Introduction to BPMN

This paper is intended to provide a high-level overview and introduction to the Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN). The context and general uses for BPMN will be provided as a supplement to the technical details defined the BPMN 1.0 Specification, which has been recently completed and released to the public. The basics of the BPMN notation will be discribed—that is, the types of graphical objects that comprise the notation and how they work together as part of a Business Process Diagram. Also discussed will be the different uses of BPMN, including how levels of precision affect what a modeler will include in a diagram. Finally, the value in using BPMN as a standard notation will be defined and the future of BPMN outlined. The Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI) has developed a standard Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN). The BPMN 1.0 specification was released to the public in May, 2004. This specification represents more than two years of effort by the BPMI Notation Working Group. The primary goal of the BPMN effort was to provide a notation that is readily understandable by all business users, from the business analysts that create the initial drafts of the processes, to the technical developers responsible for implementing the technology that will perform those processes, and finally, to the business people who will manage and monitor those processes. BPMN will also be supported with an internal model that will enable the generation of executable BPEL4WS. Thus, BPMN creates a standardized bridge for the gap between the business process design and process implementation. BPMN defines a Business Process Diagram (BPD), which is based on a flowcharting technique tailored for creating graphical models of business process operations. A Business Process Model, then, is a network of graphical objects, which are activities (i.e., work) and the flow controls that define their order of performance. A BPD is made up of a set of graphical elements. These elements enable the easy development of simple diagrams that will look familiar to most business analysts (e.g., a flowchart diagram). The elements were chosen to be distinguishable from each other and to utilize shapes that are familiar to most modelers. For example, activities are rectangles and decisions are diamonds. It should be emphasized that one of the drivers for the development of BPMN is to create a simple mechanism for creating business process models, while at the same time being able …