from the BPMN 2.0 Specification appear with this symbol:

(along with a reference to the relevant section in the specification)

Pools and Lanes

This is a Pool. It represents an

entire Process from start to finish.

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The process name

goes here.

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Process names are always verb phrases and should reveal the

intent of the process.

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These are all good process names

because the verbs directly address the core activity and

intent of the process.

Replace

Customer Card

Request Vacation

Add New Account

Switch

Customer Account

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Noun phrases do not make good

process names because processes are about activity and a phrase that lacks a verb obscures the core activity of the process.

Customer CardReplacement

Vacation Request

New Account

Switch

Customer Account

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Within a Pool, we must

have at least one Lane. A Lane represents the

Performer of any tasks that sit within that Lane.

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The Performer name

goes here.

The Performer name

goes here.

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Performer names are always

noun phrases and can represent individual roles, teams, departments or can

represent a desire for Activities to be automated.

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Personnel Manager

Claims

Adjuster

System

(for Activities to be automated)

Accounts

Department

These are all good Performer names.

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Those who perform activities within the same process must be modelled as Lanes within

the same process Pool.

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You can also have Pools outside

the process, to indicate entities or other processes that interact with

the process you are modelling.

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If we do not model what happens

inside them, they are known as Black Box Pools.

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We do not model what happens inside a Black Box Pool because:

• we do not know• or we do not care

• or we cannot control it

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However, if we do know what goes

on inside the other Pool and we can control it and we do care, then we

model it as another White Box Pool.

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Message X Received

Request Information Y

Send Message Z

Receive Information Y

Message X

Request for Information Y

Information YMessage Z

We show the interactions

between Pools with Message Flows.

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Message X Received

Request Information Y

Send Message Z

Receive Information Y

Message X

Request for Information Y

Information YMessage Z

More on Message

Flows later.

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Message X Received

Request Information Y

Send Message Z

Receive Information Y

Message X

Request for Information Y

Information YMessage Z

The interacting Pools are

called Participants.

Don’t confuse the

terms Participant and Performer.

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Message X Received

Request Information Y

Send Message Z

Receive Information Y

Message X

Request for Information Y

Information YMessage Z

A model that shows the

interactions between participating Pools is called a

Collaboration.

Events

Events

An Event is something that “happens” during the

course of a Process… BPMN has restricted the use of Events to include only those types of Events that will

affect the sequence or timing of Activities of a Process. (section 8.3.5)

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Every process has at least one Event

which starts it.

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A Start Event is

represented by a circle with a single, thin border.

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[Label]

Label the Start Event to make

process trigger explicit.

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[Label]

“Start” is not a suitable label for a Start Event, as it adds no information about

what causes the process to start.

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[Label]

These are all good Start Event labels.

Customer Order

Received

15.00 daily

Need for

warehouse maintenance

identified

The three basic types

of Start Event in BPMN 2.0 are:

The three basic types

of Start Event in BPMN 2.0 are:

“None”: the process is started manually.

The three basic types

of Start Event in BPMN 2.0 are:

“None”: the process is started manually.

“Message”: the

process starts when a Message is received from another Pool.

The three basic types

of Start Event in BPMN 2.0 are:

“None”: the process is started manually.

“Message”: the

process starts when a Message is received from another Pool.

A Message is not necessarily a letter or an email. It could be one person

talking to another. A message represents nothing more than an interaction between two Pools.

The three basic types

of Start Event in BPMN 2.0 are:

“None”: the process is started manually.

“Message”: the

process starts when a Message is received from another Pool.

“Timer”: the process starts at a particular

time, or date, or frequency, etc.

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Processes must have at least

one End Event, which indicates not just that the

process ends, but also the end state of the process.

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An End Event is

represented by a circle with a single, thick border.

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End Events should be labelled to provide information about what the outcome of the process is.

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[Label]

“End” is not a suitable label for

an End Event, as it adds no information about the end state

of the process.

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[Label]

These are all good End Event labels.

Customer Order

Fulfilled

Vacation Request

Rejected

Account Switched

Card Replaced

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[Label]

All possible Start Events and all

possible End Events must be shown in the process Pool at the

top level of your model.

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[Label]

This allows you to navigate

the entire process at the highest level without needing

to know the details.

