Business Process Modelling

BPMN Components
IULIA VOINESCU
iulia.voinescu@cimr.pub.ro

BPMN from 10,000 miles

A BPMN process model is a graph consisting of four types of core elements:

start
activity

event

end
gateway

sequence
flow

First Steps with BPMN

A BPMN process model is a graph consisting of (among others):

An Event is represented by a circle

and is something that happens
during the course of a business
process. These Events affect the flow
of the process and usually have a
cause (trigger) or an impact (result).

Start Events

Intermediate Events

End Events

Naming conventions: noun + past-participle verb (e.g. insurance claim lodged)

First Steps with BPMN

A BPMN process model is a graph consisting of (among others):

An Activity is represented by a
rounded-corner rectangle
and is a generic term for work
that company performs. An Activity
can be atomic or non-atomic
(compound). The types of Activities
are: Task and Sub-Process.

Naming conventions: verb + noun (e.g. assess credit risk)

First Steps with BPMN

A BPMN process model is a graph consisting of (among others):

A Gateway is represented by the

familiar diamond shape and is used to
control the divergence and convergence
of Sequence Flow. Thus, it will
determine traditional decisions, as well
as the forking, merging, and joining of
paths. Internal Markers will indicate the
type of behavior control.

BPMN Gateways
Exclusive (XOR)
Exclusive decision

take one branch

Exclusive merge
Proceed when one
branch has
completed

Parallel (AND)

Inclusive (OR)

Parallel split
take all branches
Parallel join
proceed when all
incoming
branches have
completed

Inclusive decision
take one or
several branches
depending on
conditions
Inclusive merge
proceed when all
active incoming
branches have
completed

Quick Note: Implicit vs. explicit gateways

A

C
B

C
B

A
C

A
C

Guidelines: Naming Conventions

1. Give a name to every event and task
2. For tasks: verb followed by business object name and possibly
complement
Issue Driver License, Renew License via Agency
3. For message events: object + past participle
Invoice received, Claim settled
4. Avoid generic verbs such as Handle, Record
5. Label each XOR-split with a condition
Policy is invalid, Claim is inadmissible

Exercise
Once a loan application has been approved by the loan provider, an
acceptance pack is prepared and sent to the customer. The acceptance pack
includes a repayment schedule which the customer needs to agree upon by
sending the signed documents back to the loan provider. The latter then
verifies the repayment agreement: if the applicant disagreed with the
repayment schedule, the loan provider cancels the application; if the applicant
agreed, the loan provider approves the application. In either case, the process
completes with the loan provider notifying the applicant of the application
status.

Once a loan application has been approved by the loan provider, an

acceptance pack is prepared and sent to the customer. The
acceptance pack includes a repayment schedule which the customer
needs to agree upon by sending the signed documents back to the
loan provider. The latter then verifies the repayment agreement: if
the applicant disagreed with the repayment schedule, the loan
provider cancels the application; if the applicant agreed, the loan
provider approves the application. In either case, the process
completes with the loan provider notifying the applicant of the
application status.

Solution

Exercise
A loan application is approved if it passes two checks: (i) the applicants loan
risk assessment, done automatically by a system, and (ii) the appraisal of the
property for which the loan has been asked, carried out by a property
appraiser. The risk assessment requires a credit history check on the applicant,
which is performed by a financial officer. Once both the loan risk assessment
and the property appraisal have been performed, a loan officer can assess the
applicants eligibility. If the applicant is not eligible, the application is rejected,
otherwise the acceptance pack is prepared and sent to the applicant.

A loan application is approved if it passes two checks: (i) the applicants loan
risk assessment, done automatically by a system, and (ii) the appraisal of the
property for which the loan has been asked, carried out by a property
appraiser. The risk assessment requires a credit history check on the applicant,
which is performed by a financial officer. Once both the loan risk assessment
and the property appraisal have been performed, a loan officer can assess the
applicants eligibility. If the applicant is not eligible, the application is rejected,
otherwise the acceptance pack is prepared and sent to the applicant.

