Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) - User Guide - Enterprise Architect

Oct 26, 2026

Upload by Oliver

Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a standard for business process modeling, providing graphical notation for business process diagrams using flowchart-like conventions. Authored by Sparx Systems, this Enterprise Architect user guide explains BPMN concepts, diagram types, and model structure, then covers model validation, simulation, and exchanging BPMN models. It also introduces BPMN-to-BPEL modeling and guidance for building and validating BPEL 2.0 processes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryTechnology

FormatPDF

Pages69

Reading Time2 h 54 min

AccessFree to download

Getting Started

Example Diagram

Diagram Types

Business Process Diagrams

Choreography Diagrams

Collaboration Diagrams

Conversation Diagrams

Common Types

Model Structure and Reuse

Process Simulation

BPMN Simulation

Create a BPMN Simulation Model

Initialize Variables and Conditions

BPSim Business Simulations

Model Validation

Exchanging BPMN Models

Business Process Execution Language (BPEL)

BPEL 2.0 Model

Create BPEL 2.0 Model Structure

Model a BPEL 2.0 Process

ENTERPRISE ARCHITECT User Guide Series Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) Author: Sparx Systems Date: 10/11/2023 Version: 16.1 CREATED WITH Table of Contents Business Process Model and Notation ( BPMN) 3 Getting Started 5 Example Diagram 8 Diagram Types 9 Business Process Diagrams10 Choreography Diagrams 13 Collaboration Diagrams 15 Conversation Diagrams18 Common Types 21 Model Structure and Reuse 23 Process Simulation 25 BPMN Simulation 27 Create a BPMN Simulation Model 28 Initialize Variables and Conditions30 BPSim Business Simulations 32 Model Validation 35 Exchanging BPMN Models 36 Business Process Execution Language ( BPEL) 38 BPEL 2.0 Model39 Create BPEL 2.0 Model Structure 41 Model a BPEL 2.0 Process 43 Start Event44 Intermediate Event 46 Activity 48 Gateway 50 End Event 51 Data Object 53 Property 54 Sequence Flow 56 Pool 57 Assignment 59 Create BPEL 2.0 Web Service Operation 61 Generate BPEL 2.0 64 BPEL Model Validation 65 Migrating from Previous Versions 66 More Information 68 Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) Model Business Processes and Interactions Using a Standard Language Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is a standard for business process modeling that provides graphical notation for specifying business processes in a Business Process diagram (BPD), based on traditional flowcharting techniques. The Object Management Group (OMG) develops and maintains the BPMN specification. BPMN represents the amalgamation of best practices within the business modeling community to define the notation and semantics of Collaboration diagrams, Process diagrams, and Choreography diagrams. It is intended to be used directly by the stakeholders who design, manage and realize business processes, but at the same time be precise enough to allow BPMN diagrams to be translated into software process components. Business Process Model and Notation has become the de-facto standard for business process diagrams. It has an easy-to-use flowchart-like notation that is independent of any particular implementation environment. BPMN in Enterprise Architect Key Features and Benefits · Verification of the model through simulation · Generation of documentation from the model · Re-use of common components in other models, such as re-using a sub-process from the 'current' system when modeling the 'future' system · Serialization to XML for exchanging model information · The BPMN Profile can be used to model BPEL process descriptions · A technology-specific Glossary is provided for BPMN How to Access the BPMN Facilities BPMN facilities are provided in the form of: · A BPMN diagram type, accessed through the 'New Diagram' dialog · BPMN pages in the Toolbox · BPMN element and relationship entries in the 'Toolbox Shortcut' menu and Quick Linker Specifications of BPMN elements and relationships are defined by Tagged Values; for example, to define the Message and Timer symbols in this diagram: (c) Sparx Systems 2023 Page 3 of 69 Created with Enterprise Architect BPMN Toolbox Pages You can access the BPMN Toolbox pages through the 'Design > Diagram > Toolbox : 'Hamburger'' ribbon option, then select BPMN 2.0. You can also set BPMN as the active default technology to access the Diagram Toolbox pages directly. Please note: Toolboxes for BPMN 1.0 and 1.1 can be accessed by selecting the perspective 'Business Modeling > All Business Modeling" . (c) Sparx Systems 2023 Page 4 of 69 Created with Enterprise Architect Getting Started The Business Process Model and Notation is well supported in Enterprise Architect and you can create any of the four diagrams that describe both the internal workings of an entity or the interaction of one entity with other entities. You can describe business, technology or engineering work flows and interactions. Business Process diagrams are an important technique in the Busi

FAQs

What is BPMN and what is it used for?

BPMN provides a standard graphical notation to specify business processes in business process diagrams, based on flowchart techniques. It is designed to be readable by business stakeholders while also being precise enough for software process translation.

What diagram types does the guide cover?

The guide covers Business Process diagrams, Choreography diagrams, Collaboration diagrams, and Conversation diagrams. It also lists common types used in BPMN modeling.

How does the guide help with validating and simulating models?

It includes sections on Model Validation and Process Simulation, including BPMN simulation, creating a BPMN simulation model, initializing variables and conditions, and running BPSim business simulations.

Oct 26, 2026

Upload by Oliver