Business Process Modeling Notation 

Processes sometimes are difficult to understand and confusing for people. If a process design is missing a single element, it will not be easy to comprehend it by the people who are not related to making processes. A good process design or mapping is easy to understand and can be directly considered by anyone. 

 There are many business processes and techniques designed for modeling a successful business. The most widely used and accepted one is Business Process Modeling Notation. This system is very simple to understand and implement. It helps everyone equally, including employees, management, higher management, board of directors and consultants through basic systems.   

What is Business Process Modeling Notation? 

Business process modeling notation is a series type process of business model. It is designed in a way similar to generating a map for some process. The only modification it has is that business process modeling notation has specific and defined elements and symbols. 

Business process model notation helps in making the process of businesses easier to understand for anyone related to that business. Among all the process models and maps for business, BPMN is the fundamental tool for business process modeling. 

It has become a very helpful tool for organizations to do better business process management. This was designed for carrying out business process management smoothly and establishing a series of standards for businesses, process designs and executing them. 

History of Business process modeling notation 

BPMN process mapping was originally designed by the Business process modeling Institute (BPMI). The first version was released in May 2004 and was called BPMN 1.0. The next version for it was developed in 2010, which was called BPMN 2.0 and further specifications for it were released in 2013. 

With time, the popularity and acceptance of business process modeling notation have increased and it has become a standard for process mapping for businesses. This is because of its ease of understanding and universality for every type of business and people.  

How does Business process modeling notation work? 

BPMN uses the language of automatic workflows. This BPML (Business process modeling language) is universal and it minimizes the gap between technical developers, business analytics and employees, giving access to everyone alike. The series of events, data, flows and activities of the BPMN model can be understood easily. 

Business process modeling notation has its elements and symbols, which are designed as a step-by-step guide leading to a perfect business map. These elements and symbols are represented graphically and address different activities. 

The work of Business process modeling and notation can include: 

• It designs the implementation of all the elements for business process management. • It provides a perfect tool for both graphical representations and extensions of business process models. • It modifies the configuration of events and associations. • It maximizes the use of human communications and teamwork. • It is just like a choreographic step-by-step model for any business mapping process. 

Elements of Business Process Modeling Notation 

This modeling process comprises four elements, which are further divided into smaller components. All these elements explain how BPMN works. 

Element 1: Flows 

Flows of Business process modeling notation are the basic steps and activities it contains. It is further divided into: 

Events 

The BPMN model starts and ends with events and many smaller events make the complete diagram and representation of this model. An event is a process that takes place and it is not like assigned work. Circles are used to represent an event in the BPMN model. 

• A simple circle represents the start. • The double bordered circle represents a middle event. • A completely bold circle indicates the endpoint of the process. 

Activities 

Activity in the business process model and notation represents the task performed by any system or employee. Activities are represented as rectangles in the BPMN diagram. Activities can stand alone as a single task and they may be carried out as a group of tasks which makes them compound activities. 

Single activity is represented by a rectangle. 

• In Compound activities, a plus sign is placed inside the rectangle to access all the sub-activities. • Word ‘Transaction’ is written inside the rectangle to represent strictly related activities. • Word ‘Call activity’ is written inside the rectangle to represent a global task. 

Gateways 

A gateway in the business process modeling notation indicates a conditional element and it is represented by a diamond. Gateways are divided into the following types: 

Exclusive gateway;  It represents only one option and moves a workflow from one event to another. 

Event-based gateway; It represents a task that depends upon some other element. 

Parallel gateway; It indicates that two independent events are happening side-by-side but are not relatable. 

Element 2: Connections 

Business process modeling and notation represent a series of events happening and relating to each other. Relations among those events are represented by Connections. These are represented as: 

A single line with an arrowhead is used to show how a flow or event is taking place in the series. 

A dashed line is used to indicate a message flow which represents lines of communications between flows. 

A single line without an arrowhead is used to represent association flows which are like intermediate flows. This indicates how a text is related to a flow. 

Element 3: Swimlanes 

Just like a swimmer goes into the lanes of a pool in a swimming competition, a swimlane divides the task into different lanes. The pool here can indicate the complete department of business, where a swimlane represents the specific activity taking place in that department. 

These swimlanes are vital to streamlining the activities of every flow of business so that no confusion or mixup occurs. Swimlanes are arranged logically and most of the business process modeling notations have less than 5 swimlanes in an activity. 

A swimlane in the BPMN model clarifies the carrying out of activity by placing each step and event in horizontal or vertical lanes. It also represents contacts, communication, and handoffs among activities. 

Element 4: Artifacts 

In business process modeling notation, an artifact represents that some info has to be denoted outside of the whole diagram. Every type of extra information is represented by a different symbol. 

A document symbol indicates that some information is needed or is ready to be formed. 

A dotted bordered round edge retractable indicates that activities are coming from a group. 

Annotations are used to change the regular flow of information in a new direction. 

Who does business process modeling? 

BPMN can range from a very simple one to a complex process showing multiple departments and activities of a business. Proper certification is provided by The Object Management Group (OMG) to the people who get expertise in designing business process models. 

An expert who designs the BPMN model needs to work hard because it requires energy and time. But when it is completed, it gives an enormous amount of value to the processes of businesses. The basic concepts behind the business process modeling and notation are to generate a cycle for continuous growth and making the business better. It helps in monitoring, performing and improving processes of business. 

Benefits of Business Process Modeling Notation 

Following are the major benefits of BPMN modeling: 

• It helps businesses to clearly describe their values and helps employees recognize them. • It gives fundamental symbolization which is easily understandable by all the shareholders. • It helps to minimize the lack of communication and shortens the gaps between different departments of a business. • It gives a business all the standards defined by the OMG syndicate. • The complexities of a business process are made easy with a BPMN model and make it very basic for everyone to take in. 

Tips for Business Process modeling notation 

Before jumping into designing BPMN for your business, consider the following tips: 

• Clearly state the basics of a process from start to end. • Try to use as few elements as possible to enhance the easiness of the model. • Reduce the number of gateways used in the model because they increase the complexity of the business process model. • Must use a defined start and end event for the process to show the users where to start. • Try to make the flow of the structure real and smooth. Do not cross-link any joining or ending of activities. • Elements of the business process model should be clearly defined and not left as a question or query. • To minimize the vagueness of the process, use verb-object activities. • Try to design your business process model flowing from left to right because it is easier to understand. • Produce different process diagrams for alternative businesses, keeping in mind the scope and nature of business.