Solution

Exercise
Model the following fragment using OR gateways:

When a claim is received, it is registered. After

registration, the claim is classified leading to two
possible outcomes: simple or complex. If the claim is
simple, the policy is checked. For complex claims, both
the policy and the damage are checked independently.

Exercise
A loan application may be coupled with a home insurance which
is offered at discounted prices. The applicant may express their
interest in a home insurance plan at the time of submitting their
loan application to the loan provider. Based on this information, if
the loan application is approved, the loan provider may either
only send an acceptance pack to the applicant, or also send a
home insurance quote. The process then continues with the
verification of the repayment agreement.

A loan application may be coupled with a home insurance which

is offered at discounted prices. The applicant may express their
interest in a home insurance plan at the time of submitting their
loan application to the loan provider. Based on this information, if
the loan application is approved, the loan provider may either
only send an acceptance pack to the applicant, or also send a
home insurance quote. The process then continues with the
verification of the repayment agreement.

Solution

Article publishing
Article publishing for a magazine: to publish an article, first the
article should be reviewed. Having reviewed, the edition and
the graphic design are performed in parallel and when both
are finished then the article is produced.

16

Article publishing for a magazine: to publish an article, first the article

should be reviewed. Having reviewed, the edition and the graphic
design are performed in parallel and when both are finished then the
article is produced.

Solution

Article publishing
1. Article publishing for a magazine: to publish an article, first
the article should be reviewed. Having reviewed, the
edition and the graphic design are performed in parallel
and when both are finished then the article is produced.
2. The same previous process, but the graphic design will be
performed, only if the article has illustrations.

18

Article publishing for a magazine: to publish an article, first the article

should be reviewed. Having reviewed, the edition and the graphic
design are performed in parallel and when both are finished then the
article is produced.
The same previous process, but the graphic design will be performed,
only if the article has illustrations.

Solution

Article publishing for a magazine: to publish an article, first the article

should be reviewed. Having reviewed, the edition and the graphic
design are performed in parallel and when both are finished then the
article is produced.
The same previous process, but the graphic design will be performed,
only if the article has illustrations.

Solution

Whats this process doing?

Collect
mail

Sort
mail

New mail
arrived
Register
mail
New email
arrived

Check
mail for
compliance

Not
acceptable

Document
requisition
compiled
Compile
document
requisition

Acceptable

Capture
matter details

Prepare
document
response

Document
response
prepared

Physical
file
printed
Pay fee

21

Capture party
details

Print
physical file

Whats wrong with this model?

How to fix it?

Revised Order Management Process

If the product requested is not in stock, it needs to be manufactured
before the order handling can continue. To manufacture a product, the
required raw materials have to be ordered. Two preferred suppliers
provide different types of raw material. Depending on the product to
be manufactured, raw materials may be ordered from either Supplier 1
or Supplier 2, or from both. Once the raw materials are available, the
product can be manufactured and the order can be confirmed. On the
other hand, if the product is in stock, it is retrieved from the warehouse
before confirming the order. Further, if the order is confirmed, the
shipment address is received and the requested product is shipped
while the invoice is emitted and the payment is received. Afterwards,
the order is archived and the process completes.

Revised Order Management Process

Fragment of Equipment Rental Process

The clerk at the depot receives the request and, after consulting
the catalogues of the equipment suppliers, selects the most costeffective equipment that complies with the request.
Next, the clerk checks the availability of the selected equipment
with the supplier via phone or e-mail. Sometimes the selected
option is not available and the clerk has to select an alternative
piece of equipment and check its availability with the
corresponding supplier.
Once the clerk has found a suitable piece of equipment available
for rental, they add the details of the selected equipment to the
rental request.

Equipment Rental Process

Whats Wrong? Repair it