Drawing processes, subprocesses, and tasks on BPMN diagrams
A process is an activity performed within a company or organization. Processes can be defined at any level from enterprise-wide processes to processes performed by a single person. You can model processes on a BPMN business process diagram.
Processes shown on a child diagram are considered subprocesses. A process that is not decomposed further is considered a task. A task symbol on a diagram is a process symbol without a + mark in its middle.
1 With a business process diagram open, click Draw > Process.
2 Click an area on the diagram.
3 Type a name for the new process, and then click OK.
4 Further define the process in the Model Object dialog box as necessary; then click OK.
5 Graphically showing the details of a process with another business process diagram is considered decomposing the process. To decompose a process, do this:
▪Select the process symbol, and then click Edit > Child Diagram > Create.
▪In the Child Create dialog box, you can type a new name for the child diagram.
▪Ensure Business Process is selected, and then click OK.
▪If you are prompted to save the parent diagram, click Yes.
An + (plus sign) in a process on the parent diagram shows that the process has been decomposed; that is, there is a child BPMN business process diagram with subprocesses on it, which provides lower-level detail of how the process is performed.
You can continue to decompose a process without any restriction. You can create a child diagram for each process on the highest-level diagram, and child diagrams for the subprocesses on lower-level child diagrams.
6 To display a decomposition of a process in the parent diagram, click the + in the process.
A miniature depiction of the child diagram shown inside the parent process symbol. In addition, + (plus sign) changes to - (minus sign), denoting that you have expanded the process. This only happens if there is only one child diagram. If the process has more than one child diagram, clicking + opens the Select Child Diagram dialog box, so that you can select and open a child diagram.
7 BPMN provides for two types of looping of a process: Activity Looping and Sequence Flow Looping. To specify Activity Looping, open the process definition, click the Analysis tab, and then set the Process Character property to iterative.
A small looping indicator is displayed at the bottom of the activity.
8 To model sequence flow looping, draw the looping by using standard feedback path techniques.
Example
The following image shows a business process diagram that demonstrates sequence flow looping.
