business

process
reengineering

Business Process Modeling Notation

(BPMN)

Business Process Management Initiative

(BPMI)

Object Management Group, Inc. (OMG)

MHi Business Process Reengineering Certification Series

 Introduction
• The Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI)
has developed a standard Business Process Modeling
Notation (BPMN).
– The primary goal of BPMN is 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.
Thus, BPMN creates a standardized bridge for the gap between
the business process design and process implementation.
• Another goal, but no less important, is to ensure that
XML languages designed for the execution of business
processes, such as BPEL4WS (Business Process
Execution Language for Web Services), can be
visualized with a business-oriented notation.
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Copyright © 2006, Object Management Group
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 Introduction Cont.
• The membership of the BPMI Notation Working Group
has brought forth expertise and experience with many
existing notations and has sought to consolidate the best
ideas from these divergent notations into a single
standard notation.
• Examples of other notations or methodologies that were
reviewed are:
– UML Activity Diagram
– UML EDOC Business Processes
– IDEF
– ebXML BPSS
– Activity-Decision Flow (ADF) Diagram
– RosettaNet, LOVeM, and Event-Process Chains (EPCs).

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Copyright © 2006, Object Management Group
Copyright © 1998-2005 Mountain Home Training & Consulting, Inc.
 BPMN Overview
• There has been much activity in the past two or three
years in developing web service-based XML execution
languages for Business Process Management (BPM)
systems.
• Languages such as BPEL4WS provide a formal
mechanism for the definition of business processes.
• The key element of such languages is that they are
optimized for the operation and inter-operation of BPM
Systems.
• The optimization of these languages for software
operations renders them less suited for direct use by
humans to design, manage, and monitor business
processes.
Copyright © 2004, BPMI.org
Copyright © 2006, Object Management Group

Copyright © 1998-2005 Mountain Home Training & Consulting, Inc.

 BPMN Scope
• BPMN will be constrained to support only the concepts of modeling that
are applicable to business processes. This means that other types of
modeling done by organizations for business purposes will be out of
scope for BPMN.
• For example, the modeling of the following will not be a part of BPMN:
– Organizational structures and Resources
– Functional breakdowns
– Data and information models
– Strategy
– Business Rules
• Since these types of high-level modeling either directly or indirectly
affects business processes, the relationships between BPMN and other
high-level business modeling will be defined more formally as BPMN
and other specifications are advanced.
• In addition, while BPMN will show the flow of data (messages), and the
association of data Artifacts to activities, it is not a data flow Diagram.
Copyright © 2004, BPMI.org
Copyright © 2006, Object Management Group
Copyright © 1998-2005 Mountain Home Training & Consulting, Inc.
 business
process
reengineering

Business Process Modeling Notation

(BPMN)

BPMN Basics

MHi Business Process Reengineering Certification Series

CATEGORIES OF ELEMENTS

• Flow Objects
• Connecting Objects
• Swimlanes
• Artifacts

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 FLOW OBJECTS
• Event
Start Intermediate End

• Activity +
Task Sub-Process

• Gateway Divergence &

Convergence

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 CONNECTING OBJECTS
• Sequence Flow

• Message Flow

• Association

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 SWIMLANES

Name
• Pool
Participant
Name
Name

• Lanes
Name

Sub-Partition

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 ARTIFACTS
• Data Object
Name
(State)

• Group

• Annotation Text

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 Basic BPMN Models
• Abstract (Public) Processes
– May only show activities within a pool that messages
interface
– A business entity may be shown in its entirety (One Pool)
• Collaborative (Public/Global) B2B Processes
– Two or more business entities (Pools)
– High level sequence flow shows message interface
• Internal (Private) Business Processes
– Single business organization
– Sequence flow is contained in one pool
– One business process diagram (BPD) may show more
than one internal business process
– Level of Detail Dictated by Purpose
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 Internal (Private) Business Processes
Doughnut Shop

Take Obtain Make Sell

Order Material Product Product
+ + + +

High Level Internal Model

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Internal (Private) Business Processes

Detailed Internal Model

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Internal (Private) Business Processes

Detailed Internal Model

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 Abstract (Public) Processes

Customer

Place Order Deliver Product

Doughnut Shop

Take Obtain Make Sell

Order Material Product Product
+ + + +

Copyright © 1998-2005 Mountain Home Training & Consulting, Inc.

 Collaborative (Public/Global)
B2B Processes
Food Service

Receive
Ship Order
Vendor

Purchase
Order Fill Order
Doughnut Shop

Take Obtain Make Sell

Order Material Product Product
+ + + +

Copyright © 1998-2005 Mountain Home Training & Consulting, Inc.

 business
process
reengineering

BPMN EXERCISE

MHi Business Process Reengineering Certification Series