BPMN is a great standard for modeling and notating business processes. One of the key features that isn't often remarked upon is that, for the most part, it is easy to DRAW on a white board or by hand, not just easy to use the symbols in a drag-and-drop mode. I really feel that was an important element to make it accessible to casual renderings of a process, not just executable renderings.
BPMN is the standard behind most modern process engines and business process suites of software today, and if you are evaluating a process product, it is a good question to ask: does it support BPMN? if not, why not? Likely, the answer is that the folks who wrote the product didn't have a business process management background, and therefore didn't assign any value to the notation standard. But professionals in this space for many years have recognized the value and certainly would recognize the perceived value even if they perceive some shortcomings with the language.
What makes BPMN really interesting from a running software point of view is that you can model a process - and then there is an engine to interpret that diagram and RUN it. So you can get a What You See is What you Get (WYSIWYG) for business processes in much the same way as you would for user interface design tools. The notation clearly identifies organizations, activities, pools of people to do the work, transitions, control, etc.
If you need help choosing the right tools, or building a great model, please reach out to me!
Search for a product comparison in Business Process Management (BPM)
Senior Project Management Consultant at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Consultant
Top 5
May 26, 2020
BPMN, Business Process Modeling Notation, is used to describe business processes in a common format and style. Many BPMN tools (Appian, Bizagi, Visio, etc.) have the ability to create models in the BPMN 2.0 standard, which makes them (at least in theory) transparently sharable between BPMN-based applications. The advantage of using a BPMN 2.0 tool to diagram your processes is that you can make changes on the fly and share them electronically, rather than having to gather people into a conference room with piles of paper, Post-It(R) Notes, and similar tools, Also, using the BPMN tool often speeds the implementation of the new BPMN-design processes into usable software applications to automate the new business processes (this is a part of Intelligent Process Automation, but that is a topic for a different time).
With reference from the ABPMP-CBOK,BPMN Business Process Model and Notation 2.0 is a standard created by the Business Process Management Initiative, now merged with the Object Management Group(OMG), an information systems standards‐setting group. BPMN has growing acceptance as a standard from many perspectives, which has resulted in its inclusion in several of the most widely used modeling tools. It provides a robust symbol set for modeling different aspects of business processes. Like most modern notations, the symbols describe definite relationships such as workflow and order of precedence.
Some more helpful information below;
Key features
Version 2 (BPMN 2.0) represents significant maturing and solidification of the notation
Over 100 total icons, organized into descriptive and analytic sets to meet different user needs
Very precise notation indicating: beginning, intermediate, and end events; activities, and message flows; intra‐business communications and inter‐ business collaboration; and activity and data flows.
When to use
To present a model of a process to multiple sets of audiences
To simulate a business process with a process engine
To execute a process.
Advantages
Widespread use and understanding; considered by many to be the de fac to standard in the U.S.
Significant use in the U.S. Department of Defense and other government entities
One of the most powerful and versatile notations for identifying process constraints.
Disadvantages
Requires training and experience to use full set of symbols correctly
Difficult to see relationships among multiple levels of a process
Different modeling tools may support different sub‐sets of the notation
Information Technology origins inhibit use with some organizations’ members of the business community.
BPMN (Business Process Management Notation) is a language for describing and managing business processes as well as technical processes. I mean, normally we should start designing business processes, using a simple BPMN and accessible to people in the business (e.g., events, functions and decision rules are sufficient). Then, in the implementation phase, IT technical people must receive these process diagrams and can complement them with the necessary technical artifacts (e.g., IT components, services, ...) so that the processes can be interpreted and run on a server as workflows. In this way, a perfect alignment between business needs and the implemented technical solutions can be guaranteed.
Executive Consultant Steadfast Partners at Steadfast Partners
Real User
Aug 3, 2021
BPMN N for "Notation" started in the 2005 timeframe and adds a graphical flow chart to visually notate BPM processes. This makes understanding them much more intuitive. In my view, Signavio is a world-class way to automate the BPM and N process.
Senior System Analyst at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
May 27, 2020
BPMN stands for Business Process Modeling Notation. It is the standard for modeling business processes and web service processes, as put forth by the Business Process Management Initiative. BPMN is a core enabler of a new initiative in the Enterprise Architecture world called Business Process Management (BPM). Business Process Management is concerned with managing change to improve business processes. BPMN consists of one diagram – called the Business Process Diagram (BPD). The BPMN Business Process Diagram has been designed to be easy to use and understand, but also provides the ability to model complex business processes. It has also been designed specifically with web services in mind. BPMN is only one of three specifications that the BPMI has developed – the other two are a Business Process Modeling Language (BPML) and a Business Process Query Language (BPQL). All have been developed using a solid mathematical foundation, which enables a BPMN Business Process Diagram to map directly to BPML, in the same way that a physical data model maps directly to Data Definition Language (DDL).
Business Process Management aims to optimize, improve, and automate business processes for enhanced operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and innovation. By streamlining workflows and integrating systems, it fosters continuous improvement across organizations.BPM is widely recognized for its ability to provide comprehensive solutions that manage business operations through detailed analysis, modeling, and continuous improvement. It facilitates agility by adapting to changes, helping...
