All about Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)

“It would be really scary if those responsible for the operation of multimillion dollar enterprises can’t take on the meaning of a set of symbols that can be put on a small wallchart.”

- David French

 

 

What is Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)?

 

BPMN is a technique that is used to diagrammatically illustrate the processes carried out in business. Usually it is made in the form of a flowchart. Flowcharts are easy to understand and people can act upon them without any complexity. 

 

A technique called Process Mapping is used by many businesses which is similar to BPMN. But this technique is more confusing and complex as compared to Business Process Model and Notation. It is because there is no de-facto standard.

 

Whereas in BPMN there is a standard format which needs to be implemented in all the business processes. People find process mapping very difficult because it is confusing to understand the processes without any standardization.

 

This is why BPMN is considered as a better choice by businesses and organizations across the globe. It is one of the most sorted and simple modeling options. In this the symbols and signs used are very convenient to understand by all the people.

 

Management, consultants and even employees can look at the business process flowcharts and understand what is going on. It is very easy to pinpoint anomalies and mistakes in the processes. Management can also respond efficiently to any issues that arise.

 

Given below are the utilities of BPMN in businesses:

 

• It helps to visualize the processes in the most simple way.

• It also helps in processing documents.

• Analyzing the whole process in parts and as a whole.

• A common language that helps everyone understand the process.

• It also helps the business to understand their procedures in more detail.

• It also acts as a bridge to minimize any communication gap between process implementation and design.

 

Basic Purpose of BPMN

 

BPMN serves a lot of purposes but the main purpose is to support the process management. It helps the management and other users to understand everything that is done in a business process.

 

The complex semantics of processes can be easily illustrated with the help of BPMN. With the help of it we can visualize all the steps from starting to the end. It helps in notation at every step and it offers a detailed visual of every step.

 

Businesses often face difficulties when it comes to understanding of the internal processes and steps. BPMN solves this issue. With proper diagrammatic aid, the whole process is communicated in a standard format to every stakeholder. 

 

Be it business analysts, technical users, developers or even the employees. They can solve and understand everything.
 

Also Read | Top 11 Business Analysis Tools

 

 

History of BPMN

 

Business Process Modeling Notation in short BPMN has a very fascinating history. It was developed somewhere around the early 2000s by the Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI). After  a period of time BPMI merged with the Object Management Group.

 

In 2011 a 2.0 version of BPMN was launched. It’s name was changed to Business Process Model and Notation but the acronym was same i.e. BPMN. The most recent version was released in 2014 which was a 2.0.2 one.

 

The newer version of BPMN i.e. the 2.0 was more advantageous as it had an XML format. XML means Extensible Markup Language. BPMN is a standard and when it was merged with XML the overall scope became wider.

 

It had scope for more diagrams like the conversation and choreography diagrams. BPMN has a lot of potential and power. 

 

 

Relationship of BPMN and other models

 

The only limitation it has is that it needs other standards for its implementation or capturing. Given below are some examples of BPMN used with other models.

 

• Decision Flows

 

For Decision Flows a “Decision Model and Notation” is used. BPMN does not have the power to note all the things in the data life cycle. Hence, a Decision Model and Notation is used along with BPMN for Decision Flows.

 

• Web Services

 

For web services, XML is used to orchestrate the processes. When we use BPMN with XML we open the space for more diagrams and better output.

 

• Software Developers

 

Most software developers use UML i.e Unified Modeling Language. With the help of this software developers easily outline the relationships and objects present. By using BPMN, capturing can be done easily.

 

Also Read | What is Topic Modeling?

 

Basic Constructs in BPMN

 

BPMN can design and interpret all the processes in a business. There are some basic constructs that are used to depict the whole process. In this blog we will look at 4 of them and understand how and when they are used.

---

BPMN Basic Constructs

---

1. Swim Lanes

 

Swimlanes are rectangular shaped boxes that are used to represent participants in a process. These boxes can be used horizontally and vertically. 

 

In case of a process that is left to right, we use horizontal swimlanes and for top to bottom processes a vertical swimlane is used.Examples: Accounts Department, Development Team and Payment Gateway.

 

Swimlanes are further categorized into:

 

• Pools

 

Pools signify a department or a role. For example- Department can be Accounts, Marketing, Finance and role can be Manager or developer. Pool has flow elements.

 

• Lanes

 

Sub-partitioning of the pool leads to Lanes. For example- If we have a pool department, then in this department we will have a manager and a clerk head. These both will be the lanes. Similar to pools, lanes also signify roles or entities.

