Business Process Modeling

by Prof. Alexandre Thys

Process modeling
 Process Modeling

• To understand an IT system, one must

first understand the processes in which the
system is used
• Process modeling is used to analyze,
document and create processes
• Graphical notations make processes
readily understandable

Process modeling
 BPMN

• Business Process Model and Notation

(previously known as Business Process
Modeling Notation)
• Current version is BPMN 2.0
• Rich notation compared to e.g. flow charts
or activity diagrams
• Designed to be readily understandable by
all business stakeholders
Process modeling
 Elements

Flow objects Connecting objects

Events Sequence flows
Activities Message flows
Gateways Associations
Swim lanes Artifacts
Pools Data objects
Lanes Groups
Annotations

Process modeling
 Start event

A start event indicates the trigger of a process

Process modeling
 End event

An end event indicates the result of a process

Process modeling
 Task

Task

A task is an activity
that is not broken down to more detail

Process modeling
 Sequence flow

A sequence flow indicates

in which order the activities are performed

Process modeling
 Example
Booking a Flight

Business Process Booking a Flight

Search a flight Select a flight

Select a class Select a seat Book

Process modeling
 Exercise
Fitness workout

When you go for a workout in a fitness

center, you first change your clothes in a
changing room. Then you load your exercise
schedule on your data key. Next, you do
your exercises. After the exercises you
check out with your data key. In the end you
take a shower and change back into your
clothes.

Process modeling
 Solution

BPMN Fitness Workout

Change Load exercise Do exercises

schedule

Check out Take shower Change back

Process modeling
 Pool

Pool

A pool represents the central entity or

an external participant

Process modeling
 Lane

Lane 1 Lane 2
Pool

A lane represents a sub-partition of a pool

or another lane; it is either a department or a role

Process modeling
 Example
Producing a Car
Business Process Producing a Car
«Lane» Dealer

Enter specifications Notify customer

Customer Customer
«Pool» Car Company

decides to picks up car

buy a car
«Lane» Plant

Build car Ship car

Process modeling
 Exercise
Meeting room

A company has a system to make

reservations for meeting rooms. An
employee makes the reservation. The
catering will bring beverages to the room
before the meeting begins and cleans up
after the meeting is done.

Process modeling
 Solution
BPMN Meeting Room 1
«Lane» Employee

Make reservation Hold meeting

«Pool» Company
«Lane» Catering

Bring beverages Clean room

Process modeling
 Sub-process

Sub-process

A sub-process is an activity
that can be described into more detail
by a separate process diagram

Process modeling
 Examples

Business Process Sub-processes

Do fitness exercises

Build car

Process modeling
 Message flow

A message flow indicates

the flow of the process across pools

Process modeling
 Message events

A start message event An end message event

indicates a message indicates a message
being received being sent

Process modeling
 Example
Producing a Car
Business Process Producing a Car 2

«Pool» Customer Receive car ready

for pick up
Choose a car Order Pick up car
car
«Lane» Dealer

Inform
Enter specifications customer
car ready
Receive for pick up
order
«Pool» Car Company

«Lane» Plant

Build car Ship car

Process modeling
 Exercise
Paying an invoice
The financial department is notified by the
operations department a service has been
provided to a customer. The financial
department sends an invoice to the
customer. The customer pays the invoice
through its financial institution, which
transfers the money to an account of the
financial institution of the company. That
institution in its turn provides information of
the transaction to the company.
Process modeling
 BPMN Paying an Inv oice
Solution

«Lane» Operations Department

Notify about Provided
Service

«Pool» Company
«Lane» Financial Department
Send Receive
Invoice Money
Transfer
«Pool» Financial Institution Confirmation
Company

Receive Notify about

Money Money
Transfer Transfer
«Pool» Financial Institution
Customer

Receive Transfer
Money Money
Transfer
Request
«Pool» Customer

Receive Request
Invoice Money
Transfer

Process modeling
 Gateway

A gateway has multiple outgoing sequence flows

of which only one is taken
A gateway can also be used
to close another gateway
Process modeling
 Example
Library

Business Process Library Gatew ay

yes Borrow book

Search book Leave library

Found book?

Reserve book

no

Process modeling
 Exercise
Meeting room

A company has a system to make

reservations for meeting rooms. An
employee makes the reservation. The
employee also indicates whether a beamer
is needed. If so, the employee picks up the
beamer and brings it back after the meeting.

Process modeling
 Solution

BPMN Meeting Room 2

Pick up beamer Bring back beamer

yes yes

Make reservation Hold meeting

no no

Beamer needed? Beamer picked up?

Process modeling
 Fork / Join

A fork has multiple outgoing sequence flows

of which all are taken in parallel
A join can be used to close a fork

Process modeling
 Example
Advertising
usiness Process Adv ertising

Rent billboards

Design poster

Research market Rent magazine

space

Record commercial Reserve television

time slots

Process modeling
 Exercise
Meeting room

A company has a system to make reservations

for meeting rooms for employees. An employee
makes a reservation and also indicates whether
beverages and/or a beamer are needed. The
catering brings the beverages before the
meeting if needed and always cleans up the
room afterwards. The material department
installs the beamer before the meeting if
needed and picks it up after the meeting.
Process modeling
 Solution

BPMN Meeting Room 3

«Lane» Employee

Make reservation Hold meeting

«Lane» Material Department

yes Install beamer Pick up beamer

yes
«Pool» Company

no no

Beamer needed? Beamer installed?

yes Bring beverages

«Lane» Catering

Clean room

no

Beverages needed?

Process modeling
 Time events

A start time event An intermediate time

indicates begin time event indicates the time
for a process to start that needs to elapse to
continue the process

Process modeling
 Example
Library reservation
Business Process Library Reserv ation

Member
«Pool»
Library
«Pool» Librarian

Enter reservation

Wait for Inform

Receive
book to library
reservation
be member
returned

Process modeling
 Exercise
Recommendation emails

A company sells books online. Every

Sunday evening the system sends
recommendation emails to all customers
listing books that could interest the
customers based on previous purchases the
customers made.

Process modeling
 Solution

BPMN Recommandation emails

Send
recommandation
emails
Sunday

Process modeling
 Link events

A link event allows to jump from

one part of the diagram to another

Process modeling
 Data object

Data

A data object indicates data that is manipulated

of accessed by an activity

Process modeling
 Group

Group

A group groups different elements of the diagram

together, without effecting the flow of the process

Process modeling
 Annotation

Annotation

An annotation gives additional information about

the diagram or a specific element

Process modeling
 Example
Online order

Business Process Online Order

Checkout

The customer
can also indicate
the amount Order

Add items to basket Enter personal data Enter payment data Confirm order

Process modeling
 Overview
Flow objects

Task

Sub-process

Process modeling
 Overview
Connecting objects

Process modeling
 Overview
Swim lanes

Lane 1 Lane 2
Pool

Process modeling
 Overview
Artifacts

Group

Data

Annotation

Process modeling