BPMN

Draft

Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) is a graphical representation for specifying business processes in a workflow. BPMN was developed by Business Process Management Initiative (BPMI) (Wikipedia).

“The Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) specification provides a graphical notation for specifying business processes in a Business Process Diagram (BPD).[3] The objective of BPMN is to support business process management for both technical users and business users by providing a notation that is intuitive to business users yet able to represent complex process semantics. The BPMN specification also provides a mapping between the graphics of the notation to the underlying constructs of execution languages, particularly BPEL4WS. (Business Process Modeling Notation, retrieved jan 6 2009).”

See also: The Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), an executable XML language. Most (?) BPMN tools can compile drawings into executable BPEL and other XML formats in addition.

History and versions

• BPMN 2.0 RFP: Request for Proposals for version 2.0 of BPMN (2008,-)
• BPMN 1.1: OMG Specification, February, 2008
• BPMN 1.0: OMG Final Adopted Specification, February 6, 2006
• BPMN 1.0: May 3, 2004 Draft Specification

The BPMN language

The new revision of BPMN, 2.0 has more than 50 symbols in its full set. In other words, it is a very complex language.

Examples

BPMN discussion model. Source: Erik Wilde, Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), Slides, UC Berkeley iSchool

Tools

There seem to exist some free tools (none tested so far)

Free (totally or somewhat)

• BPMN plugin for Eclipse
• Oryx, an academic Open Source project to create BPMN 2.0 diagrams, EPCs or Petri nets online.

Commerical

• Intalo BPM, includes the interesting Social BPM that combines the BPM design tool with a social portal building framework.

This list is by no means complete, see for the moment:

• BPMN Implementors and Quotes (best link, at OMG)
• Tools (BPM forum, not very complete)

Bibliography and links

Links

Overviews

• Business Process Modeling Notation (Wikipedia)

Web sites

• BPMN FAQ
• BPMN Information Home Page
• BPM Research Website by Michael zur Muehlen (blog)
• BPMS Watch by Bruce Silver (blog)

Posters

• BPMN 1.1 Poster
• BPMN 2.0 Poster (Printable A1 PDF for various languages)

Bibliography

• White, Stephen A. (2004). Introduction to BPMN, IBM.
• White, Stephen A. (2004). Mapping BPMN to BPEL Example, IBM PDF
• Silver, Bruce (2009), BPMN Method and Style, Cody-Cassidy Press, ISBN 0982368100 (author's book home page).