The three basic types of End Event in BPMN

2.0 are:

The three basic types of End Event in BPMN

2.0 are:

“None”: the process throws no signal at

the end.

The three basic types of End Event in BPMN

2.0 are:

“None”: the process throws no signal at

the end.

“Message”: the

process throws a Message signal to

another Pool.

The three basic types of End Event in BPMN

2.0 are:

“None”: the process throws no signal at

the end.

“Message”: the

process throws a Message signal to

another Pool.

“Terminate”: all

active paths at the same process level

are aborted.

Activities

Activities

An Activity is work that is performed

within a Business Process. (section 10.2)

The performance of work can only be represented

by Activity shapes.

Atomic activities cannot be broken down into further steps and are represented

by the Task shape.

The Sub Process shape is

used for Activities that are broken down into further Tasks or Sub Processes.

More on Sub

Processes shortly.

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Tasks must sit within the Lane that performs the

work.

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You don’t have to indicate the Task type but it does add clarity.

User (person symbol):

In the Level 1 palette, the User Task type represents any atomic activity carried out by a human.

Service (gears symbol):

In the Level 1 palette, the Service Task type represents any

automated, atomic activity.

Sequence Flows

Sequence Flows

A Sequence Flow is used to show the order of Flow Elements in a Process.

(section 8.3.13)

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To show the order of flow

between shapes, we use the Sequence Flow shape.

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To show sequence flow, we

use the Sequence Flow shape.

There are different types of arrow-

headed shapes in BPMN, so get used to calling this one by its correct name: Sequence Flow

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A Sequence Flow can have only one source

and one target.

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Sequence Flows must always

stay within a Pool.

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Sequence flows may never

cross a pool boundary.

Message Flows

Message Flows

A Message Flow is used to show the flow of Messages between

two Participants that are prepared to send and receive them.

(section 9.3)

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Message XReceived

Message X

Catching Message Events

(white envelope) musthave an incoming Message

Flow from the boundary of another Pool.

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Message XReceived

Send Message Y

Message X Message Y

Throwing Message Events

(black envelope) musthave an outgoing Message

Flow to the boundary of another Pool.

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Message XReceived

Send Message Y

Message X Message Y

Message Flows may only

pass between Pools.

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Message X

Message Flows may never

pass within a Pool.

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Message X Received

Request Information Y

Send Message Z

Receive Information Y

Message X

Request for Information Y

Information YMessage Z

What shapes can send Messages?

Task

Message

Throwing Event

Black Box Pool

boundary

Black Box Pool

boundary

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Message X Received

Request Information Y

Send Message Z

Receive Information Y

Message X

Request for Information Y

Information YMessage Z

What shapes can

receive Messages?

Task

Message

Catching Event

Black Box Pool

boundary

Black Box Pool

boundary

Sub Processes

Sub Processes

A Sub-Process is an Activity whose internal details

have been modeled using Activities, Gateways, Events, and Sequence Flows. A Sub-Process is a

graphical object within a Process, but it also can be “opened up” to show a lower-level Process.

(section 8.3.13)

Sub Processes allow you to

model the details of a Process hierarchically.

Sub Processes also allow you to group activities logically for the

sake of tidiness.

The details of a collapsedSub Process are shown on

another (child) canvas.

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BOutcome

Outcome B

A

Outcome A

Collapsed Sub Processes must sit within the Lane where the first task of that Sub Process

is performed, even though subsequent Tasks may be performed in other Lanes.

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The details of an expanded Sub Process are shown at the same level as the Sub Process shape

itself.

A Sub Process inherits its Pool from

the parent, so you are only required to show the Pool at the

top level of your model.

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However, you should

show any relevant Lanes at the Sub Process level.

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Sub Processes must have oneun-labelled Start Event of the

type “None”.

This is because the trigger for

the Sub Process is already known: it is the previous

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Sub Processes must have oneun-labelled Start Event of the

type “None”.

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Sub Processes must at least

one End Event.

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Sub Processes must at least

one End Event.

There is no need to label a Sub Process End Event

if there is only one.

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Determine Outcome

Outcome BOutcome

B

Outcome A

A

You must label Sub Process

End Events if there are more than one.

