Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)

Updated 04 Oct 2026

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What it is
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  an OMG standard for visually representing business processes and interactions
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Flow objects
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  events: things that happen; start events begin a flow, intermediate events occur during it, and end events conclude a path
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  activities: work performed, represented as tasks or subprocesses
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  Unavailable reference: control branching and synchronization
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Visual conventions
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  events use circles; activities use rounded rectangles; gateways use diamons
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  a collapsed subprocess has a plus maker indicating internal detail
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  use clear action labels for activities and meaningful conditions for decision branches
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Additional information
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  data objects and data stores describe information used or produced.
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  text annotations and groups provide context without defining sequence.
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  in BPMN 2.0, data elements are distinguished from artifacts; introductory summaries sometimes group them together.
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Related
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Linked references 4