In today's fast-paced business environment, companies must continuously optimize their internal processes to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) is a standardized graphical notation designed for modeling business processes.
The Business Process Management Initiative (BPMN.org) was established and is supported by the Object Management Group, following their merger in 2005. The latest version of BPMN is 2.0 (2.0.2).
Key Concepts of BPMN 2.0
The primary goal of BPMN 2.0 is to provide an easily understandable and collaborative representation of business processes, facilitating communication among business analysts, developers, and business users. Through visualization, BPMN helps all parties understand the structure, actions, and relationships between processes.
A BPMN process represents any business process visualized using this notation. Each process consists of various elements represented on the diagram with unique symbols. BPMN elements serve both as graphical representations and descriptions of the business process itself.
The notation includes the following key graphical components:
- Pools and Lanes
- Activities
- Gateways or Divergences
- Events
- Flows
- Artifacts
A BPMN diagram illustrates the sequence of work actions and the flow of information. Modeling allows for the description of any business process. BPMN highlights areas for improvement and models ways to adapt to new conditions.
In BPMN 2.0, elements are represented by specific icons. The creators of this system aimed to provide a comprehensive set of icons that allows for clear visualization of a wide variety of business process diagrams. Now, let’s take a look at the fundamental elements that are essential for any business process diagram.
Pools and Lanes
Within pools, there are lanes that conveniently represent different roles, such as within a single department. In this case, the pool would represent the department, while the lanes would represent the employees. There can be a flow of actions between operations within the lanes. For example, the lanes might represent different systems where specific actions occur and data is transferred from one system to another.
Activities
The term “Activity” refers to a unit of work performed during the execution of a business process (which can be implemented in a CRM if needed). In BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation), activities can be either simple (tasks) or complex (sub-processes). There are several categories of simple activities that differ based on the conditions for their execution:
- Multiple Occurrences: Activities can occur multiple times within a single business process. The same operation may happen simultaneously for all elements within a customer's order.
- Repetitive Activities: These are tasks that are performed repeatedly as long as a specific condition remains true.
It is important to emphasize that modern Business Process Modeling Notation offers a wide range of operation types, far beyond what is depicted in the image below, which only shows the basics.
Gateways
Gateways are elements that define the branching and merging of workflow paths. BPMN describes seven types of gateways, with two being considered the most fundamental:
Exclusive Gateway: This type of gateway is used to create alternative paths in a process or to merge incoming control flows.
Parallel Gateway: This gateway is employed to form parallel paths without evaluating any conditions or to merge incoming flows while synchronizing parallel branches of the process.
These two types of gateways are sufficient for constructing processes of any complexity. Other types of gateways detailed in Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) allow for the creation of more compact process diagrams. However, many experts question the benefit of this, as it is unlikely that individuals without professional training will be able to understand such diagrams.
Moreover, using more complex types of gateways can lead to confusion and difficulties in interpreting processes. Therefore, it is essential to maintain a balance between the level of detail in a model and its clarity for users. Choosing the right types of gateways not only aids effective modeling but also enhances communication among process participants.
Activities
This is another key component of the business process model. Events determine the direction of the process. They represent what has happened—conditions or circumstances upon which we base our actions. Events serve as the "if" condition in an "if-then" sequence: If it’s raining outside, then you need to take an umbrella. In this case, the rain is the event.
Here are examples of events types:
- Notification Event: For example, receiving an email, among others.
- State Event: Such as "it's raining," "a friend called," etc.
- Temporal Event: Marks the expiration of a specific period.
Each of these event types plays a crucial role in managing business processes, ensuring flexibility and adaptability. Proper interpretation and handling of events enable companies to respond swiftly to changes in both the external and internal environments. Ultimately, effective event management contributes to more efficient resource allocation and increased overall productivity within the organization.
Flow (Connections)
Flow represents a sequence of actions indicated by arrows. The flow element specifies which action should be performed after another.
Control Flow: This is unaffected by conditions and does not pass through gateways, making it uncontrolled.
Conditional Control Flow: Indicates that subsequent actions in the process will follow a specific path only if a given condition is met. If the conditional control flow originates from a process, a diamond shape is added at the base of the arrow. If it comes from a gateway, the diamond is not used.
Default Control Flow: Used to indicate that the process will proceed along a specified path only if none of the given conditions are met.
Message Flow: Demonstrates the interaction between processes—showing the transfer of messages or objects from one process to another or to an external reference.
Association: Used to visualize the relationship between flow elements and artifacts that are not flow elements.
Artifacts
Artifacts in BPMN are elements that do not have a direct impact on the execution of a business process. They include various documents, data, and information.
The group of objects serves to consolidate graphical elements of one category, which enhances the overall comprehension of the diagram.
Text annotations are intended for supplementing the diagram with comments and explanations that improve its readability.
The information about the data being processed within the process.
Here are some great tools for creating BPMN: Draw.io, Camunda Modeler, Bizagi Modeler, Bpmn.io, as well as my favorite tool, Miro, which is perfect for all Scrum Masters in modern IT for visualizing meetings.
Example of BPMN diagrams
Top 10 Tips for Drawing BPMN Diagrams in Miro
- Use Templates: Take advantage of BPMN templates in Miro to save time and minimize errors.
- Follow BPMN Standards: Familiarize yourself with the key BPMN elements such as events, activities, and gateways.
- Group Elements: Utilize groups to simplify the structure and navigation of your diagram.
- Add Comments: Embed comments to clarify complex elements or processes.
- Use Color Coding: Applying colors helps to distinguish between different types of tasks or processes.
- Save Versions: Regularly save changes to avoid data loss.
- Incorporate Icons: Use icons to visualize ideas and processes effectively.
- Embrace Minimalism: Avoid overcrowding the diagram with unnecessary details.
- Simplicity is Key to Clarity.
- Utilize Change History: Use the "Change History" feature to track edits made to the diagram.
- Sticky Notes: Employ sticky notes for meetings and discussions.
Effective Meetings: Demonstrating BPMN in Miro!
- Schedule a Meeting: Ensure all participants have access to Miro (you can add a link to it in the agenda of the scheduled meeting in Google Calendar) and are aware of the meeting.
- Use Co-editing Features: During the meeting, display the diagram in real-time and make adjustments on the fly.
- Gather Feedback: Encourage colleagues to share their ideas and suggestions for improving the diagram.
- Make Changes: As discussions unfold, update the diagram in Miro immediately so everyone can see the changes reflected.
- Ease of Sharing: You can easily share a link to the diagram for participants to edit. Use the screen-sharing feature in Zoom or another video call platform to showcase the diagram, and leave comments on the board after the meeting!
Masterclass on BPMN in Miro: Practical Application
To view the BPMN diagram for IT support management, click here.
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