Gateways

Gateways

Gateways are used to control how Sequence Flows interact as they

converge and diverge within a Process.(section 8.3.13)

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We use a Gateway shape to navigate the diagram

when optional or multiple paths are possible.

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No processing takes place within a Gateway, i.e., it

contains no logic. It is nothing more than a visual navigation

device for your diagram.

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Because no processing takes place within a Gateway, be careful not

to call them ‘Decision Points’.

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Determine Credit Limit

Credit Limit

Any Decision logic should be contained

within a previous Activity and the Gateway should be labelled accordingly.

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Determine Credit Limit

Credit Limit

Any logic should be contained within a previous Activity and the Gateway

should be labelled accordingly.

Remember we said that the

performance of work is represented only by Activity shapes.

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A plain, Exclusive Gateway like this means that the process follows only one of the subsequent Gates, (i.e.,

the one where the outcome labelled on the Gate is true).

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An Exclusive Gateway can also be indicated like this.

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The Sequence Flows that

follow a Gateway are called Gates.

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Determine Credit Limit

Credit Limit

Sufficient

Insufficient

Label the Gates coming out of the Gateway to cover all

allowed outcomes.

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BOutcome

Outcome B

A

Outcome A

When a Sub Process has more than

one End Event, you must use an Exclusive Gateway at the parent level to interrogate the outcome.

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Use Parallel Gateways to

model paths that the process follows in parallel.

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With a Splitting Parallel Gateway, all paths following the Gateway

are activated as soon as the process reaches the Gateway.

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With a Joining Parallel Gateway, the process does not continue until all

incoming paths are complete.

Data Shapes

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Use a Data Object to represent transient data that is passed within a process but which does not need to

exist outside the process.

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Use a Data Store to represent data that persists beyond the

scope of the process.

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Use a Data Store to represent data that persists beyond the

scope of the process.

A Data Store is not necessarily

a database! It is simply a logical representation of

persisted data.

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A sheet of paper could be used as a Data Object but it is discarded at some point before the process ends.

A sheet of paper could be

used as a Data Store but it is kept to be used after the

process ends.

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We label both Data Objects and Data Stores to indicate the business concept of the data but not to indicate the

name of a database.

Customer Phone Number

Customer Account Details

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Data Objects and Data Stores must

be connected to Activity shapes with Data Associations to show the flow of data from and to Activities.

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Annotation

Annotation

Annotation

Annotations are a useful

way to add clarity to a process model.

[Pe

rfo

rme

r N

am

e]

[Pe

rfo

rme

r N

am

e]

[Pro

ce

ss N

am

e]

[Nam

e]

Annotation

Annotation

Annotation

But do not use an Annotation

where clarity can be provided by an Event, Activity Gateway, Message Flow, Data Object or Data Store.

Off-page Connectors

Off-page Connectors

Generally used for printing, this object will show where a Sequence Flow leaves one page and then restarts on the next page.

(table 7.2)

A

A

You can use an Intermediate Link

Event as an off-page connector when you need to split your

diagram across two canvasses.

A

A

As the name implies, the Intermediate Event

indicates where something happens (an Event) somewhere between the start and end of a

Process. It will affect the flow of the Process, but will not start or (directly) terminate the Process.

(section 10.4.4)

A

A

An Intermediate Event is

represented by a circle with a double, thin border.

An Intermediate Event is

represented by a circle with a double, thin border.

A

A

White for

“catching”.

Black for

“throwing”.

A

A

The Intermediate Link Event is the only type of Intermediate Event in

the Level 1 Palette.

A

A

Use the Intermediate Link Event sparingly. Instead, try to use Sub

Processes to keep each diagram of your model tidily on a single canvas.

This has been a basic introduction to the Level 1 Palette of BPMN 2.0

ESSENTIAL REFERENCE WORKS:

“BPMN Method and Style” by Bruce Silver“Process and Decision Modelling in BPMN/DMN” by Tom DeBevoise and James Taylor

(both books available in paperback and for Kindle)

The BPMN Specification:http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/2.0/

www.chellar.com/AnalysisFu/

LinkedIn: es.linkedin.com/in/declanchellar/

Twitter: @AnalysisFu

Care to discuss further?