BPMN Clarifications

Following are a few clarifications regarding some common misconceptions in BPMN:

Processes, Models, Diagrams and Files

  • In BPMN there is no equivalence between: Process, Model, Diagram and File

    • A BPMN Model may contain one or more BPMN Business Process (such as in Collaborations)

    • Various portions of a BPMN Model may be saved in various Files

    • A BPMN Diagram depicts a subset (maybe complete) of a BPMN Process Model

    • A BPMN Model may be depicted using multiple Diagrams

Dataflow

  • A BPMN Diagram is not a Dataflow diagram

    • Although Data Objects are now first class entities in BPMN. It is not recommended to try to model Dataflow using BPMN

Gateways

  • Gateway are not decisions

    • 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

  • From a temporal perspective; an Event maps to a time point on a time line and a Task maps to a time interval