 

 

2. Flow Elements

 

These elements define the basic flow of the whole business process. They connect each element to make a whole workflow. Flow elements are of three types:

 

• Events

 

Events means anything that can happen or that creates an impact on the whole business workflow. This event can be internal or external. 

 

The main thing is that if any event created an impact on the process then it should be modeled. We use circles to show the events.

 

• Activities

 

Activities are the tasks or objectives that we do in a process. We use rectangles with rounded edges to depict activities. Activities are also of two types namely: Task and Sub-process.

 

• Gateways

 

In order to control the whole process, gateways are used. They are depicted with diamonds. The whole process and the jobs done can be influenced due to internal and external factors.

 

Gateways are where the decisions are taken and everything is evaluated.

 

 

3. Connecting Objects

 

Every object in a process is connected to each other. No object is isolated. The connectors that are used to connect these objects are known as Connecting Objects. There are 4 different types of connecting objects namely:

 

1. Sequence Flows

 

2. Message Flows

 

3. Associations

 

4. Data Associations

 

 

4. Data

 

Data is the information produced or required when we perform the process. There are 4 different types of Data that are given below:

 

• Data Objects

 

• Data Inputs

 

• Data Outputs

 

• Data Stores

 

Also Read | Business Process Discovery

 

What are Events in BPMN?

 

In BPMN there are 3 events namely- Start event, Intermediate Event and End event. There are no color specifications while indicating these events. So, you can use any color you like. Symbol wise a “circle” is used to depict an event. 

 

The outline or the boundary of the circle is different in all three events. For the start event the circle has a narrow edge. For the intermediate event a double boundary circle is drawn and the end event circle has a thick and bold edge.

 

1. Start Event

 

The start event is what begins the whole process flow and BPMN. At the time a start event takes place, whole process flow is activated. There can be multiple start events as well in BPMN.

 

For example- In a webshop, an order can be placed through emails and mobiles. Orders placed by both will start the process of order fulfillments and begin the BPMN.

 

 

2. Intermediate Event

 

As the name suggests, an intermediate event happens in between the start and the end event. With the help of intermediate events you can add time in the BPMN process flow. 

 

For example- Start event is when order is received and invoice creation is the end event. After creating the invoice, the intermediate event will specify the time like 1 week. 

 

Therefore, there will be a waiting period of 1 week  before we carry out the next activity i.e. checking the payment.

 

 

3. End Event

 

End event means the end of the process flow. When all the events are completed, the process flow will be terminated. For example- if the order is complete then the process will end.

 

Just like a start event, an end event can have multiple end points. There are two possibilities in order completion. One is successful completion and the other one is incomplete order.

 

These two are end events. There is a big difference between both these. The main aim is that every BPMN ending must give a unique output.

 

Also Read | Business Process Analysis Steps

 

 

Example of BPMN

 

Given below is an example of Business Process Model and Notation. Suppose we take a webshop. In webshop the main activity is to fulfill the orders. Order Fulfillment can be divided into the following steps:

 

1. First is Receiving an order

 

2. Then you check Credit

 

3. Fulfilling order

 

4. Sending the Invoice

 

The above mentioned steps in itself do not make a BPMN. A Business Process Model and Notation requires all the steps in the process right from the start to the end. BPMN should consider the possibilities of both success and failure and be open to all the paths.

 

We use different notations and activities to create a whole BPMN process. Let us look at how to visualize these activities.

 

1. First activity is carried out by the “user”. Therefore, any activity which is done by a human is defined by a person symbol when you are doing the BPMN.

 

2. The second activity is “service”. Any activity which is automated will be a service. Automated means that there is nil or negligible human intervention. While using BPMN we use a gear symbol for services.

 

3. Lastly, we have an “abstract task” or “none task”. For this there is no symbol.

 

Also Read | Credit Risk

 

If we define our example based on the symbols that are discussed above then we can say that-  Receiving an order is a user activity. For user activity we will use a “person” symbol. Checking credit is an automated activity. So we use a “gear” symbol. 

 

Fulfilling the order is not an activity but a subprocess. For sub processes we use a “+” symbol. Sending the invoices has also become an automated process now. Hence we use a “gear” symbol. But if it is done by humans then we use a “person” symbol.

 

BPMN is the best modeling option for processes as it provides better insights and depicts all the complexities and mistakes that can present in the existing processes.