BPMN Level 1 Palette

part 1 - modelling method and style

EIS, EIS, Baby!

  • Endings

  • Intent

  • Starts

background

Endings, Intent, Start

  • Start by defining the intent: what is the goal of this process?

  • Define starting point(s)

  • Define end state(s)

  • Write that down!

General Structure

  • Model the happy path in a straight line, from left to right

    • Break from the line for alternative paths

  • Don’t use conditional flow from an activity to model exclusive paths - use the gateway instead

  • There is no need to merge immediately before a single end event for the process

    • Separate end events represent the different possible outcomes

Activities

  • Activities are named VERB-NOUN (imperative form, e.g. Act on Object)

  • Processes are named VERB-NOUN as well: Approve Request

  • Avoid using technical terms such as "Store Document" or "Read Account"

  • Describe what should happen, not how it happens

User Tasks

  • Don’t model the screen flow with separate user tasks!

    • Screen flow happens inside the atomic task and normally not part of the business process

  • Don’t model tasks to "distribute work"

Gateways

  • Name of a diverging exclusive gateway is a question

    • Name represents the decision evaluated

    • Names of outgoing sequence flows from the gateway are answers to that question

  • Exclusive gateways receive exclusive conditions where possible

  • Don’t name parallel gateways

    • There is no decision or any process-specific semantics to its use

  • Do not merge and split in the same gateway

Events

  • Events are named NOUN-VERB (past tense)

    • Examples: Customer Registered, Retention Period Expired

  • Name describes what has happened to trigger the event, e.g. Order Rejected

  • For timer events, indicating the period or moment is sometimes better