BPMN is a great standard for modeling and notating business processes. One of the key features that isn't often remarked upon is that, for the most part, it is easy to DRAW on a white board or by hand, not just easy to use the symbols in a drag-and-drop mode. I really feel that was an important element to make it accessible to casual renderings of a process, not just executable renderings.
BPMN is the standard behind most modern process engines and business process suites of software today, and if you are evaluating a process product, it is a good question to ask: does it support BPMN? if not, why not? Likely, the answer is that the folks who wrote the product didn't have a business process management background, and therefore didn't assign any value to the notation standard. But professionals in this space for many years have recognized the value and certainly would recognize the perceived value even if they perceive some shortcomings with the language.
What makes BPMN really interesting from a running software point of view is that you can model a process - and then there is an engine to interpret that diagram and RUN it. So you can get a What You See is What you Get (WYSIWYG) for business processes in much the same way as you would for user interface design tools. The notation clearly identifies organizations, activities, pools of people to do the work, transitions, control, etc.
If you need help choosing the right tools, or building a great model, please reach out to me!
BPMN, Business Process Modeling Notation, is used to describe business processes in a common format and style. Many BPMN tools (Appian, Bizagi, Visio, etc.) have the ability to create models in the BPMN 2.0 standard, which makes them (at least in theory) transparently sharable between BPMN-based applications. The advantage of using a BPMN 2.0 tool to diagram your processes is that you can make changes on the fly and share them electronically, rather than having to gather people into a conference room with piles of paper, Post-It(R) Notes, and similar tools, Also, using the BPMN tool often speeds the implementation of the new BPMN-design processes into usable software applications to automate the new business processes (this is a part of Intelligent Process Automation, but that is a topic for a different time).
With reference from the ABPMP-CBOK,BPMN Business Process Model and Notation 2.0 is a standard created by the Business Process Management Initiative, now merged with the Object Management Group(OMG), an information systems standards‐setting group. BPMN has growing acceptance as a standard from many perspectives, which has resulted in its inclusion in several of the most widely used modeling tools. It provides a robust symbol set for modeling different aspects of business processes. Like most modern notations, the symbols describe definite relationships such as workflow and order of precedence.
Some more helpful information below;
Key features
Version 2 (BPMN 2.0) represents significant maturing and solidification of the notation
Over 100 total icons, organized into descriptive and analytic sets to meet different user needs
Very precise notation indicating: beginning, intermediate, and end events; activities, and message flows; intra‐business communications and inter‐ business collaboration; and activity and data flows.
When to use
To present a model of a process to multiple sets of audiences
To simulate a business process with a process engine
To execute a process.
Advantages
Widespread use and understanding; considered by many to be the de fac to standard in the U.S.
Significant use in the U.S. Department of Defense and other government entities
One of the most powerful and versatile notations for identifying process constraints.
Disadvantages
Requires training and experience to use full set of symbols correctly
Difficult to see relationships among multiple levels of a process
Different modeling tools may support different sub‐sets of the notation
Information Technology origins inhibit use with some organizations’ members of the business community.
BPMN (Business Process Management Notation) is a language for describing and managing business processes as well as technical processes. I mean, normally we should start designing business processes, using a simple BPMN and accessible to people in the business (e.g., events, functions and decision rules are sufficient). Then, in the implementation phase, IT technical people must receive these process diagrams and can complement them with the necessary technical artifacts (e.g., IT components, services, ...) so that the processes can be interpreted and run on a server as workflows. In this way, a perfect alignment between business needs and the implemented technical solutions can be guaranteed.
BPMN N for "Notation" started in the 2005 timeframe and adds a graphical flow chart to visually notate BPM processes. This makes understanding them much more intuitive. In my view, Signavio is a world-class way to automate the BPM and N process.
BPMN stands for Business Process Modeling Notation. It is the standard for modeling business processes and web service processes, as put forth by the Business Process Management Initiative. BPMN is a core enabler of a new initiative in the Enterprise Architecture world called Business Process Management (BPM). Business Process Management is concerned with managing change to improve business processes. BPMN consists of one diagram – called the Business Process Diagram (BPD). The BPMN Business Process Diagram has been designed to be easy to use and understand, but also provides the ability to model complex business processes. It has also been designed specifically with web services in mind. BPMN is only one of three specifications that the BPMI has developed – the other two are a Business Process Modeling Language (BPML) and a Business Process Query Language (BPQL). All have been developed using a solid mathematical foundation, which enables a BPMN Business Process Diagram to map directly to BPML, in the same way that a physical data model maps directly to Data Definition Language (DDL).
Here are the links to the Escape from Averageness posts in which we have in some way described, explained, or commented upon BPMN:
escape.saiconsulting.com/deliverables-business-process-improvement/
escape.saiconsulting.com/part-ii-our-insight-and-advice-on-business-process-improvement-process-states-and-methods/
escape.saiconsulting.com/part-iii-our-insight-and-advice-on-business-process-improvement-book-and-software-recommendations/